Long-Term Fleet: The Endearing And The Unloved

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I was working on Edmunds' review of the 2009 Kia Rondo this morning and found myself thinking how I miss having our long-term '08 Rondo in the fleet. It was practical, of course, but it had comically awkward styling and a fun-to-say name that made it endearing.

This made me think of some other recent long-term cars that I miss -- and don't miss. So without further ado, here's my holiday wish list for vehicles that might someday come back around and others that deserve a lump of coal in their stockings.

Missed
2007 Kia Rondo
2007 Cadillac SRX -- Classy, functional and not too big. Underrated.
2006 Honda Civic Si -- Fun, always stirring and affordable. A great mix.
2007 Honda Fit -- A lot like the Rondo. Practical but very memorable.
2007 Mini Cooper S -- Not without faults, but its fizzy spirit made every drive a kick.
2007 Mitsubishi Outlander -- Its handling and styling made it rise above the rest.
2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser -- Comfortable and likeable. Much preferred over our Wrangler Unlimited.

Vehicles I should miss but don't
2007 Infiniti G35 -- Nice, but I never connected with it. The ~~balky manual transmission~~ stiff clutch pedal didn't help.
2006 Mazda Miata -- A fun car, but it lacked the spirit found in earlier Miatas.

Not missed in the slightest
1984 Ferrari 308 -- A one-time novelty I never need to drive again (no doubt my position here runs contrary to most)
2006 Pontiac Solstice -- Too unrefined, too impractical and too poorly built.
2007 Hyundai Azera -- I was always losing this in parking lots because I couldn't remember what it looked like.
2007 Jeep Compass -- Modern domestic automaking at its worst.

Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor

14 Comments

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texases says:

10:46 AM, 12/19/08

Brent-Great post, that's why I read these, I'm interested in the opinions of people that have had a chance to drive and compare these cars, not just read about them. Thanks!

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compliance says:

10:49 AM, 12/19/08

Talk about "missed", I totally forgot you had a Wrangler. You guys never post about that thing.

The Si always seemed to be well liked. I'm curious on your thoughts about it's poor finish in the recent C&D comparison. A good car that fell behind in it's segment too quickly?

dougtheeng says:

11:16 AM, 12/19/08

Interesting post, its great to see vehicles compared like that.

bromans says:

11:28 AM, 12/19/08

@compliance
Well, every publication conducts its comparisons a bit differently. As we haven't assembled that same group of cars, I can't really say. Certainly, the cars that C&D ranked ahead of the Civic all have their own particular set of strengths. (And I think the MS3 has won everything that we've put it in.) But the Si is still a great car. -- Brent

gossard267 says:

11:56 AM, 12/19/08

I felt like the Si didn't belong in that comparo. It seems targeted at a lower level than the others, which would be confirmed by its much lower price point.

firstwagon says:

12:08 PM, 12/19/08

The Rondo seems to be getting quite a following in my area. I would call it the new Focus wagon as 3 former Focus wagon owners I know are now driving Rondos.

The funny thing is while they all liked the focus, the love the Rondo.

Imagine Ford losing out to Kia.

As for the list, I can't see why anyone would prefer a FJ over a Wrangler but otherwise it sounds good.

redliner says:

01:26 PM, 12/19/08

2006 Pontiac Solstice

I really really really wanted to like this car(Saturn sky too)and the styling was sexy and gorgeous. But once you got to driving it (even the redline version), it never delivered. It's like going on a date with a really hot supermodel, and then finding out that she's as shallow as a kiddie pool.

lvranger says:

01:54 PM, 12/19/08

The FJ runs better around town (visibility notwithstanding) while still having 90% of the off road ability of the Wrangler. Plus the Toyota 4.0 (i'm biased, I have it in my truck) is miles ahead of the Jeep 3.8.

For the record, i'm not a fan of the FJ or JK but a TJ will soon reside in my garage. :-)

MS3lvr92 says:

03:10 PM, 12/19/08

Spot on.

justin says:

06:48 PM, 12/19/08

I'd say that the Azera is still a great deal though. For Accord and Camry money you get Avalon/Maxima size and content.

speeder31 says:

07:21 PM, 12/19/08

Hmmmmm...if the Azera didn't float your boat, I think the new Hyundai Genesis is worth a shot, no?

joefrompa says:

07:35 AM, 12/20/08

I have a 2006 Civic SI (galaxy gray as well, same as edmunds). With 56k miles on the odometer, I commented on the C&D test on Honda forums as this:

It got exactly the place it deserved.

It's an awesome car that fills a great niche, but it doesn't stack up in performance when driven back to back with the likes of the WRX, MS3, Cobalt SS.

All 3 of those cars have torquetonking motors released in the last ~2-3 years (or significantly tweaked in that time). The SI's motor debuted in 2001 in the RSX Type-S. It's just a world of difference.

The SI is the value-packer of the bunch. Great features, ergonomics, and interior materials along with a ultra-low maintenance ownership experience for about $20k....but Value don't win sport-compact comparison tests.

Joe

chrisa222 says:

07:41 AM, 12/20/08

You just slammed both of my cars...Azera and Miata.

The Azera has been bulletproof in the 40K I have driven it..and it was a bargain.

How can anyone not love a Miata? AH...someone who doesn't love a Ferrari. I get it now.

stovt001 says:

12:41 PM, 12/21/08

I'm thinking we should have annual Long Term Blogs Awards. Awards could include:

Best Road Trip
-Most Polarizing
-Best (Worst) dealership visit
-Worst accident/damage by a tester
-RTFM Award (car with a feature causing confusion easily fixed by RTFM)
-Most blog posts about a single problem with a simple solution known to all readers but the Edmunds editors refuse to actually act on.
-Vehicle you'd most like Jeremy Clarkson to throw off a cliff and shoot on the way down.
-etc.