The Kia Rondo is an easy car to miss in standard comparison shopping. Its closest market class in the United States is "small station wagon," a segment few consumers seem to have an interest in and whose products are generally dissimilar to the Rondo.
In Europe, the Rondo (sold there as the Carens) has many direct competitors in the class of "compact multi-purpose vehicle." Those cars are tall but have dimensions otherwise similar to the average American-market economy car, and they feature impressive interior space efficiency.
In the US, what do you call a small station wagon that drives like a nice midsize family sedan, has the interior space of a midsize SUV, and costs about as much as a compact economy car?
Though we don't have an "MPV" class, we can certainly call the Rondo a double-take value.
The Rondo isn't a slick-looking car. Few MPVs are. They're all about utility. The slab sides and low window-line may look odd at best from the outside, but from the inside of the Rondo you have comfortable seating for five plus an available third row that offers passable comfort for two medium-size adults. That's more than many larger SUVs can boast. Plus, those jumbo windows give drivers excellent visibility and keeps the outward view within reach of small children.
The driver sits higher in the Rondo than in the average sedan, though it's not quite SUV height. The front seats themselves are high off the floor, like an SUV or minivan, but the Rondo sits lower to the ground. The high roof keeps the chair-high seats from cutting into head space.
The rear bench seat is also high enough off the floor to offer excellent leg support, and there's plenty of space. On seven-passenger Rondos the rear seat adjusts fore/aft, offering the option of whether to allocate leg room to the middle row or third row. That third row is too low to the floor to be called comfortable, but it's passable. Surprisingly few non-minivans offer even that much.
Like the rest of the car, the Rondo's interior isn't very interesting to look out, but it's well-designed and high-quality. Function was clearly chosen over form, but Kia also understands that functional doesn't need to feel junky.
Although passenger accommodations are top-notch, the Rondo's cargo volume doesn't defy its compact dimensions. A low floor and fold-flat front passenger seat help the car offer as much space as it possibly can, but that comes out to a total of 74 cubic feet of cargo space behind the front seats, 32 behind the rear seat, and, if installed, a mere 7 cubic feet behind the third row.
That's not to say the Rondo doesn't have much cargo space. Those specifications are on par with most small SUVs, and there is enough space behind even the third-row seat for a bit of cargo. But while the Rondo's passenger space and comfort makes it a possible alternative to a midsize SUV, someone interested in a larger vehicle for its cargo utility may need more room. Don't write it off if you want a lot of space, but consider this carefully in your buying process.
On the road, the Rondo feels like a family sedan with a slightly higher driving position. It rides smoothly and it's quiet, and it handles like the pleasant-but-boring small car that it is: it's safe and maneuverable but not a driver's car.
The Rondo's standard 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine is shared with the midsize Kia Optima and Hyundai Sonata midsize sedans, and it offers more pep than many give it credit for. It won't win the modern horsepower war, but it offers comparable power to a 4-cylinder Toyota Camry, the best-selling version of the best-selling car in the country. A 2.7-liter V6 is also offered. Other reviews suggest the V6's extra power is useful in accelerating at high speeds, which may be, but the more obvious difference is that it's quieter. The extra power might be handy if you'll be carrying seven passengers, but the less-expensive and more fuel-efficient 4-cylinder should be the better buy for most.
The Rondo impresses in many areas: for its practicality, comfort, and refinement. The one major place it does not stand out is in its gas mileage. While it is more fuel-efficient than most vehicles with similar interior space, the average 4-cylinder family sedan does a bit better, and it's nothing close to an economy car. The EPA rates it at 22 miles per gallon in mixed driving. (2009 4-cylinder Rondos are rated at one mile per gallon higher than 2008s by the EPA, but 2008s have better sales incentives that more than offset those savings.)
It also bears mentioning that the Rondo is not the only European-style MPV available in the United States. The Mazda5 is a tall compact station wagon with minivan styling and three rows of seats. But its feel is very different from the Rondo's; whereas the Rondo has the solid feel and refinement of a midsize family sedan, the Mazda5 feels more like an economy car. The Rondo also has more power and seating for seven instead of six passengers.
However, for all its strengths, the Rondo does not offer all-wheel-drive to make it a perfect family SUV alternative. (It's still a perfect alternative to a two-wheel-drive family SUV, which still represents a large chunk of that market.) It also lacks a manual transmission, offered in most cars at the Rondo's size and price point (including the Mazda5), which would have improved its gas mileage and lowered its base price.
All that aside, the Rondo impresses for its all-around goodness: that practicality, comfort, and refinement that keeps coming up in this review. But that goodness would not be especially impressive if it weren't for Rondo's value. After all, there are lots of pleasant cars on the market. The Rondo stands out from all those others because of what it offers for the money.
The Rondo offers the feel of a good midsize family sedan and the practicality of a good small SUV (a combination no current small SUV or midsize family sedan can match) while costing less than a comparably-equipped Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, according to pricing site TrueDelta.com.
A five-passenger Rondo is nicely equipped with the full range of safety and basic convenience features at a sticker price of $18,795, which Edmunds.com expects you to be able to haggle down to $16,260. (Add $500 for the third row seat and related accessories.)
If you're looking for a family car of any shape or size, consider the Rondo. If you're interested in anything with a roomy interior, especially if you want to seat more than five passengers, you can't beat $16,260 for a new car with a long warranty. And even at economy car prices, the Rondo doesn't feel at all cheap. Be aware that a midsize SUV or a minivan will have more total cargo volume, but don't buy your next family car without driving the Rondo.
Vehicle tested: 2008 Kia Rondo LX 4-cylinder
Vehicle base price: $17,395
Vehicle price as tested: $18,795
Test vehicle provided by: Kia of Waldorf of Waldorf, Md.
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