Topic: 2008 KIA Rondo's have arrived in Canada

[conwelpic]

A week ago I put my money where my mouth is and purchased a 2008 KIA Rondo EX, 5-seater with the 4 cylinder engine.  It is in Aqua silver.
Very impressed with the power from the 2.4L, its quiet, smooth and a joy to drive.  Also like the heated seats and exterior heated mirrors.  The fit and finish is hard to fault and I went over it in detail.  The standard stereo system sounds fantastic through the standard six speakers.

Good buy! What kind of economy figures are you getting?

Don't know yet, haven't put any gas in it, almost due.

[conwelpic]

finally filled it up last night with the first tank full:
10.5L/100km or 27mpg.  Mostly highway and some town driving.  Not too bad for a brand new engine.

[Ex-airbalancer]

finally filled it up last night with the first tank full:
10.5L/100km or 27mpg.  Mostly highway and some town driving.  Not too bad for a brand new engine.

Our 2000 323 CIC is getting 9.6/100km mostly city driving

[sirAQUAMAN64]

finally filled it up last night with the first tank full:
10.5L/100km or 27mpg.  Mostly highway and some town driving.  Not too bad for a brand new engine.

Doesn't sound too bad to me tho a tad higher than I'd hope for highway only, hopefully will return even better as she's broken in.

[gottarondo]

Not by much.  I love my Rondo, but even the most besotted Rondo owner has to admit that fuel economy is not the strong point of this car.  But to an extent it all depends on what you compare it to.  It looks bad if you expect compact car or station wagon economy out of it.  But I think some people would buy it as an alternative to a minivan, in which case it stacks up OK.

And I would point out that Conwel has the smaller engine - I have the V6 which is a little thirstier still.

[FaxCap]

New guy here.

I made a list of things I would like in a new vehicle based on what I use my vehicles for.
The 3 that seem to always make the top of the list are the Rondo, the Mazda-5 and
the Toyota Matrix.

Looked at all 3...the Toyota is beautifully built. I owned a 1990 Camry V6 Limited Edition
station wagon and it was truly an amazing set of wheels. I like a lot about the Mazda-5.
There again I owned a Mazda B-2000 pickup. VERY reliable!

Then I looked at the Rondo. Good Lord has Kia come a long way! It looks much better in
person than the pictures. It fits my "list" better than the other 2 vehicles.

If any of you Rondo owners are out there....a few questions.

What's the Rondo like in the snow? I noticed the reviewer said the traction control can
be a pain. Can it be turned off?

I would opt for the 4 cyl....how is the fuel economy after the motor is broken in?

Overall....after a period of ownership do you still like your Rondo? A lady a few blocks
away has had one for 4-5 months and she LOVES the Rondo.

FaxCap

[gottarondo]

I can't tell you much about the 4's fuel economy since I have the V6 but there is a thread on the Kia forums that might help you there (look for the thread on fuel economy and you might also find something else of interest - check out the thread with all the Rondo reviews too):
http://www.kia-forums.com/kia-carens-rondo-forum/

As you know being from Vancouver I can't tell you that much about traction either, but I can say I've had no problems driving the car since Jan '07.  Not that we've had a lot of snow or even ice in that time, if I recall correctly, but what we did have posed no problem at all.  To be fair, the review on this site, I think done by James as a day-by-day drive, did note some problems with the ESC.  What I don't know is whether these are specific to the Rondo or common to other cars with ESC. 

But that is the case with the few things I'm not happy with in the Rondo - they are all things that are standard on the market these days.  For example, I feel that visibility is less than ideal due to the rake of the front pillars and the high belt-line/substantial rear pillars.  But that's compared to our old car... I went to the auto show last year and sat in every SUV and crossover on the site, and found that most other current vehicles are WORSE in that regard than the Rondo.  In the case of the front pillars, it's the degree to which the aerodynamic slope of the windshield puts them in front of the driver.

What I LOVE about the Rondo - and I still do LOVE it - are things that other vehicles don't have.  For example, low floor equals surprisingly good hatch capacity and amazing ease of entry and egress.  I bought some furniture the other day and the guy who sold it to me was amazed at how roomy the car was relative to its size.  And as I have the 7-seater, the seating flexibility is something I continue to enjoy - without having to drag a whole minivan around with me when I don't need it, which is most of the time.

Not to mention its debonair and charismatic appearance

[FaxCap]

Thanks for the great reply, gottarondo!

I will take a good hard look at the Kia-Forums site....thanks for the link.

As for visability...or lack of it...I'm driving a leased Dodge van plus I drove a large truck for 25
years so I am totally comfortable using mirrors to drive, ;-)

Can the ESC be turned off? My wife's G35 Coupe, which is the WORST car in history in snow, has
a switch to turn off ESC. Unfortunately it makes little difference on the G35 which has to be
parked after the 17th snow flake hits the road.

FaxCap

[gottarondo]

Hi, sorry for the delay.  I haven't even been in the car for two days and wanted to double check before replying; yes, the ESC can be turned off. 

Thanks for the warning to give any G35s out on a snowy day a wide berth!

[FaxCap]

Thanks for the warning to give any G35s out on a snowy day a wide berth!

Not just the coupe....the G35 sedans are almost as bad. Even with the traction control turned off the
sedan and coupes are terrible in the snow. I think they are actually worse than my old '62 Chevy Impala. 

We're out in the Sunshine Hills part of Delta....and they don't call it "Hills" for nothing.  So snow traction for
the bit of snow we get is important. I have a leased Dodge van right now and it's fantastic in the snow.
My wife has used the van a few times to get to work when it's snowed. So, if the Rondo is good in the
snow it's another bonus point.

FaxCap

[Zoo]

The Rondo is one vehicle I would love to see a hybrid version of. Perhaps a 1.8L-2.0L 4 cylinder in a hybrid configuration.

[quadzilla]

Thanks for the warning to give any G35s out on a snowy day a wide berth!

Not just the coupe....the G35 sedans are almost as bad. Even with the traction control turned off the
sedan and coupes are terrible in the snow. I think they are actually worse than my old '62 Chevy Impala. 

Are you using winter or the stock a/s tires?