http://www.globeauto.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061122.wh-rondo23/GAStory/specialGlobeAuto/2007 Kia Rondo
VANCOUVER
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
VANCOUVER — On a typically grey, wet November day here on the Left Coast, marketing man Dean Tesser and the crew from Kia Canada are doing their best to rain on the competition.
It's an effective performance, too.
"Right now as we speak, Kia has the youngest product lineup in the business," says Tesser, who joined Kia in January after a career at troubled Ford.
The featured attraction today is the 2007 Kia Rondo, a four-door hatchback/wagony type of vehicle that starts at less than $20,000. The Rondo ($19,995-$25,995) has standard cloth seating for five, but pricier versions are available with leather and seating for up to seven. All the seats, front to back, fold flat and the rear-most ones virtually tuck into the floor to make room for cargo.
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From the rear, the 2007 Kia Rondo has a wide stance and the sides are dressed up with chrome door handles. (JEREMY CATO FOR THE GLOBE AND MAIL)
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After Tesser's PowerPoint performance on the Rondo — one stuffed with direct comparisons with Rondo rivals — I take to the road expecting to be underwhelmed.
Consider this: Kia, a sister company of South Korean auto maker Hyundai, may be the weakest car brand in Canada. New or not, Kia has yet to earn the respect of the big quality arbiters such as Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates.
Take the Kia Sportage. In the latest Consumer Reports 2007 preview edition, it is rated the least-reliable small sport-utility vehicle. Period. In Power's latest Vehicle Dependability Study, which measures owner-reported problems after three years, Kia ranks fourth from the bottom — just ahead of Suzuki, Saab and Land Rover. Not good.
Tesser counters with Kia's five-year/100,000-kilometre bumper-to-bumper warranty. If your car breaks, Kia will fix it long after you've stopped making payments.
Still, Kia's quality reputation doesn't yet match Toyota's. It's not even close. That said, if quality and brand power are measured on a continuum, with Toyota rated best at the far right and, say, Lada worst on the far left, Tesser says, "We are more than halfway to where we need to be. In order to change perceptions, we have to change the product."
And then he points out that Kia is No. 2 in owner loyalty, ahead of Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Kia buyers tend to come back and buy again. "This is a brand that is moving forward," he says.
The better part of a day behind the wheel of a Rondo suggests to me that Kia is at least moving steadily in the right direction. There is a lot to like here, from the stylish red instruments to the red backlighting of many controls. The use of lightish-grey, soft-touch plastics in the cabin is a welcome change from the usual black that's all too standard in the industry. Did I mention the thick foam padding in the seats? Well done.
Really, there is nothing cheap about the look of this interior. Not a bit. My silver tester seemed well enough snapped together, too. The cabin panels fit nicely, with small gaps and even seams. The turn signal stalk operates with a satisfying and precise click and the knobs for the climate control are round and big and the kind you can operate in winter while wearing gloves.
Sure, the actual seating position behind the wheel is bus-like; the steering wheel itself, while thick, was very slippery; and if you like tight side bolstering in your seats, don't look here.
Head, leg and shoulder room is generous, little storage spots abound, the doors open nice and wide and the cargo area in my five-seat tester had useful little sectional trays under the lift-up cargo floor.
There are even ventilation ducts, positioned high and usefully adjustable, for rear-seat passengers.
For power, buyers get two choices: a 2.4-litre four-banger (162 horsepower) and 2.7-litre V-6 (182 hp). None of the competition offers a V-6 at all.
I found the four-cylinder plenty powerful enough for the usual round-town sprints and merging was just fine for highway runs. It comes standard with a four-speed automatic transmission, while the V-6 has a five-speed autobox. Both can be shifted manually, though for this car, why bother?
Yes, I said car. Tesser and crew like to suggest that the Rondo is "the fusion of car and SUV qualities," but forget all that. The Rondo is a small wagon.
"It's a car," concedes product planning manager Brian Kim, who is a wonderfully straightforward fellow.
In fact, the Rondo rides on the basic mechanical underpinnings of the 2007 Kia Magentis sedan. And those mechanical bits are shared with the Hyundai Sonata and Azera. I mention this because Consumer Reports says the Sonata and Azera are among the most reliable cars you can buy. This Kia is coming from what appears to be a good place.
And frankly, I don't mind the Rondo's looks at all. From the rear, it has a wide stance and the sides are dressed up with chrome door handles. There is lots of glass all around, which suggest openness and certainly makes for excellent outward visibility.
I certainly took the time to look around during my test drive. The Rondo obviously is not for racing. But for running errands, hauling the kids off to hockey practice, loading up with groceries, taking the dog to the vet — the Rondo is just fine for all the household duties of the middle class.
If you want a truly sporty wagon similar in size, the Mazda5 is a better choice, though. The Rondo's steering feels numb compared to the Mazda's, the braking is adequate (four-wheel discs with standard anti-lock), but nothing spectacular. The all-around independent suspension is tuned for straight-ahead comfort and not particularly suited for carving up the twisties.
None of this is unexpected. And it should also be put into context. That context is price.
As Tesser notes, the Rondo has a very nice price advantage over all its main competitors. He pulls out charts to prove the Rondo's edge over the closest comparably equipped Chevrolet HHR. It comes to $2,390, except the Ronda has extra things like a manumatic transmission, standard anti-skid control (electronic stability control or ESC) across the board, side airbags, heated front seats and outside mirrors, and even auto-off headlamps.
Meanwhile, the Rondo's edge over the Chrysler PT Cruise is $1,265; over the Dodge Caliber R/T, $690; the Toyota Matrix XR, $515; and the Mazda5, $100. That's the Mazda5 with seating for six, where the Rondo comparison vehicle is a five-seater. You'll pay more for the Rondo with seven seats.
Also keep in mind this pricing comparison does not take into account all the discounting that is now standard operating procedure in the car business. The Rondo's pricing edge could melt away if deals and handouts are factored into the equation. The Kia people, of course, know this, and they will act accordingly.
Really, though, if you are after an affordable, functional wagon, one with lots of stuff for a fair price, the Rondo should be cross-shopped against all its rivals. It appears to be that good.
Tesser and his mates, of course, think that once you've stepped into a Kia dealer showroom, this upstart South Korean brand has a chance of hooking you and reeling you in.
"When we talk about 'The power to surprise' [Kia's slogan], ... Well, every time somebody comes into one of our showrooms, they say, 'I had no idea.' "
No idea that Kia has a broad range of vehicles, from the subcompact Rio four-door hatchback to the truck-based Sorento SUV with its new and larger V-8. And now there is this Rondo.
Hmm. Imagine what might happen if and when Kia gets those quality scores up there among the average and above-average brands.
PREVIEW
The car is just fine for all the household duties of the middle class
SPECS
TYPE: Mid-size four-door hatchback
PRICE RANGE: $19,995-$25,995
ENGINES: 2.4-litre inline-four, DOHC and 2.7-litre V-6, DOHC
HORSEPOWER/TORQUE: 162 hp/164 lb-ft for the four; 182 hp/182 lb-ft for the V-6
TRANSMISSION: Four-speed automatic and five-speed automatic
DRIVE: Front drive
FUEL ECONOMY (litres/100 km): 11.0 city/7.5 highway for four-cylinder; 11.8 city/7.9 highway for V-6; regular fuel
ALTERNATIVES: Chevrolet HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Dodge Caliber, Toyota Matrix, Mazda5
LIKE
Loads of room inside
Nice view out the big glass areas
Materials, fit and finish appear to be very good
A lot of stuff for the money
DON'T LIKE
Kia's quality history is still well below average
Numb steering
Indifferent road manners
Flat seats
Slippery steering wheel
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