Preview: 2014 Kia Rondo
GALVESTON, TEX. • The outgoing Rondo has served as a surrogate minivan for many buyers. While not quite as roomy, it had the ability to take a family of six out in one vehicle rather than having to take two. The hitch was, well, it was boringly boxy. The all-new Rondo still delivers the flexibility, but it has received a serious infusion of style. It is accurately described as being more like a Forte wagon than the previous mini-minivan.
Up front, the top-end EX Luxury features HID headlights and swanky LED daytime running lights. The side profile also has much more definition, and it now looks like a wagon because of its lower, arching roofline. At the back, Kia’s new “Light Bar” rear lights would not look out of place pinned to the tail end of an Audi or BMW. While these lamps use LEDs there is a diffuser lens that, rather allowing a row of piercing dots to shine through, produces a seamless ring of light that runs around the entire lamp cluster. They look good during the day — they are stunning at night.
The exterior shortcoming is the colour palette. Simply, it is bland. A spicier palette would accent the Rondo’s newfound style — it cries out for a racy red or the bright Coral blue that looks so good on the Forte.
Inside, the Rondo’s quality and layout easily matches Kia’s top-line Optima SX Turbo, especially the cars equipped with the optional two-tone black/beige leather interior featured on the mid-level EX and premium EX Luxury. The cabin’s materials are soft to the touch and many have an upscale rubberized feel to them. The detail found in the fit and finish is only matched by the level of standard equipment.
The base LX comes with air, the usual power toys, cruise control, Bluetooth and heated cloth seats. The EX Luxury features a navigation system that stores its information on an SD card (this makes updating the maps much simpler), while the automatic climate control system features both auto defogging and a cluster ionizer. The latter removes dust and dander from the incoming air. You’ll also find a smart key with push-button start and an electronic parking brake.
Likewise, life’s little luxuries are all in place — heated steering wheel, a heated/cooled 10-way power driver’s seat that includes the ability to lengthen the seat base, a panoramic moonroof and a suitably proud audio system. Even the instrumentation is high-end. Sitting between the conventional dials is a seven-inch LCD screen that displays everything from the trip computer to the user settings menu. The content is such that the EX Luxury has no options.
As for flexibility, the new Rondo is offered in both five- and seven-seat models. While the third row is a tad cramped, it does work thanks to the long wheelbase — at 2,750 millimetres it is 50 mm longer than Kia’s Sorento. In both versions, the 60/40-split/folding rear seats slide back and forth, which maximizes cargo volume or improves legroom. Likewise, the floor is flat, the wheel well intrusions are minimal and there is a privacy cover. The latter now has a storage cubby under the rear floor, which means it will not end up collecting dust in a garage.
The only engine offered is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder. While the numbers, as they appear on paper, do not look overly special for a vehicle that can seat seven, the 164 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque proved to be enough — six sumo wrestlers might cause a little lethargy, but for most families, it is just fine. It is a free-revving mill that works best with the six-speed automatic — in an odd move the base Rondo arrives with a six-speed manual. While the clutch is light and the gate is refined, it did not seem well suited to what is a family car and not a sports wagon. The automatic is a better proposition altogether. The EX Luxury even counted paddle shifters that remained functional regardless of the shifter’s position. While there was nary a hill to be found in Texas — it is flatter than gravy on a plate — the engine braking initiated by pulling back on a paddle did set the Rondo up nicely for a corner.
The Rondo is going to find many new fans because it is the antithesis of a minivan. It is attractive, it delivers a superior, almost sporty, drive and it has all the desirable creature comforts for less coin than its key competitors
On that note, the Rondo truly impressed me by how it handled, even during an enthusiastic driving stint. The suspension was compliant, even when unloaded, yet it managed to limit body roll to a couple of degrees. Likewise, the steering was pleasantly weighted. The latter can be tailored to the driver’s taste. FlexSteer, as it is known, allows the driver to choose between Comfort, Normal and Sport modes. Comfort proved to be too light for my tastes, but it was well suited to my driving partner, who has wrist issues. For me, Normal was fine for putting about town, but Sport mode was my preferred mode, as it also seemed to improve high speed stability.
The Rondo is the latest vehicle to adopt Kia’s Vehicle Stability Management system. As well as using throttle intervention and the anti-lock brakes to right a wrong, it also taps into the electrically assisted steering to counter oversteer. It also works to keep the Rondo straight when braking with the left and right tires on different surfaces. It works very well, and it is sophisticated beyond the Rondo’s price.
The Rondo is going to find many new fans because it is the antithesis of a minivan. It is attractive, it delivers a superior, almost sporty, drive and it has all the desirable creature comforts for less coin than its key competitors — the Chevrolet Orlando and Mazda5. When the Rondo hits dealer showrooms in a couple of weeks, the base LX with its manual transmission will anchor the bottom end at $21,695; the loaded EX Luxury sits at $32,195.
