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By the way, how do you insert the pictures into your reply?
Thanks!
I use Firefox and Windows Vista.
Maybe "crewzin" or "medicineman" could offer some advice.
I have lots of pictures once I can get this figured out.
to bad you can't do an insert like on email, would be much simpler. Where do find out this kind of information on this site? I guess the Kia Forum works the same way too. I hope this information helps other people out too. Thanks again.
we love the grandchildren more. Pretty good rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety people but the IIHS seem to run more rigorous testing. Counting on comments from the count2. Thanks again to all of you.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ncap/cars/4245.html
Does anyone have photos of their 5 seater with the 2nd row up and also folded flat? I have only seen the 7 seater in person and pictures of the same, would like to see what the difference in between the two versions.
Here are some pics from the Canadian Driver review of the Rondo (click on a pic to see a larger pic).
For comparison, here's a pic of the 7 seater:
Now here are some pics of the 5 seater:
The storage compartment closest to the rear hatch seems similar in size in both vehicles. Obviously, the storage compartment closest to the rear seats in the 5 seater is missing in the 7 seater since the third row seats occupy that space.
Also notice that the 5 seater lacks the small storage compartments that appear on the sides of the third row seats in the 7 seater.
You can also buy a cargo privacy cover for the area behind the rear seats in the 5 seater, but this will not work in the 7 seater when the third row seats are folded down (there's nowhere to attach it in the 7 seater). I haven't seen any pics of the privacy cover installed in the 5 seater.
As it turns out, my experience with the lens has been less than ideal. On most occasions, there's a glare off the lens that makes it impossible to see anything through the lens. I also sometimes see a double image--of the ground about a meter behind the vehicle (which is what I supposed to see) and of the sky (at least I think it's the sky ).
So I decided to buy ultrasonic reverse/parking sensors that installs on the rear bumper. I bought them from eBay and I haven't received them yet. You have to drill four holes into your bumper to fit the four sensors, which is why I hesitated considering this option. But I'm still not comfortable parallel parking the Rondo, so it has become a necessity. I won't install it myself--I'll try to find a mechanic or someone who knows how to do stuff like this.
I also considered buying one of those mirrors that you attach to the rear hatch or on the rear window itself so that you can see the rear bumper area, but I didn't think it would look great on the vehicle. I discovered today that there is such a mirror available just for the Rondo. See here. Hmm, now I'm wondering if I should have got that instead. Hard to say without seeing one installed. What do you guys think? Just to help you guys visualize, check out this mirror for the Santa Fe.
regards, mark
Medicineman,
No, your not the only one. Most people won't admit to having a hard time parking. Personally, I've never had to parallel park in the 7 years I've been down in Florida, but my wife has a hard time in any car backing into our 25 foot wide driveway.
Newsday A little concerned about long-term reliability, though.
Stamford Times Even if I were a Yank, I probably wouldn't know where Stamford is (yes, not Stanford)
Auto123.com
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
Keep finding them!
I remember several years ago my BIL came to visit us in Everett, WA. I then drove a 1973 Plymouth Duster(this was in the mid-80's)and as we drove him around the Puget Sound he was constantly telling me to move out in front of this guy on the freeway or not let someone else in our lane, etc.
Well, he's from Chicago and parking is more of a concern there as well as sharing your driving life with several million other drivers on a constant basis. So, my driving was basically driving him nuts.
What cracked me up, though, and this is the point of my post, is this. We were downtown in Seattle doing something down there and needed to park on a crowded street of cars parked close to each other. This is when it gets difficult, when you have to parallel park in one of these situations. My BIL was starting to go nuts as he watched me struggle with the slant-6 to get it in to position where I could park the thing. Back and forth, back and forth.
Then, what took the cake was when I didn't feel like I had the room to nudge in by the car's bumper just in front of me...he told me to "just push the car ahead of me up with my front bumper," with a large sense of urgency.
Now, this is when cars actually had steel bumpers, but, there's no way I'm gonna make room with the front of my car to get parked downtown. I had seen people do that before and hated seeing it.
Needless to say he wasn't very happy with me and my driving during his vacation! :P
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Conwelpic, just for you, here's my updated list of Rondo reviews. The main purpose of posting this list is to make it easy for everyone to access a lot of the reviews in one handy spot.
I've also included some British reviews of the Carens. These reviews were of the diesel engine version (I think).
So what's the consensus? Almost all of the reviews range from middle-of-the-road to positive, with a majority being clearly positive. In fact, only three of the reviews were definitely negative--see the Cars.com and KickingTires reviews in the American section and the Car Magazine review in the British section below.
Rondo - American Reviews
Active Lifestyle Vehicles
Ann M. Job (Associated Press)
Autoblog
Automobile.com
AutoWeb
AutoWeek
Boston Globe
Brightcove.com (video) Not sure who the people are in the video or what company produced this
Car & Driver (Feb. 2007)
Car & Driver (May 2007)
Car Connection
Cars.com
Chicago Sun-Times
CNET Focuses on the technology and entertainment systems in the Rondo
Edmunds.com
Family Car
Kansas City Star
KickingTires (Cars.com blog)
LA Times
Michael Karesh (creator of TrueDelta.com) Somewhat annoying how he likes to push his website in a lot of forums
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Motor Trend
New Car Test Drive
Newsday
Orlando Sentinel
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sacramento Bee
San Francisco Chronicle
San Jose Mercury News
Stamford Times
Truth About Cars
WardsAuto.com
Washington Times
Rondo - Canadian Reviews
Auto123.com (Nov. 2006)
Auto123.com (June 2007)
Canadian Driver (Nov. 2006)
Canadian Driver (May 2007)
Globe & Mail
Graeme Fletcher (CanWest News Service)
Graeme Fletcher (CanWest News Service) - Rondo EX V6 vs. Mazda5 GT
Kelly Taylor (CanWest News Service)
Motoring Television (QuickTime video)
Toronto Star (Nov. 2006)
Toronto Star (May 2007)
Toronto Sun
Victoria Times Colonist
(continued in next post)
Auto Express - New Reviews
Auto Express - First Drives
Car Keys
Car Magazine
Honest John
Parker's
What Car?
You can get a diesel in the UK, but it is also up against a lot more vehicles than in North America. I like the UK description of this type of vehicle "MPV" (multi-purpose vehicle), which I think more accurately describes this type of vehicle.
As a thought, I think you should have posted your lists as a new thread and then it would more readily be available to someone first coming to this particular forum. Otherwise, they may not find it under its current heading - would like to see a lot of people make full use of all your hard work.
This might be my own bias speaking here, but I've read four reviews that were mostly negative about the Rondo/Carens thus far and those reviews were generally poorly written and amateurish (except for the Cars.com review). Not sure if I mean anything by this--just my observation.
I've read a handful of reviews critiquing the Rondo's performance and handling, mostly concerning the 4 cylinder. As for my own experience with the 4-cylinder 7-seater, I've had the vehicle for only two months and it has been all city driving, so I really haven't put it through its paces. I usually drive it by myself or with two passengers, which isn't much of a torture test. I don't have a heavy foot on the gas pedal, so I don't know how well it actually accelerates. As for handling and cornering, I have no idea and wouldn't even know what to look for. All I can say is that the ride is very smooth, it seems to stop on a dime, and I haven't noticed any obvious faults concerning the way it drives.
Obviously, as I've said before, I'm not an auto enthusiast. The reason why I hang out in these forums is because, initially, I was looking to buy a new vehicle and I was doing my research, and now, I'm interested in reading and talking about my new vehicle. I would wager to guess that I'm atypical and the majority of people who frequent forums such as these are real enthusiasts who know a thing or two about cars. Personally, I can't even tell the difference between a Honda and a Dodge, and I don't know how to drive a stick.
The majority of people out there in the real world don't consider themselves as auto enthusiasts. I know that's an obvious statement to make, but I think there's a tendency in forums like these to forget that there's a difference between what enthusiasts want and what the general public wants. What you and your fellow enthusiasts consider as obvious and essential in a vehicle isn't going to be the same as what Mr. Joe Average considers as obvious and essential in a vehicle.
When considering mini people movers like the Rondo and Mazda5, car enthusiasts probably value the aesthetic quality and the performance/handling of the vehicle as much as they value the utility of the vehicle. I don't think I'm stepping out on a limb, however, by stating that the typical non-enthusiast who's looking at these type of vehicles is primarily interested in what these vehicles are obviously meant for--their utility and configurability, their cargo and passenger capacity.
For me, being a pretty good representative of the vast unwashed , that's the exact reason why I chose the Rondo. Sure, it ain't the hottest looking vehicle in the world. Sure, it doesn't presumably perform or handle as well as its natural competitor, the Mazda5. And to tell you the truth, I really loved the Mazda5 based on what I had read about it. At the end of the day, however, the Mazda5 can't hold up to seven people. I have twelve nieces and nephews along with my own young'un, which is why I wanted a seven seater. Anyone with kids know that it's all about utility and capacity, with the other stuff being perks rather than necessities.
I ultimately couldn't justify buying a "lesser" vehicle because the "zoom zoom" looks and performance just didn't matter all that much compared to what I actually needed. Maybe an auto enthusiast wouldn't want to make that sacrifice, but I'm no auto enthusiast. To me, all cars are pretty much the same, anyway, and I've discovered that the Rondo looks and performs perfectly well for my own non-sophisticated tastes.
I can't say much about the looks, really, because that's ultimately in the eye of the beholder. As for the other stuff, how often am I going to be pushing my vehicle to a point where supposed weaknesses in the performance and handling become noticeable or a concern? Most of us don't drive on a test track everyday. I suppose the main benefit of knowing about your vehicle's performance excellence is that it'll make you feel toasty warm inside while you're crawling through stop-and-go city traffic. Having said that, most enthusiasts probably do notice a difference in performance between vehicles during everyday, mundane driving--but for the rest of us, the difference would hardly be noticeable and would hardly matter.
You know, I haven't really defended the Rondo at all. I acknowledge that the criticisms may indeed be valid, i.e., concerning its looks and performance/handling. When you consider, however, the reasons why the average Joe would want to buy a vehicle like this in the first place, the criticisms are not much of a criticism.
One reviewer said that the Rondo won't likely set your loins on fire. You know what? I fully agree. I certainly haven't felt a warmth in the nether regions. And I don't care. So there.
BTW, if a vehicle ever does set your loins on fire, I would suggest that you consult a doctor, gynecologist or exorcist.
I'd be calling a lawyer after demanding the dealer take the car back.
The full list:
GMC Acadia
Honda Element
Chrysler Aspen
Acura MDX
Subaru Tribeca
Chevy HHR
Cadillac Escalade EXT
Kia Rondo
Audi Q7
Nissan Quest
1) Can 2nd row provide comfortable seating for 1 car seat and 2 adults?
2) Is DVD available as option? I did not find it on their website.
Thanks in advance.
The Rondo is more plain and honest than odd-looking, but don’t forget – there are always the optional spoilers and body kit for the Rondo to add the slightest edge to the bulbous factor
(Why don’t we hear people calling the Lexus RX “bulbous”?)
I admit though, that I’ll feel somewhat smug as an “early adopter” if down the road, Kia and the Rondo live up to the great initial reviews and become as Honda & Toyota are regarded now in terms of resale value and reliable reputation.
I'll certainly post some feedback once I get it and perhaps I'll even borrow one of those fancy digital cameras and take a picture of it.
There is room for 2 adults and a single car seat in the 2nd row, but not a great deal of room. Both adults would need to be medium or slim built.
Someone on another KIA forum came up with a British site that has accessories that a lot of us have never seen. Side moldings, lowering springs, chrome side bars, front and rear corner side moldings, a rear reversing aid and front parking aid, clear rear bumper protection strip and a roof mounted fully integrated entertainment system.
The entertainment system is $1350 with a 7 inch screen and compatible with DVD, MP3, audio CD's, MPEG Video and JPEG images. The stock number is #FY09220002
One exception - as an early adopter, I'll admit to being slightly smug right now! :shades:
The rear visibility factor is something I noticed when test-driving both the Sportage & Rondo with their fat rear corner frames (which several reviews also noted). Since you mentioned it, I noted and agree about the Rondo’s high rear window. There’s probably an element of “vehicular proprioception” – An instinctive feel for where your car’s boundaries are, that allows parallel parking and other maneuvers to be done more or less reflexively. It certainly helps if you can actually see where you are though.
I recalled your post the very first day I had my Rondo and was about to park in a fairly easy situation. So I thought I’d challenge myself and put the Rondo through some paces and try backing precisely into a parking slot. Piece of cake, right? There was a low rockery wall behind that I couldn’t see, so I stuck my head out the door as I was backing up so I could see the wall. Crunch! Turns out the wall was imperceptively but slightly curved, so the right bumper hit it before it looked anywhere near the driver’s side. (A few others said they've done the same thing at that place, but my ego was still bruised.)
Getting that first good scratch and ding on a new vehicle is very liberating. It’s all downhill from there
Knock wood -- So far a few parallel parks have not been an issue - yet. Could be more pressure to do quickly on a crowded and busy downtown street though. Remember to use The Force. ;-)
You're right about vehicular proprioception (I've just learned a new word )--that sixth sense has never been my strong point. The thought has crossed my mind that this could all be just me--but seeing that there's a rear-hatch mirror available for the Rondo at all, someone out there must have known that the Rondo could use one and there would be a market for one.
Actually, when I look at my Rondo close up from the outside, the rear window doesn't seem that high up (I'm 6'1" so that might have something to do with it). I'm starting to see more Rondos on the road, though, and from a distance I'm always surprised by how high the rear window really is. I'm also surprised by how tiny it is--it looks like a postage stamp on the rear hatch (well, not quite, but it's very small).
Heated seats have been known to malfunction and in rare instances to start fires. VW's come to mind and a few people have had to seek medical attention for burns to their lower regions.
No laughing matter.
Anyways, back to our regular programming...
Goodness, gracious, great _ _ _ _ of fire. Heated seats may have a degree of danger to them! :surprise:
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Your heater would keep the coffee warm!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
BTW, I hope it's ok to link to another forum. If the moderator or others prefer it, I could post the entire thing here, too. I just wanted to spare this thread from another one of my long boring ramblings.
Are you finding the mirror useful in gauging rear distances in parallel parking, considering the "Objects are farther than they appear" factor?
I'm not having any problems gauging the distance so far. Before I ventured out with the mirror installed, I placed an object behind the vehicle at varying distances and towards the left and right to see how it would appear in the mirror. Basically, it comes down to this: if an object in the mirror looks like it's touching the rear of my vehicle, it's in reality about 2 feet from the rear of my vehicle. That's about as close as I would want to get to anything behind me, anyways--you have to factor in human error and the odd "asleep at the wheel" brain fart.
So if I'm backing into a parking spot and the mirror apparently shows the rear of my vehicle touching the front of the parked vehicle, that's where I stop reversing even though I actually have a little bit of wiggle room left.