Here’s the thing – full size SUVs aren’t the answer for all families. For some time, Kia has successfully met their needs with the seven-seat Rondo and now the all-new Rondo has arrived boasting stand-out looks and a choice of diesel or petrol engines.
Priced from $29,990, the all-new Kia Rondo will tick the boxes for those with young families on a budget who reckon full-size SUVs are…well, they’re just too big and too SUV.
Compact and practical, the all-new Rondo again shows Kia is at the top of the game for styling and thanks to more local development, the driving experience is spot-on for Australian conditions.
Kia Rondo Overview
All-new Kia Rondo is available in Kia’s familiar three models grades – entry-level Si, mid-grade SLi and range-topping SLi (the latter only available with the petrol engine).
The lineup is:
2.0-litre petrol
Si $29,990
SLi $33,990
Platinum $38,990
1.7-litre diesel
Si $32,490
SLi $36,490
Kia Rondo Engine
Petrol power comes from Kia’s 2.0-litre NU direct-injection four-cylinder with 102kW of power at 6500rpm and peak torque of 213Nm at 4700rpm. Combined cycle fuel consumption is rated at 7.9l/100kms.
A smart addition to the ranks for the all-new Kia Rondo is a diesel alternative – Kia’s U2 1.7-litre four-cylinder with 100kW of power at 4000rpm and peak torque of 320Nm from 1750-2500rpm. Combined cycle fuel consumption is rated at 6.4l/100kms.
All-new Kia Rondo steps-up in the transmission department too with a new six-speed automatic replacing the previous model’s four-speeder. Made in-house by Kia (many manufacturers outsource transmission to specialists like ZF) Kia’s new six-speed auto has a selectable sport mode and steering wheel paddle-shifters in SLI and Platinum models for sequential manual changes.
Kia Rondo The Interior
Inside is where it counts for seven-seaters and the contrast to the superseded Kia Rondo couldn’t be greater. The all-new model with its cab-forward design features a broad, sweeping dashboard and lots of light thanks to the four side windows and large glasshouse.
The leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel (heated in Platinum models) is a nice sporty design which adjusts for rake/reach and combines with the height-adjustable drivers’ seat (electronic adjustment in SLi and Platinum and heated/cooled front seats in Platinum) for a nice driving position. Instrumentation is nicely laid-out with contemporary round gauges (4.2-inch colour TFT cluster in SLI and Platinum).
Audio is a six-speaker CD system with the usual connectivity and the Platinum model adds satellite navigation with a seven-in touch screen.
Second row seats split-fold 35/30/35 and slide for-aft through 240mm for a versatile layout. Access to the third row seats is a simple lever which folds and slides the required second-row seat.
The cargo area is longer and taller than the outgoing model, affording 17 per-cent more space (with all seats occupied or up to 1650-litres with only the front seats in use). There are also numerous other storage bins including a couple of out-of-sight bins in the second row floor which are sized to accommodate valuable items like laptops.
Kia Rondo Exterior & Styling
The suite of work at Kia for German guru Peter Schreyer and his European chief designer Gregory Guillaume is one of the most impressive in the current global automotive landscape. To the list we can now add the all-new Rondo.
Starting with a clean sheet of paper (well the previous Rondo wasn’t the sexiest design), Schreyer and his team set-out to deliver a sleeker look which is dynamic and athletic but at the same time practical. “A vehicle like the Rondo is probably one of the hardest of all to get right in terms of styling, because we are very tightly constrained by the car’s functionality,” Schreyer explained. Translation: this is a compact city car which must provide seats for seven and reasonable cargo space.
In fact the all-new Rondo, at 4.5-metres, is 20mm shorter than its predecessor and 15mm narrower and 40mm lower. Overall height is 1610mm – one of the lowest seven-seaters - but thanks to its cab-forward design, the wheelbase is up by 50mm to 2750mm – and that means more room to maneuver in interior packaging.
As always, aerodynamics were key and the all-new Kia Rondo delivers a drag Cd of 0.30 (0.32 for the previous model).
The front-end is nicely executed with a compact bonnet, low windscreen leading edge and large, attractive headlights which wrap onto the fenders. In profile the all-new Kia Rondo looks sophisticated with that cab-forward layout and four side windows.
At the rear, neat integration of a roof spoiler and some curves for the tailgate add to the sophistication.
SLi and Platinum models get extra chrome and roof rails.
Si models run on 16-inch alloy wheels, 17-inch for the SLi and 18-inch for Platinum.
Kia Rondo On The Road
During a full day on the roads north of Sydney, Car Showroom sampled the all-new Kia Rondo in both diesel power (an entry-grade Si) and petrol (mid-spec SLi). The combination of city and freeway plus the twists of the old Pacific Highway provided a perfect selection of conditions.
Both the 2.0-litre GDI petrol engine and the 1.7-litre turbo-diesel proved to be spot-on for the Rondo but if pushed we did slightly favour the diesel with its 320Nm of torque very handy in the mid-range. In both cases Kia has done a great job in the refinement department and in terms of the petrol, this is a big improvement over the outgoing Rondo (as well as the extra power and torque of the GDI engine – up by 16kW/24Nm).
As always with Kia, while we haven’t driven the standard Rondo, the Australian specification (a re-do of springs, anti-roll bars, struts and power steering calibration) seemed very slick. Immediately noticeable was the steering which provided good weight and feel through the twists (again a massive improvement over the previous Rondo).
Chassis balance too was impressive with good turn-in and grip plus supple ride even over some of the rough sections of the old highway. We’d give a slight edge in that area to the SLi thanks to its 17-inch wheel/tyre combo.
And compliments too to Kia for the standard reversing camera – all family vehicles should have this safety items as standard. When parking in the beach community of Pearl Beach some of our colleagues did a less than stellar job – thanks fellas! - and even though we were the last to arrive, the reversing camera guided us into the tiny spot left for us.
Kia Rondo Challenges
Kia says the all-new Rondo targets young families but even for young teens, leg-room in the third-row seats is a tad tight.
Kia Rondo Verdict
Once again Kia’s stylists have delivered the goods and the all-new Rondo looks sharp from any angle – and that’s not a boast some others in this segment can make. These sorts of seven-seaters do brisk business in Europe and there’s no mistaking the all-new Rondo was designed with European customers in mind.
Packaging is very clever – seven seats with inner-city maneuverability and ease of operation. Both the petrol and diesel engines are nicely mated to the Rondo’s size and are impressively refined and fuel-efficient.
Add in the results of Kia’s local suspension and steering development and the all-new Rondo stands-out with its suitability for Australian drivers and conditions.
Kia Rondo The Competition
The Fiat-Chrysler Group recently launched the Fiat Freemont (a re-do of the Dodge Journey). The handsome Fiat is now the price-leader of the ‘seven-seat non-SUV’ segment, starting at $27,000 ‘driveaway’. Available with either 2.4-litre petrol or 2.4-litre diesel engines, the Fiat Freemont brings a spacious American-style interior, the required family-friendly practicality and a substantial on-road presence.
Nissan’s British-sourced Dualis+2 is a Car Showroom favourite in this segment and delivers a lot of car from $31,190. Curiously the just-launched diesel variant is only available in the five-seat model.
And hybrid-power is available in a seven-seater in the form of the Toyota Prius V (starting price $35,990). Fuel consumption is rated at just 4.4l/100kms – and that’s a budget saver in anyone’s book.
