Value; stylish interior is also practical
Drivetrain gets harsh when pushed
The fact is most seven-seat vehicles are bought by families and most families are on tight budgets. Kia Rondo is Australia’s lowest-priced seven-seater.
In fact, priced from $25,990 ($31,390 for the SLi model automatic as tested by Car Showroom), Kia Rondo is priced in the league of many five-seat hatchbacks. And that’s a long way short of the numerous seven-seat SUVs.
Combine that value with clever packaging, a user-friendly interior, safety from standard traction and stability control, plus the peace-of-mind of Kia’s five-year/unlimited kilometers warranty and the Kia Rondo shapes-up as a real star for budget-restricted Australian families.
Kia Rondo Overview
SUV-like seven-seat interior, passenger car dimensions, a fuel-efficient 2.0-litre petrol engine and easy parking make the Kia Rondo ideal for a family car. And when the relatives come to visit or that holiday road trip is on the agenda, Kia Rondo’s versatile interior can easily be reconfigured accordingly.
Delivering all of that from $25,990 is smart thinking by Kia.
Car Showroom tested the range-topping Kia Rondo SLi which even provides leather seats for its $31,390 sticker.
So for those who need seven seats but aren’t comfortable with the girth and high-riding nature of SUVs, Kia Rondo is a budget-conscious alternative, which must be considered.
Kia Ronda Engine
Kia Rondo is powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine from Kia’s ‘Theta’ family. That means a DOHC 16-valve design with an alloy block and state-of-the-art plastic intake manifold (for weight savings).
Maximum power is 106kW at 6,000rpm and peak torque of 189Nm at 4,250rpm. By comparison, Nissan’s Dualis+2 delivers 102kW/198Nm from its 2.0-litre powerplant.
Our Kia Rondo SLi drove the front wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission with sequential manual option.
Combined cycle fuel consumption for the Kia Rondo SLi automatic as tested is rated at 8.6l/100kms
Kia Rondo The Interior
Kia Rondo is all about SUV-like interior space for seven without the SUV dimensions. Sure there is the ease of entry you get with the passenger car size of the Kia Rondo, but once inside you sit high like an SUV – appreciated by rear seat occupants young and old.
And, working with that SUV-style seating position, Kia Rondo’s high roofline and large windows combine to provide a light, airy feel inside.
Front seats are reasonable but we would have liked a bit more under-thigh length. And for the driver, the steering wheel only adjusts for rake.
Instrumentation is conventional and Kia’s usual high standard and the clever high mounting for the gear lever frees-up extra space for centre console stowage. Audio is a single CD unit and our SLi model Kia Rondo scored climate control air-conditioning.
But it’s out-back where things get clever in the Kia Rondo, again defying its wallet-friendly pricing. The 60:40 split-fold second row bench seat features a one-touch slide and fold function for easy access to the third row and also slides for and aft for variable positions to accommodate even lanky third-row occupants.
And those in the third row also appreciate a shallow design for the fuel tank in the Kia Rondo which has enabled Kia’s engineers to lower the floor by 40mm – another aid to a more comfortable seating position than many SUV-based seven-seaters.
If you’re not using the third seating row in the Kia Rondo, it folds flat for a massive 400-litre luggage area – enough for four golf bags Kia says. We used our Kia Rondo strictly as a seven-seater and while the luggage space wasn’t massive, it was sufficient for our groceries and baseball gear for the car Showroom juniors.
Kia Rondo Exterior & Styling
The Kia Rondo is not the newest design on the block and was launched before Kia’s German styling guru Peter Schreyer unleashed his remarkable Cerato, Optima and Sportage models. One can only imagine what Mr Schreyer has on his drawing board for the all-new Kia Rondo (no sightings yet and we’re not sure when it’s due).
That said, the current Kia Rondo is a clever styling exercise in a non-SUV seven-seater. Its compact overall dimensions (4.5-metres long) are derived from a modified version of the Kia Magentis platform with a wheelbase shortened by 20mm.
With short overhangs and low, passenger car floor, the Kia Rondo delivers convenience and ease-of-entry SUVs are incapable of. And for families with small children that convenience/practicality scores big points.
Kia Rondo is a cab-forward design and features a large glasshouse, which provides an airy, open feel inside and contributes to its excellent all-round visibility.
We liked the smooth front end with modern headlights and our SLi model’s fog-lights added to the appeal.
Also clever is the C-pillar with kick-ups for the rear side windows.
At the rear, Kia Rondo provides a large, square tailgate and modern taillight clusters.
Kia has also paid attention to aerodynamics and the Rondo features an underbody tray at the front and diffuser-like rear panel to work with a slippery front-end design in delivering a drag Cd of just 0.32
Our SLi model Kia Rondo ran nice 17-inch wheels and the extra size did add to the exterior appearance.
Kia Rondo On The Road
We spent most of our week driving the Kia Rondo in its normal environment – city and suburban, school runs and weekend sport. The Car Showroom juniors and their mates quickly mastered the smart interior and even in torrential rain rapidly sorted the seats for quick embarkation – a sure sign of a successful interior design.
All of our testers appreciated the handy maneuverability of the Kia Rondo – its compact dimensions and good all-round visibility made for easy parking.
Around town the 2.0-litre powerplant and four-speed automatic seemed well mated with adequate acceleration for freeway merging and the combination of 17-inch alloy wheels (Kia Rondo SLi model tested), MacPherson strut front end/multi-link rear suspension was nicely refined even over Melbourne’s tram and train track crossings.
However…
Kia Rondo Challenges
At 1597kgs, the Kia Rondo SLi is actually heavier than the all-wheel-drive Nissan Dualis and that weight was noticeable when we pushed the Rondo hard on our mountain roads test loop. In that environment, Kia Rondo’s 2.0-litre engine and four-speed automatic were stressed and things got a bit harsh with noticeable engine noise.
Kia Rondo Verdict
Australia’s best-value seven-seater surprised us. With its leather-trimmed interior the Kia Rondo SLi delivers a nice quality feel to go with its family-friendly practicality…all of this at less than $32,000.
Mums will love the handy dimensions of the Kia Rondo for easy parking and the interior packaging is smarter than many others carrying substantially heftier price tags.
If you’re shopping in this category, take the family and load them in for your test drives and you’ll discover the Kia Rondo, as well as being the budget-beater, might also be the most practical for everyday family needs
Kia Rondo The Competition
Nissan Dualis+2 presents as the most likely rival for the Kia Rondo. Nissan’s British-built Dualis is an impressive all-rounder but you’ll need Ti specs to match the Rondo and that requires a fair bit more coin in this league ($34,690 for the Nissan versus $31,390 for the Kia.
Mitsubishi offers the Outlander with seven seats for $37,690, but the LS grade is a bit light on interior luxury compared to the Kia Rondo and perhaps a bit too SUV-ish for many Kia Rondo buyers.
$35,490 gets you into a Peugeot 308 Touring – a very polished French spin on seven seats.
