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Vans & Minivans Mazda Mazda5 Mazda 5 vs Kia Rondo
803 messages, Last post on Nov 16, 2009 at 3:25 PM
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Replying to: medicineman (Nov 26, 2007 6:45 pm) Well done laying out your reasoning for the Rondo. My wife and I have recently purchased a Mazda 5 and I can pretty much concur with your reasoning. I thought I would offer my reasoning behind the Mazda5 purchase. I must mention that I did not get to do an in-depth look at the Rondo as you will see. My wife originally wanted to get a minivan for our soon-to-be family and we set out to do some research and looking. She was very much wanting a Honda Oddesy, but I had concerns over the price, gas mileage, and the fact that it would barely fit our garage. Our next step down would be the Mazda MPV and then a step down from that was the Rondo and Mazda5. I had briefly looked at the 5 and Rondo, and we went to look at all 3. Out first stop was the Mazda dealer where my wife found an MPV that she really loved. Long story short, I hated the ride and size, so we drove the Mazda5. She really enjoyes how the 5 drove and took the entire test drive. That test drive basically sealed the deal. And I think it's a reminder of the fact that we all have different priorities. I tried to get her to also drive the Rondo to cross shop, but the large rear doors of the Rondo and it's looks were not for her. She also was concerned about the Kia reputation, though I have done the research and driven several newer Hyundai/Kia vehicles and did not see any quality concerns. I know my story is a bit one-sided, but that's sometimes how it goes. Do I think that the Mazda5 is that much better than the Kia? No. I think it's nice to have have such contrasting choices in the market. I am glad for the 5 as I really enjoy tha handling and the sliding doors are already extremely handy. As far as versatility, I think that on paper, the Kia shows more seating configurations, but I am not sure how big the difference is in reality. The biggest plus I saw for the Rondo was the ability to have 5 people and all the cargo space. In my case, more than 4 people is rare, and we have found that 2+2+1 in the MZ5 is more comfortable than 2+3 in a mid-sized sedan (my family has a 2001 Nissan Maxima). In our case the relative comfort of 2+2+1 trumps the extra cargo room of 2+3. Honestly, the biggest selling point for us on the MZ5 for the driving dynamics. It's still not quite int he league of say the Mazda3 or perhaps a sports sedan like a BMW, but it drives on par with my parent's 2001 Maxima (with a much better ride). One of our first distance trips was through the winding back roads on the Washington Palouse, and the bolstered seats were very nice and supportive as my wife's smile and confidence in cornering grew along the trip. My short impression of the Kia was that the handling was not nearly as sharp, but that the ride was smoother. this is an important trade-off for people, as roads are seldom smooth (especially in this area). Overall, you have to find the vehicle that fits you and your needs. I have no qualms recommending the Mazda5 to anyone looking for an efficient sport tourer. That said, if family or friends asked for a recommendation, I would say to look at the competition before settling. In basic terms, the MZ5 and the Rondo are both comfortable 4-seaters with some extra room for 2 or 3 more on occasion. There are a few things that one offers over the other as well. The big difference is the available V6 in the Rondo. It may be nice for some, that we wanted a 4. Also, the Rondo offers stability control and it is not available on the MZ5. Again, not a big deal for me, but worth noting. The MZ5 provides LATCH points for the 4 rear seats and I believe the Rondo only offers them in the middle row. Probably not a huge deal, but a bit of an oddity. Another small, but notable difference is that the Rondo 2nd row headrests need to be removed to fold flat, where the MZ5's do not. Also, the MZ5 has very hand storage cubbies under the 2nd row seats. We use these frequently and find them very useful. One thing I did not get to check and would offer as a question to the Rondo owners: How are the headlights? The Mazda5 headlights (Standard, not HID) are some of the best I have ever seen. Most headlights are good, but there is a rare model (the late 90s Toyota Camry comes tome mind) that have poor headlight performance. |
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Replying to: bowserh (Nov 26, 2007 3:37 am)  Anyone who makes blanket statements putting a Kia down vs. other Asian car products is a clown Keep on mind that KIA quality was not born overnight so the stigma of poor quality and poor design still exists (please note I said stigma). Just see KIA and its models some years back and you will note that the "clowns" still have a reason to be "clowns". OK, not pinpointing to Korean cars, Remember Datsun? or even Toyota during their early times? Japanese quality? not really (my dad owned a 1969 Datsun and that thing broke down at least once a week) Now, talking about Asian cars, would you buy a Chinese car today?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F06LjugtIUo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZWy_fASSiQ |
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Replying to: mrbwa1 (Nov 27, 2007 6:24 pm) Everything that you've said makes sense to me. I just wanted to add a small comment to something that you've said: "In our case the relative comfort of 2+2+1 trumps the extra cargo room of 2+3." For the Rondo, you can choose either option--people can sit 2+2+1 or 2+3. It's exactly this kind of available choice, this kind of configurability, that enamours me to the Rondo. But if we're just talking about comfort, it's probably somewhat more comfortable for two people to sit on bucket seats in the second row rather than on bench seats. Like you've implied in your post, the perceived advantages that one vehicle may have over the other are not as great as the enthusiasts on either side would like you to believe. And quite honestly, if I had chosen the Mazda5, I would be content with that, too. About the headlights in the Rondo, I'm not sure what to say about it. It gives off light and I can see. A handful of people have stated that the low beams don't seem to extend out far enough and have a sharp cut-off. I think one guy has noticed that the headlights dim or flicker on some occasions.
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Replying to: medicineman (Nov 27, 2007 10:30 pm) The low-beams DO extend out far, it just appears that they have a sharp cut-off since they are so intense (the fog lamps are unnecessary in anything but foggy conditions). And they are quite wide too, allowing a clear view to the sides of the road (necessary where I live for spotting moose in the ditches). The high-beams are nothing short of amazing - I have been able to light up road signs just over a mile in the distance (according to my odo) and they shine an even wider beam. I like the slightly blue tint of the lights as well, not as overtly blue as some other cars (like Land Rover). We also shopped the MZ5, but the Rondo won since the MZ5 is not rated to tow anything. At all. Zip. Brian Newfoundland
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Replying to: bgw (Nov 28, 2007 3:05 am) Thanks for the comments! I really think that the Kias have come a long ways in even just a couple years and it's nice to have that competition. I appreciate the headlights comments, and it sounds like they are about the same as the MZ5. Broad lighting pattern with a sharp cutoff as well. I did also forget to mention that the Kia was rated for toeing. This is definitely a big deal (though not in my case). We just got the 1st snowfall this week and more is expected tonight, and first reports from the wife are that the Dunlop Wintersport 3ds are holding their own. Hopefully I'll get a change to test them out tonight, as we have our Soon To Be Parents class. I must admit that it's a bit depressing to see the black steelies on the MZ5 after only having it about a month, so summer will be a welcom change with the mags back on! |
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Replying to: bgw (Nov 28, 2007 3:05 am)  mrbwa1 - Liked you assessment for of the Mazda 5, it was our second consideration but due to late presentation of the 2008 model (I think not till January) we didn't test drive the Mazda 5. We purchased a 2008 Rondo EX 5-seater with the 4 cylinder engine (Canadian model). With the 5-seater the rear seats drop down with a simple one hand operation and no removal of the headrests and provides a flat floor with no gaps - great for our large dog. For ourselves, we preferred the hinged rear door to the sliding door and also had no need for the extra 3rd seats, just like the extra underfloor storage in that area. Hard to fault the build quality of the Rondo; performance is outstanding with the 2.4L and stereo system and operating controls are fantastic. |
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Replying to: medicineman (Nov 26, 2007 6:45 pm)
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Replying to: bowserh (Dec 01, 2007 4:07 am) Anyways, where was I? Oh, yeah, car enthusiasts buying Rondos. It's probably true that they wouldn't have bought the Rondo if it were their only vehicle, but their reasoning seems to be pretty much the same as yours--the Rondo is their family car and they have another car that is their "fun" car. Yeah, I know that's a backhanded compliment to the Rondo, but it also shows that they were most likely attracted by the Rondo's biggest selling point, its versatility and configurability. There might also be the impression that, due to comparisons to the Mazda5, the Rondo must have poor performance and handling. In my personal experience, my 4-cylinder Rondo performs and handles just fine. In Canada (not sure about the States), the Rondo is advertised as an "urban utility vehicle." That's just another useless advertising slogan, but it happens to aptly describe how I use the Rondo. I use the Rondo almost entirely in the city to move people and/or cargo in short jaunts. The Rondo has more than enough power for this kind of task and is surprisingly nimble in negotiating the urban nightmare. As nimble as the Mazda5? According to the reviews, I would say No. But this doesn't necessarily mean that its handling is poor--just not as good as the Mazda5. I've read about one hundred reviews of the Rondo (I kid you not) and according to my subjective meta-analysis, the vast majority of reviews state that the Rondo's performance/handling is good or adequate. Yeah, not impressive, but not bad, either. For me, not being a real "driver," good or adequate is good enough. "Good enough" wouldn't be good enough if we were talking about sports cars, but we're talking about mini people movers here. The vast majority of Rondo reviews have been positive and I'm assuming just a few of those reviewers must be car enthusiasts, eh? If these guys can give the Rondo a thumbs up, there must be something to owning a vehicle that is all about practicality with no sports car aspirations. Believe it or not, there is a certain beauty to practicality done well, without flash and panache. None of this really matters, of course, if the Rondo is too fugly and dorky in one's eyes for one to even consider it. In that case, I'll just continue to drive around in my doofus-mobile (because I'm just too damned clued out to realize how intrinsically butt-ugly it is), scaring the wits out of every decent, God-loving woman and child, and causing every adult male to wet himself due to uncontrollable gaiety. Didn't Jesus once saith, "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the Rondo"? A real man would be driving a real car, a real hot and sporty number, right? Well, I'm not lacking so I don't need to compensate, ya know. (Yes, I'm joking--who said this had to be funny in order for it to be a joke?) BTW, if you're American, you should probably know that all vehicles in the States will eventually have ESC. If a functional seven-seater Mazda5 ever shows up in North America, that along with the inclusion of ESC would pretty much make it the definitive mini hauler (on paper, at least). Of course, by then, Honda, Toyota and everyone else will have one of these type of vehicles available in North America and it will be a different ball game. |
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looks like Mazda Canada is starting to get the 2008 info set (looks like its not all complete at this time) the base GS model has increased by $800 and the GT now include a/c as standard but is reflected in the price. The new 5-speed auto is now an $1100 option up from $1000 for the 2007 4-speed version.
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Replying to: conwelpic (Dec 05, 2007 2:51 pm) Mazda 5 sales in Canada for November 2007 - 711, Rondo - 670 Mazda 5 sales in USA for Nov - 468, Rondo - 3570
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