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Mazda 5 vs Kia Rondo

859 messages,  Last post on Aug 22, 2010 at 8:13 PM

You are in the Mazda Mazda5 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mazda MAZDA5, Kia Rondo, Car Comparisons, Car Buying, Wagon

Messages Page 27 of 86

#261 of 859 Re: 2008 Mazda 5 Canadian model [conwelpic] by conwelpic

Dec 06, 2007 (6:54 am)

Replying to: conwelpic (Dec 05, 2007 3:51 pm)
it now appears that they have got the Mazda Canada site updated with all the relavent info and you can also download the owners manual for the 2008 Mazda 5 and then you can go to the KIA Canada site and download the owners manual for the Rondo. With this type of information anyone trying to decide between the two models can make a more accurate comparison.
 
Mazda 5 sales in Canada for November 2007 - 711, Rondo - 670
Mazda 5 sales in USA for Nov - 468, Rondo - 3570

#262 of 859 Re: 2008 Mazda 5 Canadian model [conwelpic] by ata10

Dec 10, 2007 (3:59 pm)

Replying to: conwelpic (Dec 06, 2007 6:54 am)
It's interesting to see how well the Rondo is selling in US and Canada. I also found the sales numbers for other Kia models in Canada. Look here:
 
http://www.kia-world.net/index.php/2007/12/04/kia-canada-november-sales/

#263 of 859 Re: 2008 Mazda 5 Canadian model [conwelpic] by zklopman

Dec 12, 2007 (3:32 pm)

Replying to: conwelpic (Dec 06, 2007 6:54 am)
Mazda 5 sales in Canada for November 2007 - 711, Rondo - 670
Mazda 5 sales in USA for Nov - 468, Rondo - 3570
 
Assuming these numbers are correct, they show a few things:
 
(1) Canadians bought about a third of this class of cars as the Americans, although the population is much smaller.
(2) Americans prefer the Rondo much more that the Mazda, while the Canadians show only a slight preference to the Mazda.
 
while #1 is probably due to the American culture ("I want my car big!"), I wonder what is the reason for #2. Is it better Mazda marketing or pricing in Canada?
 
(I live in the Boston area, and a Kia Rondo EX V6 owner)

#264 of 859 Re: 2008 Mazda 5 Canadian model [zklopman] by kivo

Dec 13, 2007 (8:16 am)

Replying to: zklopman (Dec 12, 2007 3:32 pm)
The Mazda5 is hardly advertised in the USA, so that no doubt accounts for the poor sales here.

#265 of 859 Re: 2008 Mazda 5 Canadian model [kivo] by coolmazda5

Dec 13, 2007 (9:35 am)

Replying to: kivo (Dec 13, 2007 8:16 am)
Agreed, I have not seen a high drop in advertising for the Mazda5 since I got my first one (06) back in 05. I just got a 2nd one (08) and mostly based on current experience, the word of mouth and the news on the Web, nothing else... Still, I love both with that Manual Tranny
 
I believe that we may need more trending numbers to draw the conclusion that zklopman is posting, although yes, I see a preference for the Rondo over the Mazda5 here in the US. Possibly one of the top attributes of the Mazda5 is scaring off Americans: the sliding door as it "resembles" a Minivan (just see how the Mazda5 is classified within this forum ). In Europe and Asia minivans are not well known so it doesn't fall into that classification (and they are hot items there)

#266 of 859 Mazda5/Rondo Sales by mrbwa1

Dec 13, 2007 (9:57 am)

Replying to: coolmazda5 (Dec 13, 2007 9:35 am)
I can only comment on the American market and can point out a few things. I have NEVER seen advertising for the Mazda5. I only knew about it from reading the car blogs and magazines. The Rondo, on the other hand, had that weirs rainbow commercial advertising cabinology or something like that.
 
  I think that the Rondo's big advantage in the US is the dealer network/setup, along with the advertising. The MZ5 is a relative unknown to shoppers because of the lack of advertising. So if a person comes in looking at say a Mazda3, the sell-up is either to a 3 hatchback, a 6 or the CX-7 CUV. Even if the 5 is presented as an alternative, all the uneducated buyer will see is MINIVAN sliding doors! I don't know why, but Americans seem to have a dislike for sliding doors, even while complaining about tight parking spots.
 
   The Rondo slots in at a different point. Kia advertises heavily, and especially in my area, there is a constant ad along the lines of: "Need a Car? Have $99? Come see Kia." This may bring people in for the basic Rio. Also, due to Kia's ever-increasing quality, I believe that the repeat buyer numbers are probably pretty high. So you either have someone coming in looking at a new Rio/Optima, or maybe a previous owner looking for a bigger car. For Kia, the Rondo is that bigger car. The Sportage CUV is there, but the Rondo can be presented as a cheap bigger car.The the uneducated buyer, the Rondo is a car (4 doors) and is styled vaguely crossover-ish.
 
  I don't think that most people research and analyze several alternatives as much as those here on the forums. For those that don't, I think Kia has a better up-sell/cross-sell path to the Rondo than Mazda does to the 5. For those the take the time to get educated, both the 5 and Rondo come out a great cars in different ways. That is the think about competition, in it's true form, competition tends to bring out several good alternatives.

#267 of 859 heat in the 3rd row? by bobw3

Dec 14, 2007 (8:30 am)

Anyone with experience with the temperature in the 3rd row for either the Rondo or Mazda5? I'm wondering how any heat gets to the feet of 3rd row passengers. Can heat flow under the 2nd row seats to the floor of the 3rd row?

#268 of 859 Re: heat in the 3rd row? [bobw3] by coolmazda5

Dec 14, 2007 (9:41 am)

Replying to: bobw3 (Dec 14, 2007 8:30 am)
As per the Mazda5 the complaints were always based in A/C, but not heating (even for the Canadian fellows). I just tried the A/C feature on my 08 and it works great, yet is difficult to say, as is Winter . I'll have to wait until Summer to try it out I guess.
 
Regardless, the front seats have ducts underneath to make the air circulate around.
 
Now that I think, 6 people seating in a Mazda5 sounds like a lot of human heat to me, who needs a powerful heater for that?

#269 of 859 Re: heat in the 3rd row? [coolmazda5] by bobw3

Dec 14, 2007 (12:27 pm)

Replying to: coolmazda5 (Dec 14, 2007 9:41 am)
I've just driven in cars where I've had cold feet before, so I don't want a repeat of that!

#270 of 859 Mazda5/Rondo comparison by radar1

Dec 29, 2007 (3:06 pm)

Today we drove the Rondo 4 cyl. I think it's a nice vehicle, and roomy inside considering it's external size. It rode nice, cornered better than I expected, and has a longer cargo area with the 2nd and 3rd row folded than my Dodge Dakota quad cab pickup bed. I definitely liked the 5 passenger version better than the 7 passenger version when it came to folding the rear seats. My wife thinks the Sportage looks nicer, so now I'll have to research that one some more, especially since we ruled out the 7 passenger Rondo.
Next we'll try the Mazda5, which I think we'll both like, but the biggest drawbacks I see that might keep me from selecting the Mazda5 is that even after 3 years, there are still no NHTSA or IIHS test ratings (Rondo has NHTSA ratings for both the 07 and 08 models); I wouldn't be able to tow my canoe and camping gear due to towing not recommended (don't want to risk the warranty), and it doesn't have ESC or TCS like most cars have these days. Guess we'll try it to see if the driving impression overcomes the shortcomings.

Messages Page 27 of 86

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