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Vans & Minivans Mazda Mazda5 Mazda 5 vs Kia Rondo
799 messages, Last post on Nov 08, 2009 at 11:30 AM
You are in the Mazda Mazda5 Forum. Your Host is Karens
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Replying to: bobw3 (Nov 20, 2006 6:22 am) |
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Replying to: sleepwalker (Feb 06, 2008 11:33 am) My 07 EX V6 is the most stable and solid vehicle on the highway I have ever owned, and I have had my share of Hondas, Subarus, Dodges, Chev's and Fords. I drove the Mazda5 and really liked it, however it is not rated to tow at all and the V6 Rondo is rated at 2,500 lbs. That made the difference for me. I personally feel that the Rondo, particularly in Urban Grey which mine is, is a very nice looking vehicle, cleanly designed with more than a hint of Porsche Cayenne or BMW X5 in the rear 3/4 view. As for value, I guess we will have to wait and see. The 10 yr warranty will be a factor. |
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Replying to: sleepwalker (Feb 06, 2008 11:33 am) "yeah, like he said..rondo. I knew a ronda and she was just about as ugly as the kia. Did you LOOK at the car? To me it looks like a toon. Nicely equiped toon. I don't think the Kia will hold its value as well as the "5" which is something that you need to consider at sell/trade-in time. The 5 handles like a sedan (thus the zoom-zoom). The Kia shakes on the freeway and is like the wagon that it is. However, to each his own." -------- Me personally, I'm keeping my Rondo for the long haul, so resale value is irrelevant. Yes, the Rondo handles like a wagon and I like the way it handles. As for the shaking, unless you were test driving it during an earthquake, I haven't noticed an inordinate amount of shaking. In fact, the smooth ride is one of the Rondo's strengths. (Parts of the remaining post is meant to be humourous--whether it's actually humourous or not is another story--and is definitely not meant to be a vicious attack against sleepwalker, who is merely a convenient foil. I could have addressed this to anybody, really. Perhaps I'm pushing it, but I don't think I've crossed a line or strayed off-topic, but that's for the Mod to decide.) You're not secure enough of a man to drive a vehicle that looks like a "toon", sleepwalker? You care that much about what other people think? Perhaps you may believe that a real man would drive only a real vehicle--not a Rondo, that's for sure--but a real hot and sporty number. I think, however, that a real man doesn't give a damn what others think and drives whatever vehicle he pleases. I certainly agree that the Rondo isn't as long and sleek as the Mazda5, so if you need to drive the Mazda5 as compensation for a certain lack, be my guest. As The Family Guy's Peter Griffin once said, "Every guy you see with a big house or a fancy car or a shiny gold tooth is really just saying, 'Don't look at my penis.'" So there I am, driving through the city in my fugly Rondo, with throngs of people lining the streets and pointing and laughing at me. Hey, what do I care? I got it where it counts. I got your Rondo for you right here, jerky. If you only hang out in forums that support and reinforce your own tastes, you start getting delusions of grandeur and start believing that your own vehicle is the greatest and prettiest vehicle ever conceived by Man or Martian in the whole Universe plus other dimensions. Would you believe that I've read comments that state that the Mazda5 is one ugly dog, too, that it's just another odd-looking mini people hauler, that they wouldn't be caught dead in one? What, that's just crazy talk, eh? The people who are saying that must be on the wacky tobaccy, whereas the people who say the same thing about the Rondo must be enlightened beings. Okay, I get it that the Rondo doesn't conform to what is considered stylish for cars these days, and the Mazda5 does (yea for conformity!). I get it that there are probably more people out there doing the dry heaves when they see the Rondo as compared to the Mazda5. Look at the Rondo's large green-house windows! How 1980s. Check out that low beltline! Dude, low beltlines only look hot on women's jeans. Get a load of that jellybean profile! If your car doesn't look like a flying wedge, get out of town. The Rondo is utilitarian to a fault, making no apologies for its lack of sports-car aspirations when it comes to its handling, performance and, yes, looks. The Rondo, quite simply, is a mini-minivan disguised as a tall station wagon (targeting those people who have an adverse reaction to sliding doors and all that it connotes, I suppose). If the Rondo is ugly, it's ugly for the very same reason any minivan is ugly--it's all about the utility and versatility, baby. As this World of Wheels review states: Styling? Well, what can you say? Let’s say such nondescript styling really works well with Rondo’s overall mission of substance over style. Curious, too, that when many manufacturers bust a gut to make their crossovers all macho and SUV-like, we have Kia opting to make a crossover more minivan like. But again, if the most efficient use of space means a minivan profile, then that’s what we should get. The point is, the Rondo isn't even trying to look cool or slick. The Rondo ain't a pretender--it is exactly what it is. If the Rondo were trying to look stylish but missed the mark, then blast away. But why criticize it for lacking what it wasn't trying to achieve in the first place? If you want cool and slick, get the Mazda5 (because, apparently, the 5 has plenty of that). Personally, I couldn't care less if my practical, everyday ride is not cool or is presumably ugly. Good heavens, who cares? Well, there are people out there who do care. And as the old saying goes, to each his own. Are you confident enough of a man to drive a beast like the Rondo and risk the ridicule of friends, family, co-workers, pets, ungulates, blow-up dolls? I guess I am. (That ends the funny. BTW, if I sounded like a defensive and insecure wanker for saying all of that--well, you're right. I'm insecure, and secure. How Zen is that?)
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Replying to: sleepwalker (Feb 06, 2008 11:33 am) Well I have an EXV6 and I can say without a doubt that this is not true. On the highway, I took it up to around 100 mph and the car was so steady that I could have let go of the steering wheel and it certainly did not feel I was going this fast. This is when I decided that the cruise control that came with it was a very good thing to have. I dont think you ever driven a Rondo because you would not say such things. In addition, about holding it value, I dont really care, I intend on keeping my Rondo for many years to come. |
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Replying to: medicineman (Feb 06, 2008 8:53 pm) Mazda5 audience: young families, small kids, the Zoom-Zoom component is key (i.e. low profile tires, handling, looks, even manual transmission). They are not too focused on extremely fancy amenities i.e. leather but more into more appealing exterior and interior (i.e. electroluminescent gauges, better designed dashboard, aux input) along with versatility to haul the family around (including sliding doors). Rondo audience: more mature audience, no kids or no kids anymore, like comfort such as leather, V6 and superb sound, but no longer worried about how it looks (interior or exterior) as long as it is functional, oh and it needs to fit adults in the 2nd row seats. In summary: the comfort of a big car but in a compact model. I won't go into details (again) about space and versatility and if one is better on here or there because there is no winning argument for 2 very different audiences. And the ones who have seen the space and seating versatility pics posted everywhere can attest on their own, no very long explanations needed. There are of course audience exceptions to the rule, but that, in average, seems to be the case. I'm sure several will reply that is not true, but we are a small sample anyhow. My 2 cents |
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about the comment that the Rondo shakes on the highway, WRONG- I have a '08 EX 5-seater with the 2.4L and its great on the highway, very smooth, handles great, lots of power and quiet. Personally I like its looks and is extremely functional and doesn't look like anything else on the road. I also notice that it is much more stable in side winds that my other vehicle that was 10" lower. I also appreciate the large "greenhouse" visibility which adds to the safety of this vehicle. Its the top seller KIA vehicle in Canada. MM - always a pleasure to ready your comments.
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It is unfortunate that many people online post snap judgments or post topics suck as my car/boat/camera/etc is better than your car/boat/camera/etc. Both the Mazda 5 and Kia Rondo off good approaches to a problem. Neither vehicle is really "better" than the other, each simply fills different needs. My wife an I have a Mazda5, but also looked at the Rondo. My wife was apprehensive about Kia historical reliability. This is not really fair to the latest Kias, but is an unfortunate hurdle to clear for prospective buyers. Honestly, the big selling point for us was the sliding doors on the Mazda5. Our 2 car garage is extremely small, making it difficult to get 2 decent sized cars in there along with all of our stuff. The sliders are much easier for us in this tight space. Other have often posted about the Kia's V6, especially for towing. while it is not a factor for me, I can see the draw, as the Mazda5 is not rated for towing at all. Also, the ability to seat 5 and have generous cargo room is missing in the 5. For us, it is not a big deal, but adding any visitor into the 5, along with the baby stroller fills it right up. On a side note, I think the Rondo looks VERY different depending on the trim level and paint color, wheres the 5 looks about the same in all levels/colors. Also, looks are overrated in cars (except maybe the Pontiac Aztec.... I just don't get that one)
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Replying to: mrbwa1 (Feb 07, 2008 2:41 pm)  . Purely commuting with adults, yes, I agree, 7-seater > 6-seater. For babies, it is funny how those small sized troublemakers can need more gear than 2 adults all together  And yes, I agree, I'm also able to load/unload (including baby of course) my Mazda5s inside the garage in a cold Winter morning. The space is tight, so with no sliding doors, I would not have been able to do so.   ">
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Replying to: conwelpic (Dec 06, 2007 5:54 am) Although I really wanted an AWD vehicle my thought was to get the most features within my budget of $500.00 / mo all in... including warranty beyond my payments term. Features I was used to not going to do without were leather, nav, stereo and sunroof... and enough room to sleep in the back (no its not intended to be my home lol) This took Honda and Toyota out of the picture unless I wanted a smaller Fit size vehicle... I have owned the 92 Accord EX Wagon (My fav vehicle so far .. I sold it still in great running condition with 498,600 Kms ) and 95 - 4Runner that had everything but leather which convinced me I wanted leather Tuscon just didn't so anything for me .. not sure why, it just didn't... Jeep kind of scares me as it is a domestic vehicle... living in Windsor for 20 years taught me that some of us just dont care enough about making a good vehicle every day we go to work ... BTW Never buy one made on a Friday or Monday of a long weekend was the word of caution from workers ... NOT kidding .. but calm down patriots, I just traded in my Eddie Bauer Explorer. The Rondo was my first test drive on the first day of my Ï want to buy a new vehicle excursion... It had it all .. includiung the warranty ... ok so the sunroof was more for the back seat .. so what , I took it out and I really loved the way it handles (even on hwy) and loved everything about it .. untill i noticed I was starting to feel uncomfortable .. my arms had no place to rest ... I am used to that centre console and side arm rest... I started thinking of what I liked in the Explorer so I turned on the stereo .. and it was poor .. not even fair .. I would consider it poor ... when back at the dealership .. I asked about arm rests and stereo upgrade and told no to armrests and that was the upgraded stereo ... Next door was the Subaru dealership ..Legacy was my dream vehicle ... I absolutely LOVED that vehicle ... but to get most of the top features on my list it had to be the GT model or after market products (sunroof and nav) which again scares me ... hmmm do I scare too easy ... perhaps lol) So I went to see about the Mazda .. and I too only seen them on the road ... I loved the sliding doors ... rode pretty darn good... lots of room ... and wow I can get it fully loaded within my budget ... 6 year financing and 7 year warranty ... I bought the black one out of the showroom with 8km on it ... Never did get into the Outlander .. ohh well |
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Replying to: conwelpic (Feb 07, 2008 8:15 am) I always enjoy your posts, mrbwa1. Sometimes, people try to be balanced but you can often sense that they're holding back what they really think. I don't sense that in you. Coolmazda5, for my own situation, I've utilized all seven seats in my Rondo on the rare occasion with a mix of adults, kids and up to two child seats with an umbrella stroller behind the third row (a larger stroller will not fit). With six occupants, a larger stroller can fit by folding down one of the third-row seats. I've had no problems seating two adults and a child seat (maybe not your child seat) in the second row. It's a given that sliding doors would make loading even easier, but I've had no major difficulties loading the vehicle with adults, kids or child seats in my rather thin two-car garage. becp, welcome to the forum. The Rondo does have armrests up front, one on each of the doors and a shared armrest (more like an elbow rest, really) on the center console. I'm sure you must have noticed them, but perhaps your height is a factor? I'm over six feet tall and my arms rest quite comfortably on the armrests. I have no real opinion about the stereo because I'm one of those rare individuals who mostly drive with the sound system turned off.
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