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Vans & Minivans Mazda Mazda5 Mazda 5 vs Kia Rondo
800 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 3:17 PM
You are in the Mazda Mazda5 Forum. Your Host is Karens
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You're so bad!  Hey, we've been called "buddies" out there. Wonder Mazda 5 twins...UNITE! |
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Replying to: nissmazlover (Jun 17, 2008 12:39 pm) 
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First, I apologize for not stepping in sooner, but I was away for a few days and just now catching up. Second, the personal jabs and insults stop now. This is about the vehicles, not each other. Just because someone doesn't share the same love you have for your chosen vehicle does not give you any right to ridicule and belittle them. If it continues, your participation in this discussion will be restricted. Third, for clarification, this topic resides in the Mazda5 group, but is also linked to Kia Rondo. I am the host here. Thanks for your future cooperation. |
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All of the pro-Mazda5 arguments would not convince me, no matter how many or what type. No amount of data, no mountain of reviews, no politeness or assertiveness will make me want or drive a 5. I tested one the same amount I tested the Rondo before I bought the Rondo. The 5 would not and never will grow on me, nor my wife nor our kids. It just didn't please us and that's what choice is all about. The 5 didn't "suck", it didn't do anything poorly, we just didn't like it. (It didn't help any that the Mazda5 exhaust-related fires happened right when I started shopping and sales were halted for a LONG time to fix that little "feature".) Now, for those so incredibly pleased with your choice of a 5 over a Rondo, I am happy for you. There is a forum for you folks that is not on the "Rondo Forum", and that's over on the Mazda 5 forum: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.ef14c39!make=Mazda&model=MAZDA5 We won't bother you there. Or, at least I won't, since I could not possibly care less about Mazdas or even if there are any. |
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nissmazlover, Many months ago, I cross-shopped the Rondo and Mazda5. I bought the Rondo. The deciding factors were that the Rondo could seat up to seven on the odd occasion and I preferred a bench in the second row. If the Mazda5 had this, I would have purchased the 5 based on reputation alone (i.e., Mazda having a better rep pretty much by default in most people's minds). So that's basically why I didn't buy the "better car." If you check out the Kia forums, you'll notice others who also cross-shopped the Rondo and Mazda5 and obviously bought the Rondo (just as I'm sure there are cross-shoppers who frequent the Mazda forums who ended up with the 5). I can't really speak for all those Rondo owners who decided not to buy the "better car." Why? Because there doesn't seem to be a common thread. In my mind, I thought most people would choose the Rondo based on the same reasons as why I ultimately chose it (i.e., the second-row bench and seating for seven). As it turns out, I seem to be the only one who ever mentions that as the deciding factor. Over at the Kia forums, you'll find Rondo owners in their 20's to Rondo owners in their 70's. You'll find Rondo owners with young kids and Rondo owners with grown kids and Rondo owners with no kids. From all walks of life. But why would a guy in his twenties decide to buy a Rondo instead of the "cooler car"? Why would a mom with two young'uns decide to buy a Rondo instead of the car with sliding doors and two captain's chairs in the middle row? I don't know. Ask them. Actually, just a few weeks ago, I recommended to a mom that she shouldn't buy a Rondo. She is a young married mother with a tween, a toddler and another one on the way. She was looking at a GMC Acadia because of the room, the second-row captain's chairs and, yes, the looks. But she's also a new driver, so she didn't want to buy a huge vehicle, especially a minivan. I told her that with three kids, the Rondo probably would be too small and, despite her preference, a not-so-minivan would best suit her needs. If she were steadfast about buying a smaller vehicle, I recommended that she should look at the Mazda5 because it has (like the Acadia) second-row captain's chairs plus sliding doors. She posted later and said that they had just test driven a Mazda5. She liked its looks and the seating, but she hated the way it drove (believe it or not) and thought it was too small inside. She said that her 11-year-old and DH are quite tall and there wasn't enough legroom for them. She thought that the Rondo had much more room, but only wished it had different seating. I don't know what she eventually bought, but that's besides the point (yeah, there's actually a point). If the Mazda5 is clearly the "better car," then why are some people deliberately choosing an inferior product? It can't be the price since they are both priced similarly. Are the cross-shoppers who chose the Rondo over the 5 under some sort of delusion? Is that mom delusional for thinking the 5 is too small for her needs? Is she just plain nuts for not liking the way it drives? Should she be committed for failing to see that the 5 is actually a "better car"? The truth is, when you say that the Mazda5 is a "better car," you're really only saying that it's better for yourself. "But look," you might say, "the 5 is better looking, handles better, better on gas, better for kids" and so on. Yeah, better for you. Get it? From most reviews that I've read that mentions both vehicles, they usually state that the 5 looks better and handles better. You can also bolster that with some hard statistics, such as perhaps the turning radius, mileage, etc. So yeah, I guess you can use all of that to proclaim that the 5 is, in fact, "better." But better for whom? For you? For me? For that mom? You think she is having second thoughts now that you've figured out for all of us that the 5 is "better"? Some point of fact that you consider as "better" might not be "better" for someone else. In fact, it might be totally irrelevant. The Mazda5 might look "better" because the Rondo has features such as a bulbous minivan-like exterior, unfashionably low beltline, tall roof and huge windows--but I'm not willing to sacrifice the Rondo's great visibility and roominess (perceived and real) just to be part of the "in" crowd. So in what way would the Mazda5's "betterness" in the looks department be actually "better" for me? It's not like I'm cruising for dates (my wife would object). In reality and in practice, the Rondo's looks is better for me because I prefer what those "dorky" features give me--a very open and spacious cabin with mostly excellent sightlines all around. If one ain't confident enough to be seen in a Rondo, get a Mazda5. As I've stated before, perhaps some think that a "real man" wouldn't drive a vehicle that looks like this, but I beg to differ. Only a real man can drive a vehicle as "ugly" as this. 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.'" Laugh at me in my doofus-mobile if you really want to, but I get the last laugh where it really counts. Yeah, the Mazda5 might be a better handling vehicle than the Rondo with unexpected "zoom zoom" (that inane advertising slogan) for a utility vehicle--but again, better for whom? I didn't buy a people hauler to marvel at how well it handles--this is a practical vehicle, first and foremost. Am I going to be pushing it like a sports car and admiring how well it corners while I'm in stop-and-go traffic with wife and kid in tow? Personally, I prefer a softer suspension and not overly sensitive steering in a utility vehicle (maybe that's what that mom prefers, too). These are not very sporty preferences, but it's better for me. Yes, I have driven a 5 and I admired the way it handled. The Rondo, however, handles and steers quite well for a utility vehicle (just my experience and obviously not yours)--but it's nevertheless a secondary consideration when it comes to what I look for in vehicles like this. Strange how a "not better" vehicle can somehow be better for me and some other folks. Funny that. BTW, the majority of reviews that I've read (and I've read a lot of them, just ask my fellow Rondo owners) mention that one of the Rondo's pluses is its smooth ride--unlike your experience and just like my experience. Anyway, enjoy your clearly "better car." I'll do the same with mine. (I get déjà vu whenever I read this thread. Everyone--especially me--keeps repeating the same things over and over again. What's old is new again. Which is, among other reasons, why I rarely read this thread anymore.)
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Replying to: nissmazlover (Jun 17, 2008 12:39 pm) When I took the 2.4L Rondo out for a test drive (and it was not a quick run around the block, we drove it for 50km) on various roads including the 401 (our freeway) to check out on ramp acceleration and passing at high speed and was absolutely blown away by its power, performance and handling and fast response - there was no need to look further or even to try out their V6 model. That clinched the deal! The Rondo is the better car for our criteria.
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Replying to: medicineman (Jun 17, 2008 11:07 pm) Now, just because someone prefers better looking cars, it doesn't mean they suffer from having short "members" (no need to go into measurements here (lol), but I've always been happy and proud of myself, and so has my wife  . Also, how do you explain the 5 women I was with, 3 of whom know nothing about cars, who also very much disliked the Rondo and its styling and preferred the 5? Do they have short members, too? LOL) . It simply means they like good looking cars and appreciate good design. Nothing more. All this "pc-ness" is really tiring. Preferences and opinions can, in deed, be wrong. Someone out there just might prefer a White Castle hamburger over a real Angus hamburger. Does this, then, mean that the Angus burger stops being a better burger? Obviously not. Filet Mignon is still a better quality meat than chuck steak, even if I love chuck steak. Aretha Franklin is a better singer than Britney Spears. No matter how many crazy fans love Britney's voice, Franklin has a higher quality voice. This is what I mean by "better is better regardless of preference", and, now, regardless of criteria. A family may need an under $30K 7-passenger minivan. Does that mean that a Mercedes GL series stops being a better car than their Chevy Uplander simply because it doesn't meet their criteria? Come on. It might not fit their needs, but it's still a better car. I still stick by my original posting. Objectively, The Mazda 5 is a better car than the Kia Rondo, even if the Rondo is slightly larger inside and, technically, fits 7 people, and the M5 only 6. It simply feels as its built to a higher standard of overall quality, refinement, design and styling, thereby making it a better car regardless of the fact that someone may need a rear bench seat as opposed to the inherently more comfortable captain chairs. And, again, I never said that someone choosing a Rondo over a 5 makes them delusional. I said claiming that it is a better car than the 5 makes them delusional, as would an owner claiming their Uplander is better than a GL series. And I'm not claiming they need to be committed, either. There is more than one meaning to the word delusion. (Link - www.dictionary.com: Delusion #3 - A false belief or opinion (ex: delusions of grandeur). Nothing more.) Mind you all, I really WANTED to like the Rondo. I did. Honestly! But, it sorely disappointed me, and it made me appreciate my 5 even more. I don't like to be an "armchair philosopher" which is why I wanted to actually experience a Rondo before I wrote about it and compared it to the 5. And that's what I wanted to do: share that experience in a Mazda 5 vs Kia Rondo forum, and have a little harmless fun in the process. But, it seems as though Kia owners really don't like to have fun, which is why they didn't buy a Mazda in the first place . (That was a harmless joke, now, people. Don't be getting all offended) Side note: Edmunds listed MSRP for M5 = $18,945 Edmunds listed MSRP for Rondo = $16,395. Difference = $2,550. A big enough reason for many to choose the Rondo.
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Replying to: conwelpic (Jun 18, 2008 4:55 am) Enjoy your Rondo! |
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Replying to: nissmazlover (Jun 18, 2008 12:15 pm) Why? Who knows. Most has to do probably with price. But the funny thing is that those folks will then try to say that their vehicle is better than the Odyssey, Corolla or whatever instead of simply saying that they didn't want to spend the money. Or even if money wasn't the only issue, people make bad decisions all the time and just because someone buys a car and says it was best based on their criteria doesn't make it so. They may have made the wrong choice but don't know it yet and/or don't want to admit it. Most people don't aren't going to spend $20K on a vehicle, take it home and then complain about how bad it is. That's why the various car reviews are benificial...the reviewers don't have a personal stake in the vehicle. On the other hand, you can tell when one is trying to be objective and tell both side, as compared to someone who is just trying to convince everyone (and mostly themselves) that their car is the best. I'd say from what I've read from the reviews and my own experience, the Mazda5 is a superior vehicle, but then if you must have seating for 7 or need to tow, then the Mazda5 isn't even on your short list. As far as price and warranty, Kia owners will find out what a "limited" warranty really means when they start having problems down the road. I'd much rather have a higher quality car with a shorter waranty then vice versa. And personally, I'd much rather drive a vehicle with superior driving dynamics then ride in a vehicle with slightly larger 2nd row legroom. The cargo area of the Mazda5 is actually larger behind the 2nd row (44.4 vs 31.7CuFt according to the manufacturer's websites). I also like the sliding door, plus the 3rd row passengers will get more cool air from the AC vents due to the 2nd row captain chairs. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bought a Honda Fit over a Nissan Versa for many of the same reasons that I think the Mazda5 is better then the Rondo, and I don't own either of them.
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Replying to: nissmazlover (Jun 18, 2008 12:15 pm) Here we go again! To YOU, the M5 is a better car than the Rondo. To ME, the Rondo is a better car than the M5. And you say "I said claiming that it is a better car than the 5 makes them delusional" Well, I guess I am delusional since I KNOW the Rondo is a better car than the M5, for ME. For YOU, the M5 is a better car than the Rondo. You just can't let it go, can you? |
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