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Vans & Minivans Mazda Mazda5 Mazda 5 vs Kia Rondo
806 messages, Last post on Nov 26, 2009 at 2:38 PM
You are in the Mazda Mazda5 Forum. Your Host is Karens
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Mazda5 2,642. Diff from March last year: -4.2% Rondo 2,307. Diff from March last year: -18% Sources: http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/- 04-01-2009/0004999197&EDATE= http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/kia-motors-america-announces-march/story.a- spx?guid={9C174832-675D-4954-837D-4BBEAF8124FB}&dist=msr_4 |
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The Mazda5 and Rondo were the two vehicles we tested the most before deciding on the Rondo. The best feature about the M5 is the sliding doors. I'm not into zoom-zoom or impressing others, just functionality and value (not cheap). The car we test drove just 30 min. before our first drive in the Rondo was a $40k Audi A4 Avant and I fully expected that to totally kill our interest in the Rondo, but it didn't. Back to the M5 and Rondo, for us the decision is how the vehicle is primarily used. The M5 is a nice package and works well as a people mover that sometimes may have to carry cargo. But we mostly carry pets and/or cargo and the Rondo absolutely works better. For large pets, the 2nd row buckets on the M5 don't work and we carry items on the floor that wouldn't fit in the M5. Finally, the Rondo is quiet, rides well and good placement of all controls. The Rondo is bland looking, but I'm not paying to improve the scenery for other drivers.
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Replying to: larrytbm (Apr 06, 2009 8:47 am) You are making a good point, I agree with that, but at the same time to me driving a car is like using a suit, I want it to be comfortable but also to look good when I wear it  What happened to the Audi A4 Avant? Why the test drive if you don't like impressing others? I would have chosen that hands down over a Mazda5 or a Rondo  , but I prefer to have 2 Mazda5s for the price of one Audi though  Allright, allright, enough of questionnaires, enjoy your new car, that is what matters most!!
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Replying to: coolmazda5 (Apr 06, 2009 4:56 pm) The difference is the suit must fit the best first, if it happens to look good, that is just extra. The Rondo fits better than the M5 and the Audi wasn't to impress others, it just didn't fit our needs more than the Rondo, and certainly not 2X more. |
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Rondo - 807 units vs 764 for March '08 Mazda 5 - 964 units vs 1,560 for March '08
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Replying to: conwelpic (Apr 14, 2009 8:12 am) http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/hyundai-and-kia-use-fleet-sales-to-boost-numb- ers/ |
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I'd just like to note that the Ford Aspire was actually a Kia made vehicle, and I've heard from people who own these cars that the only way to kill them is by getting into a horrific car accident, in which case the next to nil crash test ratings would likely kill you too. Hopefully the new Kias still have this level of reliability as the old Aspire with the added benefit of much safer vehicle designs, you really can't go wrong with a Kia. EDIT: Seems the Aspire motor was a Mazda... go figure. Hopefully they kept a few engines to reverse engineer. My wife and I really liked the Rondo but in the end we still love our clutch and stick shift, so the Mazda 5 won that battle. We're quite happy with our decision. =) The 5's super fun to drive and the versatile interior just can't be matched (except for the Rondo of course). Not quite the refined ride of the Kia but I like the sportier ride. |
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| I've owned both an 08 Rondo and an 07 Mazda 5. We drove the 5 for a year before it was totaled (everybody's okay, thanks.) Then we went shopping and the Rondo caught our attention. After a year with the Kia, here are my impressions of the two cars. The sliding doors on the Mazda are a definite plus. The Rondo's back doors are quite wide. Great for getting in and out. Lousy in a tight parking ramp. The Rondo rides smoother and significantly quieter than the Mazda. Mazda's obsession with putting 17 inch wheels and low profile tires on everything is silly. Nobody buys the 5 for zoom-zoom and you pay for it in bumps and grinds. You'll also pay for it (dearly) when you buy new tires. Stereo is better in the Kia. Individual seats in the second row make the Mazda a bit more versatile in cargo/passenger configuration but the Kid can actually carry three in the second row and seven overall. We have six grandkids. Advantage: Kia. The roof rack on the Rondo is kind of weird. The bars are an accessory but the rails are standard. The rails, however, are completely useless without the bars. You can't even strap anything to them so why not add 50-100 bucks onto the sticker price and include them? The factory rack for the 5, on the other hand, looks like steel girders on concrete blocks and the wind noise is horrendous. The problem with the Kia rack is that, in its stock configuration, you can't get the bars more than 21 inches apart! The front bar won't even come as far forward as the middle of the back door! Carrying a 16.5 foot canoe or a few 4x8 sheets of plywood is real nail-biter. The value/resale argument (expect to hear it from your Mazda dealer) is, of course, based on the depreciation of past vehicles. Kia has definitely improved quality and that, plus the big warranty, has improved perception and, therefore, value. Time will tell. At 6'2" I find the Kia's seating position for the driver to be more comfortable, even on short runs. That of course, is very individual. I do believe, however, that the Kia seats are superior. Overall, I don't think there's a wrong choice here. Both are well thought out, sell designed vehicles. Think about what and who you'll be hauling and what's most important to you. Take each one for a good, long test drive...at least half an hour. None of this five minutes around the block with the salesman yakking in the back seat stuff. By the way, there is a way to extend the spread of the Kia rack by removing a rubber strip and sliding the front bar forward. | |
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Replying to: haviland (May 01, 2009 8:57 am) No offense but that is incorrect, definitely a Rondo is for you then. Glad everybody is OK and you found the right car, good report and enjoy the grand kids! |
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Rondo 1,538. Diff from Apr 08: -40.4% Mazda5 1,758. Diff from Apr 08: -12.6% Sources: http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/- 05-01-2009/0005017640&EDATE= http://sev.prnewswire.com/auto/20090501/LA0952601052009-1.html |
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