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Rondo vs Outlander/Rav4/Santa Fe/Mazda5

271 messages,  Last post on Jul 30, 2008 at 12:09 PM

You are in the Kia Rondo Forum. Your Host is kcram

What is this discussion about? Kia Rondo, Mitsubishi Outlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota RAV4, Mazda MAZDA5, Car Buying, Wagon


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#239 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [kech] by ateixeira
Dec 03, 2007 (11:21 am)
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Replying to: kech (Dec 03, 2007 10:02 am)

I still think the Rondo is small, though. The Mazda5 being even smaller doesn't change that opinion.
 
Any how, it is nice that Kia offers small (Rondo), medium (SWB Sedona), and large (LWB Sedona).
 
Then again, my reference point is a Sienna. There's nearly 100 cubic feet behind the 2nd row, which means 5 people plus tons of stuff.
#240 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [kech] by mrbwa1
Dec 03, 2007 (12:38 pm)
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Replying to: kech (Dec 03, 2007 9:23 am)

kech,
 
   The Traction Control ans Stability Control are very nice things to have. I do happen to have a Mazda5 and we have been been dealing with snow all last week. I will admit that we have a set of Dunlop Wintersport 3Ds on the 5 and it have performed very well in conditions ranging from compact snow/ice to deep snow. On ice, the traction can be a bit hard to come by, but the Auto allows for starting in second gear which helps significantly. That, along with careful throttle modulation gets it going easily.
 
  I don't want to come across as saying that TC and ESP are useless, but I have never had either on a car and have managed to survive winter using careful driving techniques. I also believe that TC and ESP can lull some drivers into a false sense of security. Once the snow starts in my area, a large percentage of accidents are the result of drivers going too fast for conditions (mainly AWD SUVs). I also have driven with and without snow tires (studded and studless) and believe that a good set of snow tires is a good investment for those in snow climates. While TC and ESP may definitely help in those rare, unforseen circumstances, I would still want a good set of snow tires for their superior braking and cornering performance in the nasty stuff.
#241 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [kech] by mrbwa1
Dec 03, 2007 (12:45 pm)
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Replying to: kech (Dec 03, 2007 8:44 am)

kech,
 
  I believe the photo is a good thing and can see you observation. I Like how the driver appears to be relatively short. Only thing I can point out as a Mazda5 owner is that the legroom in a little different than we traditionally think about in the 5. It is the same what with my Toyota ECHO and also with a Mazda 3 that I had for a loaner. The apparent legroom is a bit tight, but the cars are engineered to sit more upright and provide toe space under the front seats. with a full load of adults on board, it is still a bit of a pinch, but that is the compromise of these vehicles.
 
   I had researched the Rondo and Mazda5 before buying and the reviews cam across as the 3rd rows being very alike. The Rondo did have more measured legroom, but you sit lower, which is another tradeoff. Both the Rondo and MZ5 are fine cars that fit different needs for people.
#242 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [mrbwa1] by bobw3
Dec 03, 2007 (2:21 pm)
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Replying to: mrbwa1 (Dec 03, 2007 12:45 pm)

From the manufacture webpages:
 
Rondo:Legroom (front/middle/rear) 41.3 in./38.2 in./31.3 in.
Mazda 5 Leg Room, front/2nd/3rd row (inches) 40.7/35.2/30.7
 
cargo room behind the 2nd row
Rondo 31.7
Mazda5 44.4
 
So there is more legroom in the Rondo, but the opening in the 2nd row of the Mazda5 between the two seats might make is seem less cramped than with the Rondo's 2nd row bench. Plus I doubt if the Rondo's 3rd row passengers will feel any of the AC from the 2nd row vents, but they would in the Mazda5 again, because of the 2nd row captain chairs will allow air to flow between them to the 3rd row.
 
You do get more cargo space behind the 2nd row of the Mazda5, so if you're using it mostly as a 2 row vehicle, then I'd rather have the additional cargo space. It's like my Honda Fit. The Versa has more 2nd row legroom than the Fit, but the Fit has more cargo space behind the 2nd row. Since our family of 4 fit in the Fit just fine, I went with the Fit for the better cargo space.
 
So it depends on if you want the extra legroom inches of the Rondo or extra CuFt of the Mazda5.
#243 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [mrbwa1] by 08outtie
Dec 03, 2007 (3:18 pm)
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Replying to: mrbwa1 (Dec 03, 2007 12:45 pm)

I agree, some car designs create legroom for front and back occupants by virtually making the occupants to sit straight up. Imagine you are sitting on a stool at a bar, your legs are dangling towards the floor instead of resting your feet on the floor with your knees banded at 90 degree.
 
With legs elongated and extended downwards, less lateral room is required. The side effects are less comfortable sitting position and tall ceiling. I first noticed this trend of designing also with the Toyota Echo and Matrix. For a relatively small vehicle, there seemed to be a lot of legroom and headroom. However, the styling really suffered as it looked like a loaf of bread with the tall roof line. Subsequently, I noticed the Honda fit, Mazda 5 and Nissan Versa were designed with the same tricks to create legrooms.
#244 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [bobw3] by conwelpic
Dec 03, 2007 (4:54 pm)
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Replying to: bobw3 (Dec 03, 2007 2:21 pm)

cargo room behind the 2nd row
Rondo 31.7
Mazda5 44.4

 
Mazda figures on 2007 for storage was very strange and same on the Canadian site, but now they seem more realistic with the 2008 information as they now state 70.9 cu.ft. with the 2nd and 3rd seats folded which makes more sense when I had actually measured both vehicles. The Rondo is 73.4 cu.ft. for the same area.
 
Passenger cargo room 97.7 cu.ft. for the Mazda 5 and 107.8 for the Rondo. The Rondo 5-seater has storage through to the dash on the passengers side as you can recline the back of the back seat but the 6/7-seater set up is basically the same on both vehicles.
#245 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [08outtie] by mrbwa1
Dec 03, 2007 (5:23 pm)
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Replying to: 08outtie (Dec 03, 2007 3:18 pm)

There are definitely more and more cars taking up this design philosophy and I think it works well. as far as the differences between the Rondo and Mazda 5 goes, I just don't think they are that much different. I t somewhat reminds me of the late 80s with cars like the Ford Taurus competing with the Honda Accords at the time. The Ford was a little bigger here and there and offered V6 power, but still decent fuel economy. The Accord was known as a good handling car, but the truth is that the Tauruses weren't that bad. Rondo vs Mazda 5 is that same kind of thing. Each offers it's own take. My wife and I love our 5 and would highly recommend it. That doesn't mean I would discount the Rondo. For us the sliding doors sealed the deal. We worried about the Rondo's relatively large rear door in the tight parking lots often seen here. Also, Our garage is rather small (both in depth and width), so the sliders made more sense there.
#246 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [conwelpic] by bobw3
Dec 03, 2007 (6:02 pm)
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Replying to: conwelpic (Dec 03, 2007 4:54 pm)

I'm not sure about the behind the 1st row cargo space, but the 2008 Mazda5 webpage shows 44.4 CuFt vs 31.7 for the Rondo, so that's about 13 CuFt more, or about the size of a small car's trunk. To me that's a lot of extra space for our family of 4's stuff.
 
And while our Fit has upright seating, it's not any more upright than a minivan or SUV seat, so I'm fine with that.
#247 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [bobw3] by medicineman
Dec 03, 2007 (8:25 pm)
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Replying to: bobw3 (Dec 03, 2007 6:02 pm)

I don't really trust the volume measurements given out by Mazda or Kia. The best thing to do is to get out the old tape measure and to measure both vehicles. Of course, who has done that? Not me.
 
I've read in another forum about someone selling a washer and dryer set. The seller recounted how the buyer came by in a Rondo and was surprised that the buyer could fit both in the cargo area behind the first row. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that would be even remotely possible in my own Rondo, so you learn something new every day.
 
When comparing cargo space, you have to remember the different seating arrangements in each vehicle. The Rondo is 2+3+2 (or 2+3 in the five seater) and the Mazda5 is 2+2+2.
 
Let's say there are 4 people in the vehicle and you want to store stuff behind the second row. In the Rondo, you have the option of folding down one seat in the second row to free up additional cargo space. That option, of course, isn't available in the Mazda5. You can probably make use of the space between the second-row bucket seats in the Mazda5, but that space obviously isn't as large or useful as the space created when folding down one of the second-row seats in the Rondo.
 
Now let's say there are 6 people in the vehicle. When I was checking out the Mazda5 earlier this year, it appeared to have more space behind the third row seats than the Rondo. You can probably store a bulky stroller behind the third row in the Mazda5, whereas I can just fit an umbrella stroller behind the third row in my Rondo. With the Rondo, however, you also have the option of folding down one of the third-row seats to free up additional cargo space. In the Mazda5, all seats would have to be deployed.
 
As for how well seven people actually fit in the Rondo, I've posted about this before in much detail (my motto is, why say something in ten words when you can say it in a hundred?). That was in another forum, though. Long story short, sitting in the middle of the second row is comparable in comfort to sitting in one of the third-row seats. That's based on my subjective reading of the whine factor of my passengers. I think we can all agree that, for either vehicle, four people can sit in relative luxury and the additional seating is really for occasional use only.
 
I've sat in the third row in both vehicles and my take is this: the Rondo seems to have more leg room and the Mazda5 seems to have more head room. This is after making adjustments in both vehicles so that the leg room is optimized in all rows.
#248 of 271
Re: 2008 Mazda5 for North America. Updated Pics [08outtie] by bgw
Dec 30, 2007 (5:04 pm)
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Replying to: 08outtie (Dec 03, 2007 3:18 pm)

08outtie makes the statement about the Rondo's interior design - "The side effects are less comfortable sitting position". I have to disagree. For me, this makes for a MORE comfortable seating position, and it is one of the reasons I bought my 07 EX V6 Rondo. Judging by the sheer numbers of Rondos that I see, I can only assume these owners don't feel the same way either.

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