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Wagons Kia Rondo 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
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Replying to: rick2456 (May 21, 2007 3:16 am) The are going to make it up though because we did take their extended warranty which gives us 10 years bumper to bumper-- with this car being in it's first year in the US, we decided it was worth it. We tend to keep our cars awhile & in 8 years our oldest will be able to drive. I've driven about 130 miles so far and the gas gauge is at 1/2, so we will have to see on the mileage. My husband put the tires to 34 psi-- thanks for the tip! When we were showing off the car to the in-laws, a BMW X3 parked in the space next to us. The Rondo has the SAME body & interior styling as this car-- the rear side window is the same & the two tone interior-- black & tan is EXACTLY the same! I felt very good about that! I'm still getting used to driving an automatic, but we have been having fun with it. Really!
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Replying to: dnatoday (May 21, 2007 5:51 pm) |
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Replying to: dnatoday (May 21, 2007 5:51 pm) sorry!
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Replying to: bnkausik (May 22, 2007 8:22 pm) Presuming that you're a Mazda5 owner, perhaps the Original Poster's choice of the Rondo shakes you a little? You don't need to feel threatened by the OP's choice, nor do you need to feel vindicated whenever someone chooses the Mazda5. Just be happy with your own choice based on your own preferences. Just enjoy your Mazda5. BTW, I also comparison-shopped the Rondo and Mazda5. I chose the Rondo. My choice of the Rondo in no way implies that I think the Mazda5 is an inferior product--it just means I had a greater preference for what the Rondo had to offer. I happen to like the Mazda5 and I probably would have chosen it if it could seat up to seven. As I stated in an earlier post, a majority of the reviews for the Rondo have been toward the positive side and only a handful (two that I could find) were definitely negative. In the 2007 Consumer Reports reliability ratings, Hyundai ranked 7th and Kia ranked 17th out of 36. Kia's ranking is hardly earth shattering, but it may come as a shock to those who think that Kia absolutely must be the worst auto company out there. The truth is, the Hyundai-Kia group has come a long way in a very short period of time. People's perceptions just haven't caught up to this new reality (source): Despite their recent success, both suffer from earlier quality lapses, says Chris Denove, a partner in J.D. Power. "Without question, Hyundai and Kia are two of the most improved brands as far as quality," Denove says. "Unfortunately, consumer perception has lagged behind, so that many consumers still don't shop those brands because they don't think the quality has improved. "It takes a long time for consumers to realize that improvements have been made," he says. The big boss of Hyundai-Kia is a stickler for quality (although he's currently under investigation for corruption in South Korea, for what it's worth--source): Hyundai is a perfect example of what good leadership can do. The chairman of the Hyundai-Kia group is a fanatic about quality and he has instilled that fanaticism into the very fibre of the company. Really, the quality is there now. Take it from someone who was actually involved in designing the seats for the Sonata (source): and working with Hyundai. they complain about quality to their suppliers worse than toyota, honda. they nit pick everything till its perfect. ie. hey that plastic panel is buzzing after we throw it [off] the roof. fix it! hey, when we jump on the seat, it squeeks, fix it! etc etc Have I cherry-picked these quotes? Of course I have. I don't claim to be objective, either. I'm not saying that Hyundai-Kia is the best or is even better than Mazda or any other auto company. I'm not saying, either, that it's moot to question their long-term reliability. My point is, Hyundai-Kia no longer sucks as much as they used to suck.  They're in the game now (when it comes to quality and reliability) and no one would have thought this just five years ago.
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Replying to: medicineman (May 22, 2007 10:47 pm)
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Replying to: conwelpic (May 23, 2007 5:22 am) When I informed a friend that my research included Kia and Hyundai, he told me that Hyundai owned Kia and since Hyundai is crap, Kia is also crap. My friend considers himself knowledgable about cars, but he's also a bit of a blowhard (like most car enthusiasts--oops, did I just say that? ). So I wasn't sure if I believed him or not. His opinion did mean something, however, since I didn't do any serious research on Hyundai or Kia until after I had done my research on pretty much every other auto company. The rest is history. After doing some actual research and not just believing what the popular perception is, Kia did have "the power to surprise." All my research was telling me that the Rondo was the vehicle that I was looking for, but you know what? I wasn't too happy about it. Why? Because it's hard to feel any pride in ownership when apparently everyone else thinks that your vehicle is crap. To tell you the honest truth, this still affects me, even though I know I made the right decision for myself. So if you're a shallow person like me, this might be a factor in your own decision-making. 
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Replying to: medicineman (May 23, 2007 12:37 pm) Well, I don't know about "most", but there are a couple of them on the Outlander threads for sure....especially one who also dispenses investment advice.  
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Replying to: bnkausik (May 22, 2007 8:22 pm)  Why are you trying to ruin dnatoday's happy moment? |
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Replying to: medicineman (May 22, 2007 10:47 pm) This was the deciding flip-of-the-coin for us. We took 5 kids to see Shrek hours after we bought the Rondo and having room for 3 booster seats + two pre-teens was worth it. I've had so many compliments on the styling and looks of this car-- has anyone else noticed how much stying it borrows from the BMW X3? Even the two-tone interior. I'm still getting used to driving an automatic, but I find the car is pretty stable and yet zoomy in the twisty back roads. We are planning a trip to Cape Cod this weekend to try out the highway miles. We are still on the dealer's tank of gas, so I am not sure how the mileage is going to turn out. And thanks Medicneman for the nice words-- my parade isn't rained on. I expect a great experience from this car, though my husband is going to make me post a few wishlist items in the other thread. (mostly tinted windows and/or a car cover-- most cars this type/size have 'em).
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