Kia Rondo SLi 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $33,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Metallic Paint $695
Crash rating: Not tested
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 7.9
CO2 emissions (g/km): 184
Also consider: Honda Odyssey (from $37,100); Subaru Liberty Exiga (from $37,990); Toyota Prius V (from $35,990); Opel Zafira (due August 2013)

Smaller in terms of external dimensions than its predecessor, the Kia Rondo promises increased interior space and uncompromised comfort. But can 4.5m of vehicle really cater to seven passengers?

Launched Down Under in June (2013), the latest Rondo is available in three specification levels (Si, SLi and the range-topping Platinum) and with two engine variants, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or 1.7-litre four-cylinder diesel – both front-wheel drive. Alas, the top spec Platinum offering misses out on the diesel option. On both engine types, the four-speed box of previous generations has been replaced with a six-speed automatic transmission with a Sport mode for manual sequential gear selection. There’s no manual transmission offered.

Our test car was the mid spec SLi model, powered by the 122kW 2.0-litre petrol engine. Reasonably torquey, but prone to struggle with the car’s loaded mass, the engine delivers 213Nm at 4700rpm. Claimed fuel economy is 7.9L/100km but on test the Rondo proved a fair bit thirstier (see below).

This new Rondo is 20mm shorter, 15mm narrower and 40mm lower than its predecessor. While exterior dimensions have shrunk, the design platform has changed to create a greater feeling of interior space. The wheelbase is 50mm longer and the A-pillar is further forward.

Inside, this translates as a well forward seating position that gives you a commanding view of the road. The A-pillar, however, is intrusive and at times obstructs vision.

With a lower stance and a range of new exterior styling cues, the new Rondo is a significantly different character to the outgoing model. It’s more sophisticated. It looks a little bit sporty, even.

Inside, high shine black plastics and splashes of chrome combine nicely, in a well-planned centre console and dash. The interior has a simplistic yet premium feel, not unlike some European brands. It’s clear, simple and easy to navigate.

The leather seats in our SLi were very comfortable and offered 10-way power adjustability.

Low effort steering and manoeuvrability makes the Rondo perfect for inner city driving. On the freeway, however, ‘effortless’ feels more like ‘disconnected’. Here the car lacked feedback.

Offering some respite is Kia’s FLEX Steer technology. This feature allows the driver to adjust the steering weight (across a scale of Normal, Comfort or Sport) to gain a little more feel behind the wheel. This adjusts the feel of steering alone, and has no impact engine performance. Even around town, I found myself engaging Sport steering to avoid the vagueness of Normal and Comfort steering modes.

Whichever steering mode you select, the tight turning circle of the Rondo remains a plus.

The six-speed gearbox delivers power smoothly and is in the main timely in its gear changes. At times it proved a little slow to kick down a gear, and so I found it useful to be able to enlist the help of the Sport mode shift for a faster response as required.

General ride comfort in the Rondo is very good.

Technology and equipment is of a high standard, with our SLi including Bluetooth connectivity for audio streaming and telephony, 4.3-inch touch screen, six speakers, cruise control, paddle shifts, auto up/down for all four windows, four 12 volt power outlets, auto electric fold and heated wing mirrors and a reversing camera. All this technology worked without fault, too.

The Platinum model adds some big-ticket items such as satellite navigation and a panoramic sunroof.

Given satellite navigation is available in the Premium spec vehicles only, if you choose a diesel, you’ll go without.

Second row seating is generous and well set up for kids, with excellent storage and foldable seat back trays. Smart storage inclusions such as second-row in-floor compartments are a clever and thoughtful use of space.

The centre armrest folds to reveal a plastic tray inset with generous size cup holders.

While the Rondo caters for seven occupants, it's likely that only five of them will be seated comfortably. None of the Rondo’s six airbags extend to the third row, either.

The third row is tricky to access and foot and legroom is cramped. It is strictly for children. And as Kia suggests, the Rondo perfect for those people who occasionally require a third row of seating.

The Rondo’s third row is easy to operate. From the boot space, there’s one pull-strap that quickly and easily releases the seat to fold flat. And it’s just as easy to pull it back up again. There’s no heavy tug-of-war as can be experienced in many seven-seaters.

The second row is 35:30:35 split fold, and the third row is 50:50 split fold, which creates many seating configuration options. There’s also a neat in-floor storage slot to hold the rear cargo cover when it’s not being used.

Minimum capacity with all seven seats occupied is 103 litres. Third row folded flat, it increases to 492 litres and second and third rows flat it jumps to 1650 litres. The SLi and Premium Rondo also feature roof rails that can hold up to 100kg load.

At the end of a week that saw predominantly city driving conditions, the Rondo returned a fuel reading of 10.5L/100km.

Safety equipment on the Rondo includes antilock brakes, brake force assist, stability control, hill-start assist and stability control. The Rondo has six airbags and three point seatbelts for all occupants.

Priced from $29,990 (plus on-road costs) for the entry level petrol Si, through to $38,990 (plus on-road costs) for the Platinum petrol, the Kia Rondo is more expensive than the previous generation, but this is offset by the increased features list. By way of comparison to its competitors (see above), the Rondo is, however, very well priced.

Stepping up to a seven-seater generally represents a significant change of pace, and the Kia Rondo delivers this without the usual intimidating proportions. The recently tested Fiat Freemont is a good example of typical proportions in this segment: ie larger and heavier. The Rondo bucks this trend.

If you only need seven seats occasionally, but still want a hatch-sized footprint, Rondo may be just the ticket.