Mazda5 vs Kia Rhondo Pics

[rweatherford]

I took these pictures the other day while test driving my now new to me Mazda5.

I pulled into the Kia dealership and parked right next to a Kia Rhondo. The Rhondo had a little bit more room inside with a total seating for 7. My head hit the roof in the back seat and the opening doors (instead of sliding) turned me off. The kids would have had to move the center seats forward every time we entered the car too. (no walkway between seats) If the Kia had sliding doors instead of 3.5 feet long opening doors I would have had to think pretty hard about it.

Side profile of the cars was very similar. On the inside you would think that Kia just took the Mazda to the design studio and copied the control layout.

The Mazda is actually 1.5 inches longer.... Both are nice cars for the money. I just felt like the Mazda design was more cohesive. The lines of the car flow together well. The Rhondo looks like they couldn't decide which way all the angles on the car should be. A little like the old AZTEC. (loser)

So far my family of 5 plus baby on the way (that will be 6 total, 4 kids) loves the 5. We will be using all the seats soon, so I'm probably the only person here that will use all the versatility of the 5.

I'm sure I'll be needing some accessories. Right now my list includes mud flaps, rear bumper guard and eventually something to carry stuff in outside the car (on top or behind)

My first 84 miles were a bit dissapointing on fuel economy. The trip home was 70 MPH all highway with about a 20 MPH side wind and 20 degrees F. The result was 21 MPG. I decided to check the tires and I did find some as low as 21 PSI. I raised them to 34 PSI. Hopefully that will help some.

I don't have any glamor shots yet as it is -5F right now.

 

[Captain KRM P5]

the kia has a better warranty, and my money is on it using that warranty to its full extent. i prefer my cars to stay on the road and out of the shop, which is exactly, i feel, what the 5 will do and the rondo will not.

 

[oskinosmee]

What where the prices of each my girl want one or the other?

 

[mrbwa1]

So far my family of 5 plus baby on the way (that will be 6 total, 4 kids) loves the 5. We will be using all the seats soon, so I'm probably the only person here that will use all the versatility of the 5.

So far, we're done 5 on a few occasions. I've rode in the back with my 92yr old grandmother in the middle and was ok. Had to use the "aisle" for my leg to stay really comfy. My aunt hit the description in the bc best. It's like an airplane with the tiny window and small-ish conditions, but not that bad at all.

I'm sure I'll be needing some accessories. Right now my list includes mud flaps, rear bumper guard and eventually something to carry stuff in outside the car (on top or behind)

Go the Mudguards and Bumper guard for Christmas. They aren't on the 5 yet, but I'd be glad to provide pix or answer any questions about them. And you will DEFINATELY need a box with the baby. I have seen a few on 5s and they look pretty nice. It'll probably cut down on the fuel economy a bit though.

My first 84 miles were a bit dissapointing on fuel economy. The trip home was 70 MPH all highway with about a 20 MPH side wind and 20 degrees F. The result was 21 MPG. I decided to check the tires and I did find some as low as 21 PSI. I raised them to 34 PSI. Hopefully that will help some.

The fuel economy should get better. I would recommend running higher than 34PSI for fuel economy help. I ran the standard tires at 38 PSI and noticed no ride difference. For snows, Mazda recommends adding 4.3 PSI, so running 39.3 PSI. I am running at 40 PSI in those. Our '07 Auto is returning a solid 25 MPG is mixed driving (winter temperatures between 0F and 40F)

 

[CX-7owner]

the kia has a better warranty, and my money is on it using that warranty to its full extent. i prefer my cars to stay on the road and out of the shop, which is exactly, i feel, what the 5 will do and the rondo will not.

Kia's are really reliable, my friend has a Kia Rio she beats the s*** out of, and bought it in 2003, put over 120,000+ miles on it, and just got through paying it off, still running with no problems.

 

[coolmazda5]

So far my family of 5 plus baby on the way (that will be 6 total, 4 kids) loves the 5. We will be using all the seats soon, so I'm probably the only person here that will use all the versatility of the 5.

Congrats on your purchase. No worries, the versatility can be used in many ways, believe me

Thanks for the pics. I've never seen them side to side until now. The more I see them, the more I like the Mazda5 design, serious. It is so difficult to make a 6 seater look good and Mazda did. I don't care how many more extras and more seats the Rondo has compared to the MZ5, the way it looks is just so disappointing (imagine having that as your daily driver).

As per the cargo space, there are several "roof" cargo options around here in the forums. Just search under "Mazda5 Roof Rails" or so and you'll see. I'm just getting the OEM rails and the Thule Cargo box, I'll post some pics once installed.

As per reliability, yes KIA has striven for quality for some time, but build quality, not service quality. I've read some stories about KIA post-sale service and warranty and it seems that as long as the car works great you are fine, but if something happens (i.e. a recall or a under-warranty issue), KIA NA and the dealers still have some work to do. All cars may have defects, that is for sure, but with my 06 every time I have had issues Mazda has been responsive (even with the confusing 2005 exhaust recall, where I knew first than my dealer. Regardless, Mazda NA made it up right for me later in the game).

 

[rweatherford]

Our car was a rental in Chicago so it has 17,500 miles. (in service for 6 months) They replaced 2 tires, fixed some minor dents (paintless) and must have painted a bumper at the dealer I purchased from. They let me see all the history they had on it. I'm guessing the back bumper because there are NO scratches in the rear hatch entry. Overall it is in very good condition. I am missing the rear set of floor mats. (not that they cover that much)

I will probably look into getting a small hitch eventually and use a small, light trailer for traveling and/or a carry all platform. That would put less strain on the engine than a roof container.

I have a feeling I'm going to need the dealer to do an alignment with the car loaded down as that is the way it will be used most of the time.

 

[gpzjack]

Had a rhondo as a rental...really missed the 5. The only nice thing was the v6. Other than that we like our 5 much better. Rhondo was a gas pig.

 

[zoomzoom mazda5]

I have seen a few Rondo's around and sometimes when i'm stop at a light a Rondo will pull up next to me and the people would look very closely at mine and give a thumbs up..............

 

[Zoom5Zoom]

I dont like rondoo condos

 

[TreFlip999]

its just like the comparison of the protege5 and spectra5...i thought that was hilarious..the sprectra was kia's answer for the protege

 

[Dyx]

Considering that at first I was planning more on buying a Rondo (second) than the Mazda5... that would have been a Big Mistake! Fortunately We visited a Mazda dealer first, I took a Mazda5 GS on the spot!(first)

 

[Zoom5Zoom]

Considering that at first I was planning more on buying a Rondo (second) than the Mazda5... that would have been a Big Mistake! Fortunately We visited a Mazda dealer first, I took a Mazda5 GS on the spot!(first)

another smart canadian eh....