Mazda5 vs KIA Rondo comparisons and articles (merged)

[coolmazda5]

Did the better half like the Rondo best?

(poke)

Hmmm, Was the post above a long version to admit that "the better half" liked the Rondo best? Come on!

 

[Mazda5wannabe]

That and I have the auto (in the mazda), so that doesn't help. Id put the 5 in the lower 17 sec range in the 1/4. Maybe upper 16s on a really good day. Thats what my 1.6 DOHC accent ran. Not painfully slow but not fast either.

Auto = Suck, no argument there! I also own two elderly Honda Civics which are identical except one's auto and the other manual. The manual pwns the auto by a fair margin. I wouldn't even consider the 5 without the stick. Have you driven a manual equipped 5?

 

[jandree22]

Oh well we gave it our best shot. Enjoy your Kia.

 

[doctorz]

What a flurry of posts...some very thoughtful and helpful, and others...well, lets just say that some people should get their facts straight before spouting off about something...case in point...the Canadian Kia Rondo 4 cyl EX weighs 1,541kg...the Canadian Mazda 5 GT Leather weighs 1,523kg. Thats a 18kg (39.683207193277966 lbs) penalty...(the average weight of a 4 year old boy is 39 3/4 lbs)...not a 300-400 lb penalty as somone suggested. There were a few other errors...but who'se countin'?

I am thoroughly amused and perhaps honored to be singled out for being admonished to "get" my "facts straight". Don't worry, I can take the heat.

According to my Mazda5 brochure, the automatic weighs 3389 lbs, the manual 3333 lbs. 1,523 kg is 3351 lbs.

According to the MT Kia Rondo review, the V-6 EX weights 3640 pounds. The four cylinder version, according to your source, is 1,541 kg, or 3390 lbs. I should have clarified this point: the performance of the V-6 seems to be similar to the Mazda5's four cylinder--the 0-60 times for both are in the nine second range--so I think it is fair to compare those two and not the four cylinder engines. That's where the 300 pounds came from; 400 might have been a stretch, but that doesn't change my point that the Kia is heavier and may very well benefit from the six cylinder engine at the expense of efficiency and driveability. The Mazda5 does not need a six cylinder engine, and we average 25-30 mpg in mixed driving. I'll bet a six cylinder Rondo won't come close.

I have not driven a Rondo, and I attempted to limit my observations accordingly. But Kias have traditionally been overweight. The original Sedona was 5000 pounds while the Odyssey/Sienna/Grand Caravans were about 4500, and the Sedona took a lot of heat for being porky. The point that the critics made at the time is that it is cheaper to make a car feel solid by just piling on the metal, which comes at the expense of efficiency and driving fun. The new Sedona is lighter, which is encouraging.

Having said that, enjoy your new Rondo. If it had been available last year we would have given it a good look.

 

[Rio Racer]

The old sedona was porky because Kia had a lack of V6 engines that could power minivans. Kia was mainly producing 4 cylinder and diesels in their home markets so they had to use the only powerful V6 they had which was a 3.5 liter hyundai sigma motor which was cast iron with aluminum head. Very heavy but a solid motor. The newer kias are lighter because all their V6 motors are all aluminum. I actually wouldn't be hesistant to get the 4 cylinder all aluminum theta motor.
Here are the specs for the rondo's weight from kia.

2.4L I4 2.7L V6
5-seat 3,333 lbs. 3,443 lbs.
7-seat 3,399 lbs. 3,511 lbs

Two motor options for rondo.

2.4 liter 162 hp 164 tq
2.7 liter 182 hp 182 tq

I would get the 4 cylinder 5 seater ( I love 4 bangers). I bet since the weight is lighter than the auto mazda 5 and it out powers it by 9 hp and out torques it by 16 tq it would be a close race in a microvan street battle! This is if of course assuming both are auto which I think will be tranny choice of the majority of people buying these cars. Also I don't think the auto V6 rondo is slower than an auto mazda 5 the V6 rondo has 182 hp 182 torque and a 5 speed auto. it may be a heavier but not enough to offset an extra gear and that much more power and especially torque. Interestingly the V6 rondo and 4 cylinder rondo don't have much difference in fuel economy. The 4 cylinder is rated 21/29 mpg and the V6 is rated 20/27 mpg. Doctorz above me said the mz 5 averages 25/30 mpg thats really impressive what are the EPA gas mileage figures for the MZ5 anyone know? Rondo V6 mileage ain't bad.. It would be a tough call for me but I'd prolly still go with the 4 banger cause it's prolly easier to do my own engine work to. Deyam I want a rondo too.... too bad i'm mad Po....

I'm curious to see if honda and toyota will enter this niche of microvans as well. Currently i can only think of the Mz5 and Rondo occupying this segment as foreign cars here in the states. Remember you can always get a PT cruiser or a HHR!!!

 

[the_saint]

I'm curious to see if honda and toyota will enter this niche of microvans as well. Currently i can only think of the Mz5 and Rondo occupying this segment as foreign cars here in the states. Remember you can always get a PT cruiser or a HHR!!!

I wish they would. With all the hot rides that they hoard from the US market I know they have to have some sweet microvans.

 

[paging_drburgos]

Remember you can always get a PT cruiser or a HHR!!!

ROFL

 

[Hikaru9]

(mswerd)
You're never going to pull up to the other van/car at a traffic light and drag race them.

Unless of course... you happen to own a Mercedes R63 AMG.
Those things are stupid fast, I don't understand why they offer it even.
(a super minivan -_-a)

I've owned one Hyundai Sonata which I bought new 7 years ago.
Unfortunately for me it had lots of problems, and it was gone within 2 years.
Now I've never owned a Kia, but I understand they're similar much like the different names but same offerings under the GM & Chrysler roofs.
I had a lemon Hyundai, but it'd be silly for me to bash the entire Hyundai/ Kia line-up because of it.
Honestly, I'll always be hesitant to purchase another Hyundai (or Kia), not because I think they're crap like some people think, but only because of my one bad experience with the car.
I know it sounds ironic since I think they make great cars, and everyone I know who's owned a recent model Hyundai/ Kia seems to love them.

Our society is full of people who base their decisions on the image of the product (or the brand). There is nothing wrong with that since you really get what you pay for in a lot of things in life. What is wrong IMO is people making presumptions without ever experiencing something on their own. *^_^* (and I see too many arm-chair auto critics! =p )

 

[jandree22]

I'm curious to see if honda and toyota will enter this niche of microvans as well.

The Honda Stream/Latitude has been rumored to be coming here for a while, but still no confirmations. Styling beats the 5, R-Class, and of course Rondos, but note the conventional doors. Too bad.

 

[Rio Racer]

that honda van looks pretty sweet, no sliding door. For some reason the side profile reminds me of a caddy srx

 

[Wytchdctr]

Save your money, get the 4cyl. The theta is a really good motor that has a nice power delivery, much like our 2.3. Loads of power down low and good topend. I test drove a sonata with one (close to the same curb weight) The v6 has an odd power band and is an aging design. The only good thing about the v6 is IF you want to modify it you can borrow parts from a tiburon. Other than that, Get the 2.4.

One big thing to look at down the road is the 2.4 has a timing chain, the 2.7 v6 has a belt. In that car its not going to be easy to replace and needs to be replaced at 60k. The 2.4 is also designed to run with less maintenance in general. So itll be cheaper to keep it on the road. Not to mention with it being 300 pounds less the tires, brakes, struts, etc should last a little longer.

 

[Newf]

we have a few kia's in the family because my god father runs the dealership here. Same people own the Mazda / toyota Dealership.

I was at a xmas party over xmas, and my god father was there getting slammed by all of the members of the family that owned their KIA. Most of them have been in the shop constantly in the 1st year of ownership. So my godfather looks at me near the end of the night and says, " be glad you bought a Mazda".

I think that says a lot. Think of resale as well. You think Mazda's resale is bad, wait till you try to sell your kia.

 

[Rio Racer]

wytchdctr there isn't a 300 lb difference between the V6 and I4 there is a 110 lb difference.

 

[doctorz]

Doctorz above me said the mz 5 averages 25/30 mpg thats really impressive what are the EPA gas mileage figures for the MZ5 anyone know?

22/27 with manual, 21/26 auto. It seems lower than it should be, but we really do average 30 on the highway, with our highest tank being about 34 mpg (Natchez Trace Parkway, speed limit 50). From seeing others post their mileage this seems to be the norm. Even in tough city driving the lowest we've gotten was about 22 mpg.

It's also true that we're not exactly aggressive, redlining drivers, although I do tend to cruise at 70-75 on the highway. But I really do think the real-world mileage of the 5 is better than most would expect. 3300 pounds and four cylinders are probably responsible. Even the leadfoots at Automobile Magazine averaged 25 mpg in their long term test.

By comparison, we had an MPV rated 18/25 before the 5. Highway mileage never cracked 26 mpg and was more like 23-24. City was usually around 17-18 mpg.

 

[Wytchdctr]

nvm. thought I read somewhere the v6 weighted in at 36XXpds and the 4cyl was 33XX... your right. I still recommend the i4 (theta) over the v6 (delta)

 

[Rio Racer]

Hmm perhaps the rondo will get over 30 mpg too if its rated by 27 mpg and 29 mpg for I4 and V6 respectively. I think the EPA tends to have really conservative fuel numbers.

 

[Kansei]

Hmm perhaps the rondo will get over 30 mpg too if its rated by 27 mpg and 29 mpg for I4 and V6 respectively. I think the EPA tends to have really conservative fuel numbers.

depends.. my mom gets 16.8 mpg average on her V6 altima, like half or more of those miles being highway...

I think the protege was rated 29 or 30 highway but I've gotten 36+

 

[Rio Racer]

whats the altima rated to get anyways?

 

[doctorz]

nvm. thought I read somewhere the v6 weighted in at 36XXpds and the 4cyl was 33XX...

The MT article says the V-6 Rondo is 3640 pounds. That's where I got the figure from. I figured they might have actually put the Rondo on a scale. Of course, the weight of any individual vehicle is affected by how much equipment it has and whether it was weighed with a full tank of gas, which probably explains why Kia's figures are lighter. All I can say is that I saw the 3640 pound figure and wondered why it was so close to my old MPV, which didn't weigh that much more despite being a significantly bigger vehicle. I realize that most people probably won't care one whit.

As for fuel economy, I found one person on a Kia board who reported that his four cylinder Rondo was returning about 23-25 mpg, with a high of 27.5 mpg on a highway trip. Make of it what you will.

I saw my first Rondo this weekend in Charlottesville, VA...I thought it was a Sportage until I got closer.

 

[opus]

KIAs have been overweight gas inhalers ever since they moved into the sport utility and minivan markets. My neighbor, tier 1 auto supplier, stated that they got their crash test ratings by simply way over building their structural components, rather than modifying the design to improve the rigidity and energy absorbing properties. That is, they did it on the cheap. The problem is that this extra steel adds weight, and a lot of it. KIA Sorentos and the previous model of Sedonas have always gotten terrible mileage even though they were small vehicles for their segments. I suspect the Rondo will fall into this same category.