Overview & Reviews

What is the Kia Rondo? Kia likes to call the Rondo a crossover utility vehicle, which is certainly a trendy catchphrase. The only problem is that the Rondo looks more like a small minivan. In Europe and Asia, this type of vehicle -- known as "space wagon MPV" -- is quite popular. In fact, the Rondo has been sold in those markets (as the Kia Carens) for years.

Though it never really caught on with consumers, the Kia Rondo provides a surprising amount of functionality and flexibility for its size and price. As a cross between a minivan and a hatchback, the four-door Rondo can carry up to seven passengers. It's relatively nimble and filled with clever storage space. If you're in the market for a used compact crossover or something smaller than a minivan, the Rondo is a solid, if often overlooked, choice.

Most Recent Kia Rondo
The Kia Rondo was produced from 2007-'09. Originally, its base 2.4-liter four-cylinder produced 162 horsepower, while the 2.7-liter V6 produced 182 hp. For 2009, these were bumped up to 175 for the four-cylinder (167 in California emissions states due to SULEV emissions rating) and 192 for the V6. A four-speed automatic transmission was standard with the four-cylinder, and the V6 came with a five-speed automatic.

Although there is nothing fancy about the Kia Rondo, it still manages to overachieve in many areas. Available in two trims, LX and EX, the Rondo is nicely equipped from the base model on up. Even the lowest LX trim comes with important safety features, such as stability control and antilock brakes. Other satisfying standard features include 16-inch wheels, air-conditioning, full power accessories and an audio system with CD player and auxiliary audio jack. A third row of seats is optional on the LX and standard on the EX, which boosts total capacity to seven people.

Moving up to the EX trim level adds 17-inch wheels, leather upholstery, heated seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Other options include a sunroof, a navigation system, an iPod adapter and an upgraded stereo. For '09, leather, heated seats, a navigation system and an iPod interface became available.

In spite of its small size, the Kia Rondo is very functional. With the third-row seating option, the Rondo seats up to seven passengers, though the third row is certainly best suited for children. The second-row seats slide fore and aft, and fold flat in a 60/40 split. The optional third-row seats also fold flat, but in a 50/50 split. And there is no shortage of storage, including 10 cupholders.

In road tests, our editors found the Kia Rondo performed surprisingly well. Both the four-cylinder and V6 engines delivered smooth acceleration. The V6 was particularly responsive, offering punchy acceleration and commendable passing power. Its steering was decent, especially for a tallish family vehicle. Although we'd prefer less body roll, the Rondo never felt tippy. In many everyday situations, such as parking and negotiating traffic, the Rondo could fool you into thinking you were actually in a small car, which was exactly the point.

User Reviews:

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  Where are all the Rondos? - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Jacks - December 2 - 1:10 pm

  My husband and I knew exactly what type of vehicle we wanted: sporty, great fuel economy, with a third row seat, and under $20K. After searching and searching we found the Rondo. But Id never heard of the Rondo! And Id never seen one on the road! We loved the car and purchased one. But over a month later Ive only seen 2 other Rondos on the road. Where are all of the Rondos?? But thats okay with us. We know we got a great car for a great price!

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  SO FAR SO GOOD,KIND OF SURPRISED - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By LEE - November 5 - 2:40 am

  Bought this 2008 new.Have driven it for a month. Wanted a hatchback instead of a sedan. Looked at Vibe,Mazda,Matrix but for the price of the KIA, others werent close. The most striking thing is the interior. LOTS of room everywhere. Not cheap looking and its loaded,remote,power windows,locks,cruise,ESC,ABS. Lots of storage space. The 4-cylinder gets to 65-70 smoothly and is surprisingly quiet. Gas mileage isnt great for an engine this size though. Im a little worried about the recall on the fuel pump. Under the hood,seems accesible, isnt jam packed Dont complain about how the car looks from the outside if you ended up buying it...duh. If my Rondo is this good in a year, Ill be sold.

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  A Great Bargain - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Tom - October 23 - 8:13 am

  I somehow managed to purchase my Rondo with 30k on the odometer for merely 10k. what a surprise! Seven months later and I still love it. You can haul all kinds of stuff, great acceleration, and it is so comfortable it feels like youre driving while sitting on your favorite couch. The car is an ugly bubble, dont get me wrong. Your friends will might have a few jibes for you. But for the price and the ride quality/reliability, you wont find anything better.

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  Good Vehicle - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Bob - October 1 - 11:03 am

  We have the car exactly 1 year, almost 17000 miles. Not 1 problem. Great for taking the kids to college. Plenty of rear space and great rear cargo for holding grocery bags. The V6 is perfectly matched to the car.Great visibility. Good car, and even better was the price. Look at Honda, Saturn, Mitsubishi and Mazda. Buy the KIA.

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  Different is good - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By VegasRondo - September 29 - 7:33 am

  First of all, the Rondo is not an SUV, a station wagon or just a plain car. It is a people mover, cargo mover and wont get lost in a sea of cars in a parking lot. I have a 5 seat EX I4, with Premium Package. The exterior design is different, and everyone can draw their own opinions. It has a smooth ride on city streets, tracks well on highways. There is almost no wind noise at speed. Fit and finish is impeccable. Interior materials are highly acceptable for this price range. The 4 cylinder engine is powerful enough for most. The interior is spacious. The under floor storage is huge. My only complaint is that the stereo display is almost impossible to read without direct sunlight on it.

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  Theres a surprising amount of zip! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Peggy - September 26 - 7:43 am

  Weve owned this vehicle for a bit over a month. Its been a surprisingly fun, smooth and quiet ride. (I drive a lot and have become very sensitive to road noise.) This vehicle is very soundly built, with beyond expectations quality and accoutrements.

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  It Keeps Going - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By A Great Family Car 2 - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I doing a follow up review on our Rondo, we have owned it for 1-1/2 years and still love it. We replace our Ford Windstar mini van and never looked back. This has been a reliable vehicle, we have over 22,000 miles on it now, been to CA from WA Twice, we got over 27 miles to the gallon fully loaded with a car topper on it. Great power over the mountains! Things we had done to vehicle: Tinted windows, Mud flaps & Cross bars for roof rack. Future Items: Trailer hitch. We have the 7 passenger version had every seat filled, still great power! We Would still buy this vehicle if we were looking again!

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  2 summers old and AC BAD, wont FIX IT! - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Diane Miller - August 5 - 2:26 pm

  IN 3/08 we bought our Rondo and in 4/10 the AC Compressor went our and the dealership or KIA company want fix it under warranty. A 18,000 dollar car should last more that 2 years! We had a KIA van before this Rondo and the AC also went out on it. KIA has bad compressors, so I want buy another one! Buyer Beware!

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  Love It! - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By Love It. - July 31 - 4:56 pm

  We had done some research on the Kia Rondo. Love how in handles! Its a great bang for your buck. LOVE driving it! Very rugged. Great features. Like others have posted, not absolutely crazy about the exterior design. Looks more van like than crossover as Kia likes to call it.

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  Kia Rondo snow test - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By Susan - July 23 - 1:06 am

  Rondo was an interest to me because of the fuel mileage and 7 seats. It has a great amount of room in the inside but doesnt look like a huge vehicle. Fuel mileage is okay not as great as I expected. In the snow and over bumps the brakes are locking up on me. I took it to the dealer and they say that they found no problem. I almost got into 2 accidents at 10 or 20 miles an hour. I might try snow tires. I was given no help at the dealership. I dont feel safe driving in the snow and I have owned a lot of different cars and am not afraid of the snow but in this vehicle I am afraid and I will not be able to drive when the roads have snow on them.