Mazda 5 vs. Kia Rondo - Which is Which?

The two vehicles are stunningly similar. However, they are different right down to the sharp-edged flashing on the glove box door. Seating constitutes the most visible similarity, wherein the Mazda5 has six in a 2+2+2 configuration, while the middle row of Kia has a seventh spot.

Both cars also yield huge flexibility as well as cargo capacity. However, Kia’s headrests in the second row have to be removed first when the middle and third rows flat need to be folded. As regards the cars’ cargo-carrying capacity, Mazda Motor and Kia Motor used different ways to compute the available relative space.

When the third row is moved down, the space produced is almost four times the original. When the centre row is flat, the Rondo is made available up to 73.4 cubic feet. Visually, the Mazda 5 has almost the same space as the Rondo, but its overall height may be slighted affected by its roofline.

As far as accommodations are concerned, both cars have a close fight. Kia has considerably more legroom, knee room and headroom spaces in the third row. The Mazda 5 also has a hard plastic trim piece on the headroom. However, this car has seats that are higher off the floor (270 millimetres compared to the Kia's 230 mm), which makes it quite more comfortable than the other car.

On both cars’ second row, seats are comfortable and can be moved back and forth. When the third row is vacant, the back seat can be moved and the middle-row seats can be pulled forward, which means more stretch-out space.

While the Mazda has few nice touches like a storage bin under the left middle seat and a handy tray/net under the right, Kia counters those with functional roof rails.

Up front, there are minimal differences between the two. The cars’ driving positions are good, visibility is also good (both feature triangular windows at the A-pillar that reduces what would be a bad blind spot) and the entire layouts are logically conceptualized. Both have air conditioning (a $1,100 option on the Mazda5), great audio packages and power locks, windows, mirrors and sunroofs. The only noticeable difference is the manual adjustment for Mazda’s cloth seats and the power adjusters for the Kia's heated leather buckets.

The doors also depict differences. The Rondo comes with four conventionally hinged doors while Mazda 5 is available with sliding rear doors. Therefore, the Mazda is easier to load when one is parked in a tight area. The sliding doors deter access to the third row on the down side due to the eating of the leading edge into the way of entry.

By Kraig Johanssen

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KIA Really Does Deliver On Its Promise Of One Hundred Thousand Mile Warranty

If you are considering a new car you really have to look at the KIA. Recently a friend of ours who has a 2004 KIA Sedona broke down three miles from her home on a Friday evening around 4:30PM. She was all upset about the van being out of commission for the weekend because she had several places to go with her children. At the time it didn't seem that we would be able to get any help until Monday. After trying to start the engine again all of the dashboard lights came on at once and we were afraid to try anymore for fear of causing more harm to the vehicle.

Around an hour had passed and a neighbor stopped to see what is wrong and jokingly said why don't you call KIA, they claim to stand behind their cars and have a great warranty. So we did call them and were surprised and pleased at the same time that they sent out a tow truck right away to get the disabled van and tow it to the KIA dealership twenty miles away. The tow truck came right away even though it was 6:30 on a Friday evening.

They weren't gone more that two hours when the phone call came from the dealership telling us that they fixed the problem and they just wanted to make sure someone would so they could return the van. When they came into the driveway we didn't really know whet to expect, such as, what were they going to charge for the tow, etc. The driver brought the keys over and explained what they had found wrong with the engine. It turned out that the cause of the problem was short in the alternator. The driver then proceeded to tell us to have a good weekend and there will be no charge, not even for the tow.

We were really surprised and impressed how the whole issue was handled. It's good to find a company that literally stands behind their products without fine print and double talk. Needless to say my next car will be a KIA. If you are thinking about buying a new car you may really want to give KIA a serious look. They have some really impressive models to choose from too.

By Bob Crane