Australian Car Advice | News Blog

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Both companies began making cars in the mid-1960s but did not export outside Korea until the 1980s. Then with their merger in 1998 the Korean brand has become a world force in auto production, now ranked just behind Toyota, GM, Ford and Audi-VW.

The award was presented by Editor Chas Hallett to Hyundai-KIA President Nam-Yong Kim who said:

This recognition of the efforts of everyone within Hyundai and KIA is a great honour, coming from such a renowned publication as Autocar. This is a significant recognition of the determination of our Chairman, Mr Mong-Koo Chung and all of our people to firmly put the Korean automotive industry on the global map. This award will only encourage us to re-double our efforts to continue our development and if Chas Hallet thinks our ambition is ‘mind-blowing’, then all I can say is ‘He hasn’t seen anything yet!’

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The long term test involves myself, my wife and two kids using the Rondo7 as our family chariot for the next three or four months, and reporting back every ten days or so, on just how the car is performing as a family vehicle as well as our likes and dislikes.

It won’t just be driven around suburbia either. The annual family trek up to the Gold Coast (we’re based in Sydney) is also part of the plan later this year, and we’ll be sure to provide you with a two-part report on that journey, too.

For those of you who haven’t thought much of KIA branded cars in the past, be assured that the new Rondo7 is at the very least, an interesting bit of kit.

As the name suggests, it’s a proper seven seater, which offers a wealth of versatility across all three trim levels. The EX Limited that we’re driving is the top spec model and comes fully loaded with leather trim, electric sunroof (tilt and slide), climate control air-conditioning, remote audio controls (steering wheel mounted), 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails (with cross bars) and a host of other conveniences.

Of course you don’t need to spend $31,990 to get into Rondo. In fact, just $24,990 plus on-road costs, will see you drive away in the LX model with five-speed manual or $26,990 plus on roads for the four-speed automatic. In the middle of the model range is the EX for $28,990 plus on-road costs with the four-speed auto as standard kit.

Safety is high on the agenda at KIA too, with all grades fitted with TCS (Traction Control System), ESP (Electronic Stability Program) and ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brake-Force Distribution). Dual front SRS airbags are also standard fitment on the base model LX and EX Rondo7 with the EX Limited adding side front SRS airbags and full-length curtain SRS airbags for complete protection.

An “Urban Recreational Vehicle” is how KIA describe the curious five door hatch, and they just might be on to something.

I know we’re only a family of four, but our six year old does a million different sports and the seventeen year old and her girlfriends think of us as their personal taxi service, so already, the seven seater has a clear advantage in our household.

Not only that, but a garage sale caught my eye last week, and I picked up a bargain in a huge solid wood bookcase, standing 2.1 by 1.2 metres wide, the Rondo7 took it on without a hitch.

It was too wide to squeeze through the rear tailgate of the Rondo but then, that’s what adjustable roof racks are for. Within minutes and a few well-secured tie-downs, my bookcase was back home and installed in the office.

Both the second and third row seats fold flat, transforming the Rondo7 into a veritable van with huge load space, or you can split fold both rows for carrying a combination of kids and surfboards if that’s your need.

Oh, and if you need to carry adults in the third row, then just slide the second row forward a little for extra leg room back there!

I counted twenty-three separate storage compartments throughout the cabin and I’m certain to have missed a few, such is abundance of these clever little nook and cranny spaces in the Rondo7.

The driving position is higher than a regular car, which is a plus according to my wife, and both second and third row seating is graduated higher (stadium style), so that all passengers have forward vision instead of looking at a head restraint, especially good for kids who suffer from car sickness.

Access to the third row is also a breeze, given the wide aperture of the rear doors, meaning that kids or adults alike, can simply slide the second row forward for unencumbered entry, too easy.

While there is a stack of room inside the Rondo7’s cabin, it doesn’t look that large from an exterior point of view, if anything, it looks small and manageable. Nonetheless, I plan on installing a set of optional rear sensors in the coming week, just to make reverse parking fail safe.

It’s a comfortable car both to drive and be a passenger in with driver and front passenger seats well bolstered all round. It’s the same in both the second and third rows – I did a quick stint in each and drew no complaints.

My other half says that both the HVAC and audio controls are simple and intuitive and whilst I concur, I found the auxiliary input inside the centre console box, a little fiddly when connecting my iPod.

No such nit picking when it comes to the quality of the standard audio system though. I dialed up some volume on a track with some heavy bass, and there was zero distortion and an excellent tone.

No one looking to buy a seven seat “Urban Recreational Vehicle” is going to be too interested in a track day at Oran Park, but by the same token you wouldn’t want a single kilowatt or newton metre less than what this engine produces - and that’s not a lot.

Off the line starts from lights and intersections aren’t a problem, the Rondo leaps forward from any stationary point and within no time you are doing the speed limit.

It’s a slightly different story when you’re climbing a steep incline, the 106kW @ 6000rpm and 189Nm @ 4250rpm means that you need to work the Rondo7 hard when negotiating hilly terrain. “It labours a little on hills” was the comment from other half whom I should add, thinks the speed limits imposed in NSW are both safe and proper!

In the end, it’s not much of a gripe in a versatile vehicle such as the Rondo7, as you can always use the “tiptronic-style” shift to move things along.

Whilst we haven’t done any freeway or long distance trips as yet, we have gone through two 55-litre tanks of 91RON unleaded since October 24. That’s quite good actually, we’ve averaged 369kms per tank with heavy loads on all journeys and lots of hills to climb.

After just two weeks living with the Rondo7, and the convenience this vehicle offers, I’m not sure this family can live without it. We’ll have another brief report on how the Rondo7 is traveling in another ten days or so.

For a full review of the Rondo7, click here.

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“The total volume of sales remains solid across all markets, even considering the uncertain economic times we are facing.” Senior Executive Vice President and COO of the International Business Division Hyoung-Keun Lee said, “During the first nine months, KIA Motors has performed strongly in all markets, particularly through our significant gains achieved in China and general markets. Entering the final quarter, we will continue to monitor the global sales patterns prudently.”

So far in 2008, KIA’s best selling model in overseas markets has been the Cerato (known as ‘Spectra’ in some markets) with 154,929 units sold. It is closely followed by the Rio at 121,896 units, Cee’d at 116,097 units and Sportage (pictured) at 111,870 units. The Picanto rounds out the group with 74,915 units sold.

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Schreyer’s corporate H-grille echoes his car design philosophy. According to Schreyer, design is the No.1 purchase influence but it is essential that new designs match both the Kia brand value and the vision of the Kia brand.

The new Cerato is the first mass production Kia that embodies Peter Schreyer’s thinking, and introduces the new Kia ‘face’ that is sporty with an element of aggression.

Eye-catching integrity of design is just one factor in new car buyers’ minds. Customers want quality, safety, reliability, value and low total cost of ownership. That’s where the efficiencies of Kia’s highly-developed production facilities are displayed in the all-new Cerato, building cars in a smarter way with more efficient use of materials.

New Cerato is the perfect choice for people seeking a modern, well-engineered and more efficient car to reduce their ownership costs without compromising quality, safety or reliability.

The new model will bridge the gap between small and medium cars with the space, performance, features and value that many Australian car buyers are seeking, without having to pay more for a medium-sized car with a larger and less economical engine.

Longer and wider than the current Cerato sedan and in fact more roomy than the first generation Toyota Camry sold in Australia, the new Kia Cerato has a longer wheelbase than its predecessor with a more spacious and comfortable interior room for five occupants and a bigger boot.

New Cerato will feature a new, efficient 2-litre engine with Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) for class-leading power and torque, delivering the pulling power and responsiveness of a 2.2-litre engine without the fuel consumption of a bigger engine.

Like all new Kia vehicles now sold in Australia, the new Cerato will be covered by Kia’s 5-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for private buyers (5-year/130,000kms for fleet buyers).

The final specification and pricing for Australian vehicles is still to be determined but the new Kia Cerato is unquestionably an eye-catching design that will match the space and performance that Australian small car buyers want and an outstanding value-for-money price.

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It’s the sort of look that almost portrays disapproval. Why on earth would that be? Surely, it’s not because people frown on this genre of vehicle and it’s never the tree-huggers that have a go at you because you’re using more fuel than a Toyota Prius. It’s because as a motoring journo, usually you’re alone while testing.

In some people’s eyes, there’s nothing more wasteful (and pointless) than a guy driving a people mover around with no people to move. Funny though, when you’ve loaded it up, and have six or seven people inside, there’s nary a second glance.

Of course, you’re not going to rush out and buy one of these cars when you’re a single bloke who’s into clubbing and pubbing (if you are, then ignore that last sentence). This car is clearly aimed at the family market.

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The survey is weighted toward customer advocacy, overall satisfaction, future brand choices and loyalty as well as favouring the green credentials of a vehicle considering a broad range of environmental issues related to vehicle ownership. These issues include fuel economy, recycleability and CO2 emissions (both vehicular and production).

It’s another feather in the cap for KIA who along with well priced, safe family vehicles prove their ownership satisfaction and environmental credentials are showing the world this Korean manufacturer is clearly headed in the right direction.

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The new five-door Kia Soul is driven via the front-wheels and provides a high roofline and an unusually long wheelbase. The Soul measures 4,105 mm in length with a 2,550 mm wheelbase. It sits 1,610 mm of the ground.

Much like the Kia Rondo, it’s designed to be different to the market norms, to create its own niche and to attract a new type of buyer.  For example the base of the windshield is 135 mm higher than a typical compact car, the hip-points are 120 mm higher and the ground clearance is raised by 45 mm.

The biggest engine is the 2-litre, four-cylinder petrol unit which is available with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic (disappointing Kia could not produce a five-speed for the job). The 2-litre manages 106kW at 6,000 rpm and 186 Nm of torque at 4,600 rpm.

 Moving one step down, there are two 1.6-litre engines available, a petrol and a diesel. The petrol engine comes in at 94kW at 6,300 rpm and 156 Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm. The diesel delivers 94kW at 4,000 rpm and 255 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm.

Kia says the diesel engine is currently aimed for Europe and “some general market countries” which we hope includes Australia.

“The Kia Soul is a brand new urban crossover passenger car that will challenge customers to free their minds. It is packed with clever and liberating features and will offer cavernous passenger space that matches or even outperforms many vehicles with much larger exterior dimensions,” enthused Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President & COO, International Business Division.

Step inside and Kia promises the Soul’s interior will deliver head, leg and shoulder room to compete and beat many larger vehicles. Headroom measures at 1020/1005 mm front/rear, legroom at 1070/990 mm front/rear and shoulder room at 1403/1400 mm front/rear.  The car is expected to easily accommodate five large adults in ‘genuine’ comfort.

You can read more about the Kia Soul and its arrival into the Australian market here.

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Based on the Magentis platform, albeit 20mm shorter in wheelbase and completely unique from rear floor backward, the Rondo7 boasts some clever design attributes engineered at KIA’s Russelsheim Research and Development facility in Germany that ensure full utilisation of all the available space.

The reasonably compact chassis has also been tuned to enhance steering response, ride comfort, safer handling and braking performance attributes and uses smart ideas such as a shallow fuel tank and in-wheel suspension technology to make better use of the often wasted underfloor area.

Traditional McPherson struts up front and a low, compact traverse mounted multi-link rear end provide a reasonably limber ride with stroke dependent shock absorbers offering varying dampening rates determined by the vehicle’s laden mass. This translates to a comfortable ride no matter the on board population and even offers surprisingly decent handling.

A good turn-in rate with reasonable response and feedback means the vehicle’s dynamics are rather obliging and offer enough involvement that as a driver you don’t feel like an additional passenger along for the ride, a nasty trait common to many people movers. In fact driving the Rondo7 is actually rather enjoyable all things considered.

Under the bonnet KIA’s 2.0-litre, in-line CVVT four-cylinder, petrol engine produces a modest 106kW at 6000rpm and a rather weak 189Nm of torque at 4250 revs. Whilst it is a great little engine in its own right, it does suffer under load and struggles to maintain pace when fully loaded, especially at highway speeds or up steep inclines - a shame we don’t see the diesel model here in Australia.

The LX (base model) variant is available in both five-speed manual or four-speed auto guise, whilst upper spec models are available in auto only. The automatic has a large gap between third and fourth, primarily to save fuel, but this can make for a large kick back when overtaking which upsets an otherwise smooth flowing box of cogs.

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In addition to the larger size, the Sorento is rumoured to move a little more upscale with an increase in price accompanied by better specification and bigger engines.

We expect to have more news about the new Sorento before the year’s end.

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The car is powered by a 2.0-litre version of Kia’s next-generation V6 — with about 150kW.

The power is put through a six-speed automatic transmission.

So far it only remains a concept, but it sure is one good looking concept.

Click through to the next page for a comprehensive gallery.

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