Safety, however, is the one area where buyers don’t have any choices—Kia includes everything. Standard safety features include front airbags, side airbags, full-length curtain airbags, stability control, a tire pressure monitoring system, and an active headrest restraint. Mike Willrich adds that the Rondo “doesn’t handle like an SUV,” either, which is to say its handling is tighter on the twisties. But should the unthinkable happen, rest assured that the Rondo is among the safest vehicles on the road: it scored a 5-star frontal crash safety rating.*
Pure Rondoism
While the Rondo is a lot of things, there are a lot of things it isn’t. As important as the attributes it borrows from other types of vehicles are the things it leaves off. “It excludes that specific SUV aesthetic, and poor SUV-type fuel economy,” explains Willrich, “and at the same time you’ve kept much of the functionality of those types of vehicles.”
What are the pillars of Rondo’s functional crossoverness? For starters, the seat height is significantly higher than a sedan. Huge rear door openings make getting things in or out of the back seat easy. “The multi-function second row seat has 60/40 split and recline,” adds Kosowski. “There are cargo storage bins in the third row, built-in bottle holders in all door panels, a sunglass holder in the roof, a cell phone nook in center console. The Rondo’s really filled with storage spots and details. It’s all very utilitarian.”
And so much roomier inside than its outside dimensions would suggest. “In Arizona, members of the press were commenting that it looks smaller from the outside,” says Kosowski, “but once you get in there it’s got huge cabinocity, even in the third row. Journalists commented that it seems bigger on the inside than it looks.”
“It’s also an image thing,” says Willrich. “Maybe you don’t necessarily want the SUV image or the minivan image, but you want something versatile enough to do almost everything. The Rondo might be just the answer.
Welcome to Rondoism: Happy Driverness is well within your reach.
Rondoism.com awaits you.
* Government star ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program (safercar.gov).
