2008 Kia Rondo scores high on congeniality

TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

Life’s friendly on planet Rondo, where the navigating is agreeable and the cargo room, below, is plentiful.

Kathy Renwald

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

The Kia Rondo's just about right for drivers looking for a congenial transporter. It's not as bland as a van, not as disparaging as a wagon and not as macho-mechanical as an SUV.

The careful folks at Kia call it an urban utility vehicle, but I took it on country roads and it didn't turn into a pumpkin.

Calling it a UUV really zaps the life out of the Rondo. It's more than that: it's comfortable, decent to drive, easy to load and has a great radio for tuning in useful shows like Ask the Pet Keeper.

I rendezvoused with the Rondo EX Luxury 7, the "7" referring to seats. It was trumped up with a 182 hp V6 engine.

Other extras include 17-inch alloy wheels, sunroof, eight-way adjustable seats and automatic temperature control.

When the math was finished, the Ex-Lux cost $27,995.

It's worth noting the more popular four-cylinder Rondo comes standard with many top-of-the-line features, with the seven-seater EX version starting at $22,095.

The Rondo gets full marks for being easy to pilot and agreeable to enter and exit.

It has a low entry floor, doors that open wide and a tall roof so you don't need some retired porter from Via Rail putting a step down so you can hop into the thing. That's utility for you.

The driver's seat is a nice place to spend time, anti-whiplash head restraints adjust easily and no-nonsense instruments are clear and easy to reach.

Kia could put a bit more thought into its steering wheel surface: the material is hard and slippery – better not do a three point turn with KFC residue on your fingers. But it did put the dead pedal in the right place.

There is the usual yardage of hard plastic surfaces, and the design is sort of off-the-rack Zellers, but a splash of perky orange trim on the dash keeps things from looking like the interior of a groundhog den.

In the back, passengers have decent room; a high seating position and generous glass facilitate window-shopping. Good clearance under the front seats allows space to tuck big feet.

Thirsty travelers can stash their liquids in bottle holders built into the side storage pockets.

The Ex-Lux came with third-row seating, which is easily deployed by pulling on a strap when the large rear cargo door is open.

It's not a place adults would love long term, but I've been in worse third-row real estate.

When the third row is stowed flat to the floor and the second seats folded down (after a wrestle to remove the head restraints), the Rondo really gets its utility groove on. Kia says it carries 2,083 litres of cargo behind the first-row seats. That's a bike, maybe some bushels of corn or a few pets.

Driving the Rondo is swell; it performs like a car, not a truck or SUV. The five-speed Steptronic transmission doesn't call attention to itself and that's the way it should be. It's quiet and seamless, with enough power to keep the Rondo rolling.

Thumbs down to the jumpy throttle though; it feels artificially juiced up and contributes to neck-snapping pranks off the starting line. Really, it's just a Rondo, who needs the drama?

The ride quality is tight but not aggravating, cornering is competent, and a manageable turning circle adds to the easy, agreeable navigation of the Rondo.

Over ragged road surfaces, it moves with surprising grace.

Style-wise, the Rondo isn't blowing any minds. Maybe Kia should take the designers off the St. John's Wort and let them have some fun with their mechanical pencils. The Rondo shell is so innocuous, I kept losing it in parking lots.

It could be that cautious styling is what makes the visibility so good. Support pillars don't intrude in the field of vision, and the big rear window makes backing up easier.

The Rondo is better looking I think than the similarly purposed Mazda5 with all its awkward angles.

Kia is taunting both the Mazda5 GS and the Toyota Matrix XR with a snappy comparison sheet that touts the Rondo EX as cheaper, more powerful, better equipped, and able to carry more cargo.

Well, that's how it is in Rondo world: congenial, practical and definitely more than utility grade.

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