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Conwelpic, do you have any number on the Chrysler Journey? It looks like it might be a Rondo Killer....
KC
sure do, not sure its a direct competitor as it is quite a much larger vehicle (by about 13") but it does offer that extra seat. Parked beside one recently and can't say it does much for me, looks too much like a truck and find the interiors of Chrysler products very disappointing, but it is selling very well
Canada: July 2008 - 1,100 and 6,272 YTD
US: July 2008 - 3,449 and 26,180 YTD
__________________ Mileage: 21,200 km (13,200 miles), Ownership: 13 months
sure do, not sure its a direct competitor as it is quite a much larger vehicle (by about 13") but it does offer that extra seat. Parked beside one recently and can't say it does much for me, looks too much like a truck and find the interiors of Chrysler products very disappointing, but it is selling very well
Yea, I know, I've don't like the high side walls and low roof line. It reminds me of a Brink Truck! That said, Chrysler has a knack for coming out with the right car when times are "bad" Remember the "K Car" and the mini-van?? And I know a lot of people getting rid of their mini vans and large SUV and looking at Mazda 5, Journey and the Rondo.
With a large V6 and AWD and all the gadgets, I'm not too surprise that it a good seller.
BTW the base engine is a Theda II. I just wounder how much weight it will be pulling.
Here's a new review from the Canadian website Auto123.com.
A thumbs-up review, although with a few misgivings, such as:
- slippery leather
- lack of lumbar support in the front seats
- too firm back seats
- poor soundproofing
- rear tires hiss loudly over concrete
- lack of telescopic steering wheel
- vague steering
- slow takeoffs
- front discs had to be remachined after 12,000 kilometers/7,500 miles
Bottom line: "this compact minivan only needs a few tweaks to match and overtake its main rival [the Mazda5]."
You heard right, this was a thumbs-up review. I didn't list the positives from the review, after all. That would be too boring.
I enjoyed my drive in the Rondo and found it to be capable, quiet, and even lively with the four cylinder engine. I think it's going to be hard to justify spending more for the V-6, in fact, because of the smaller engine's robust performance.
From Sept. 2008:
Quote:
To be frank, I'd skip the four altogether and go with the V-6.
Quote:
The big issue for the Rondo is a lack of power -- when you hit hills or need to accelerate rapidly, you really have to floor the accelerator pedal to get a response.
Here's another review of the Rondo 7 for you Aussies out there (I think I saw at least one Aussie in this forum): Brisbane Courier-Mail: Kia Rondo rocks.
Keeping things in the same region, the Rondo has been released in Malaysia as the "Naza Citra II Rondo." This isn't a review, but you can read about it at PaulTan.org along with a zillion comments from the peanut gallery.
Looks like Warren Brown, automotive writer for the Washington Post, has changed his mind about the Rondo.
Previously, he had this to say about the Rondo (from an online chat session, May 18, 2007):
Quote:
Neither I nor my assistant, Ria Manglapus, liked the Rondo. It was an unadulterated disappointment--sub par build quality, whiny engines (both the 162-horsepower inline four AND the 182-hp V-6), uninspired styling. Kia generally has been doing a very good job with new product introductions. The Rondo isn't one of them.
Now, here's a quote from his recent article (see it here and here):
Quote:
I dismissed the Rondo a year ago, having succumbed more to its banality than I was seduced by what turns out to be its many virtues.
But that was before soaring U.S. fuel prices and a collapsing national economy exposed the ugliness of motorized greed. My associates and I thus decided to take another look at the Rondo, to evaluate it in the context of a vehicle designed to deliver maximum good at minimum cost. We like what we found the second time around.
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