Size matters sometimes. There are times when bigger really is better. When it comes to transporting more than four people around, bigger is certainly better. And that’s what you’ll get with the Kia All New Rondo. (That’s what Kia calls it – the All New Rondo. What they’ll do when they tweak this MPV another time in the future, I have no idea.)

From the front, at any rate, the Kia All New Rondo doesn’t look like a seven seater. There’s something about those headlights that looks rather expressive and almost cute – the sort of styling you’d usually seen on a small dinky-wee or hatchback. Walk round the side or back of the Kia All New Rondo and if you didn’t have any size or scale clues – such as a person standing beside it – you’d still think that this was a five-door hatch. It isn’t. Put a person or two beside the Kia All New Rondo and you’ll soon see that this is one big MPV. Whether you’d call it a station wagon or a van is open for debate. Words like “curvy” and “fun” are the most obvious descriptions of the overall styling. Alloy wheels are standard on all variants of the Kia All New Rondo, ranging from 16-inches on the Kia All New Rondo Si to the 18-inchers on the Platinum.

Of course, when you have an MPV, you don’t always want to carry six passengers. You want to put stuff in the back, sometimes with or without passengers. All of the seats in the rear two rows fold down in any combination. You could, if you really fancied, put all the middle row of seats down and keep one of the 50/50 folding third row seats up. The middle row of seats allows a bit more flexibility than simple 50/50 fold: they fold 35/30/35. On all variants except the Si, you can fold the front passenger seat flat as well. Now, how much stuff could you fit in with all six passenger seats down flat? Very handy, no matter what you want to get a Kia All New Rondo for. I can envision the Kia All New Rondo being good for a sales rep car or for one of those mobile coffee vending outlets – or even kitted out as a mini-campervan.

If you opt for the Platinum version of the Kia All New Rondo, thing seem even more spacious thanks to the powered panoramic sunroof that goes right across the roof area. Open it up to get the fresh air and sunshine in – or close it to keep a sudden downpour out.

The Platinum variant of the Kia All New Rondo has a lot of very fun gadgets, as well as plenty that are there for practical purposes. On the practical side of things, the Platinum has an electronic park brake, a smart key with push button start, HID headlights with a washer function, LED rear combination lamps, the front wiper de-icer, a manually-wound window curtain blind for the second room and the climate-controlled front seats. Those in the fun category that are exclusive to the Platinum are a heated steering wheel, a portable LED lamp, a chilled glovebox compartment (great for chocolate), the external amplifier with the subwoofer and the sat-nav with a seven-inch colour touch screen – hang on a minute; those sound like they’re quite practical into the bargain.

Things that come as standard on all variants of the Kia All New Rondo include the roof mounted antenna, the steering wheel-mounted audio controls with speed-dependent volume control, iPod compatibility and Bluetooth preparation, a 4.3-inch colour screen (the Platinum’s is bigger), aeroplane-style fold-up tables for the middle seat, oodles of storage compartments, air-con (dual zone for the Platinum and SLi), a rear spoiler that makes this into a sporty MPV (which sounds like an oxymoron but isn’t), the full range of airbags (front, side and curtain) and other passive safety features,ABS brakes with brake assist and EBD, electronic stability control, the Vehicle Stability Management system, Hill Start Assist Control, rear view cameras and rear parking sensors (the SLi and Premium variants throw in front parking sensors as well), central locking with keyless entry and tailgate release and the FlexSteer system with three settings (Normal, Comfort and Sport). Is that enough for you?

Two engine options are up for grabs in the Kia All New Rondo. One of them – the 2.0-L GDI petrol – is the only choice for the Platinum, but the Si and SLi can opt for the 1.7-L diesel. Some buyers may consider that the performance and the fuel economy of the diesel engine are worth foregoing the panoramic sunroof and the sat-nav of the Platinum for. At the peak of the torque curve (more like a plateau: 1750–250 rmp), this 1.7-litre diesel unit pumps out 320 Nm; at 100 kW (4000 rpm), power from the diesel is a shade behind the petrol’s 122 kW at 6500 rpm. The combined fuel economy figure for the little diesel is 6.4 L/100 km compared to the larger petrol’s 7.9 L/100 km. Kia’s “manu-matic” six-speed transmission is the only transmission possible, which is technically an automatic transmission.

Current model series include:

• Kia All New Rondo Si 2.0 petrol
• Kia All New Rondo Si 1.7 diesel
• Kia All New Rondo SLi 2.0 petrol
• Kia All New Rondo SLi 1.7 diesel
• Kia All New Rondo Platinum

For any more information on the Kia All New Rondo, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Kia dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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