Used 2009 Kia Rondo LX 4dr Wagon (2.4L 4cyl 4A) Consumer Reviews
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What a bargan!
BSmith, 04/16/2009
Kia Rondo LX 4dr Wagon (2.4L 4cyl 4A)
6 of 8 people found this review helpful
Overall, this is one of the best cars you can get for the money. Pros: Has more than enough interior space. Excellent visibility for driver. Safety features. Has all the features of a more expensive car. Long warranty. Build quality. Low price. Cons: Suspension and steering are very soft. Fuel economy is poor. Interior is mostly hard plastic. Seats are covered in low quality cloth. Radio sounds cheap. Tires are cheap. Has plastic wheel covers. Wind noise is excessive. However, the cons are easy to live with and are mitigated by the Rondo's low price. If you can, get the 6 cyl. The 4 cyl is low on power, especially when passing on the highway
Great Vehicle, Great Value
Dave, 12/01/2009
Kia Rondo LX 4dr Wagon (2.4L 4cyl 4A)
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Purchased used with 12,400 miles. I was looking for a more comfortable vehicle for trips that could haul larger items when necessary - but it needed to also be economical. The Rondo delivers on all counts, and it's even fun to drive! Comfortable, smooth ride, good brakes, interior looks good, lots of room and yet it is a fairly compact vehicle. 24-27 mpg on the first few tanks, nearly all highway miles (hoping for better than this.) Lots of storage cubbyholes. I'm impressed with the features for the money (ABS, stability control, traction control, etc.) and surprised that more people haven't discovered the Rondo. It's not a sports car but it does what it does very well.
Great Car/Crossover
Thelma, 09/02/2009
Kia Rondo LX 4dr Wagon (2.4L 4cyl 4A)
3 of 5 people found this review helpful
I wanted a bigger car than what I had, but not to big, as I need to lift my Kayaks on the roof, I tried a few different cars, and found the Rondo to be just what I wanted, it looks good and its fun to drive, all the dials and such are easy to reach/use. Its just a cute great car....
Okay, but not built to last
Duke, 06/20/2023
Kia Rondo LX 4dr Wagon (2.4L 4cyl 4A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Owned this vehicle for almost 7 years. Bought used in 2016 with almost 40,000 km. Seats 5. Pros: Nice sized crossover type SUV, paint is fairly good quality. Cloth seats are quite comfortable and supportive. Seat material wears well. Great visibility for driver, sitting higher than a car. LX model, 2.4 litre 4cylinder engine is adequate. Has a good list of standard features such as decent A/C, heated seats, decent stereo, power mirrors, power windows, power locks, cruise control. All controls easy to reach for driver. Good steering, decent brakes. No problems with transmission, changed transmission fluid at 120,000. No problems with coolant system. Always started in cold weather. No fuel pump, water pump, or timing belt, or brake fluid master cylinder issues. Cons: Feels a bit too heavy for the size of the 2.4 litre 4 cylinder engine. The 6 cylinder is probably much better. While acceleration is okay, gas mileage is only fair, around 19 imperial mpg combined. A 55 litre gas tank, wish it had a 60 litre size instead. Initially, only had a couple of major problems, an electronic computer circuit board in the dash failed, which controlled a lot of the power functions and stereo including the power windows and locks. The new part was $900 to replace, plus labour. Local Kia dealer gave us a free loaner, but it took them 4 weeks to complete the repair. Front suspension noises, needed 2 new control arms. Last year gave us a few problems, I got the feeling everything was starting to wear out at 190,000 km. Terrible in the rain right from the beginning as serpentine belt slips and power almost cuts out. Not that good in snowy weather, wish I had AWD. Because of these problems, I made sure I had high quality Michelin then Nokian tires installed. I installed a new battery and new serpentine belt around 120,000 km. Power steering fluid does not seem to stay at full level. Engine oil pressure light came on and I checked the oil level and it was very low. I discovered that the oil pan had rusted out and that is how I lost almost all the engine oil. No other rust problems and no other engine oil leaking issues. I have never owned a vehicle where the oil pan rusted out within 12 years. A few years ago, the airbag light came on, but I didn’t repair the airbag system because the repair estimate was $2,000. A couple of years later, the airbag light turned off by itself? My last problem was a failed power steering system. May have a failed power steering rack. At this point, with lots of things starting to go wrong, I don’t feel like putting a lot of money into the vehicle, because I don’t know how long the engine and transmission will last. A friend who owned the exact same 2009 Rondo EX also started to experience lots of problems, so they traded it in. I should have done that, too, a year ago. I am loathe to bring my Rondo to the dealer for service because they are quite expensive. I try to use highly rated local garages. In conclusion, the Rondo has been an ‘okay’ vehicle, but Kia doesn’t seem to have the long term quality or reliability as other car manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, Subaru, or even Ford. I had previously owned 2 Subaru Outbacks (1998 and 2002), both of which were excellent cars, except the 1998 4 cylinder model had the dreaded blown head gasket and a few other gasket oil leaks. I also owned a used 1993 Volvo 850 GLS sedan for 5 years, fully loaded, which was a very good safe car on the highway, with a great engine and the most comfortable seats I have ever owned. The only serious problem with the Volvo was that the maintenance was very expensive and frequently required, needing a garage which specialized in working on Volvos. I will not purchase another used Kia vehicle and I can no longer afford any type of brand new vehicle. I am currently looking for something more reliable.
The worst drive ever
Troy, 11/30/2009
Kia Rondo LX 4dr Wagon (2.4L 4cyl 4A)
6 of 19 people found this review helpful
I do not know what to say. The car has the worst seats of any car I have driven, the visibility is not the best, the transmission shift like a 1980 Chevy Citation with 100k on it. The 4speed auto is so outdated. I have this as a long term rental.