|
The Kia Rondo looks like a cross between a minivan and a five-door hatchback, and not like a small SUV. It has a clean design, with a nicely sloped hood, trapezoidal headlamps with four smooth corners, and a tidy grille that's sort of Acura-shaped. The chin fascia holds projector-beam foglamps on the EX and a dark horizontal air opening below the grille. The Rondo EX has chrome slats in the grille, chrome door handles and a chrome strip on the side, but the less-expensive LX, with a black grille and no chrome on the side, looks cleaner. The pillars are black, creating an unbroken glass effect with tinted windows. The C-pillar slopes down and back, with the lower rim rising to meet it and shape an upswept three-quarter rear window that offers a decent view for the third-row passengers, although it could be bigger. The rear glass is a simple large rectangle, a bit wider on the bottom and smoothly sloped. It doesn't open separately. The wheelbase is long when compared to the total length, resulting in short front and rear overhangs (the part of the car that extends ahead of or behind the wheels). That helps maximize interior space. The five-spoke alloy wheels are simple, silver, and individual, with each of the five spokes having a stylish twist.
|
