Question looking at kia, Toyota and honda

Opinions on kia soul or rondo? Is the 3rd row actually useable?

Toyota corolla or yaris?

Honda civic vs anything else?

Help! !!

As far as Toyota goes I would scratch the Yaris, it is very small and not too much less $ than the Corolla. You get a lot more vehicle with the Corolla.

We've got a Rondo. I've been fairly happy with it from an interior cabin perspective. (We've got the 7-passenger version.) The backseat has the annoying plastic hinges that interfere with installing seats as far outboard as I'd like, but since DS2's in the centre, it's not a big deal for us. We sit 3-across back there; DS1 in his Amp, DS2 in his Peg convertible, and my wide load. I don't like the upholstery. It's mesh covered and so collects and holds every little crumb. :thumbsdown:

Our biggest complaint has been fuel economy. It's not even approached what was advertised. (We have the V6 engine.) Owners of other Kia models in Canada have received rebates because of the discrepancy of the advertised fuel economy numbers and the real-life performance, but the Rondo wasn't included because it isn't sold in the US and so didn't have EPA numbers to compare against (which is how the complaint was proved.)

Other than that, the car suits our family well. It's a nice small size to manage in our crowded city, has ample cargo room for us, and allows us to carry extra passengers on occasion.

ETA: If I had realized the Rav4 had a 3rd row option (06-12, I think,) I totally would have looked at them too.

I have a Soul and love it. I have 3 car seats in it and there is plenty of room in the trunk plus a nifty storage area under the floor of the trunk. I gave up a van for it and don't regret it at all. I pay around $120 a month in gas and that is only because I drive a total of 50 miles every weekday. After next week the mileage will drop so I will be paying under $100 a month in gas.

Thanks everyone!

Think we went with a 2013 Corolla.

The rondo was an 09 and no extended warranty, so that kind of sealed the deal.


Lugging and installing the radian in 4+ cars was a work out on its own...lol

Enjoy! We just had some maintenance done on our van that took a lot longer than we were told on the phone, and they gave me a corolla as a rental for 2 days. It was awesome. I really loved it. So much that when our Saturn dies the Corolla will be a front runner for us. And the mileage was great. I had to fill it up before I brought it back and it only took 2.67. Given that I had driven it all over town for 2 days I was very impressed.

Enjoy the new car!

Becca