Five-Point Inspection: 2014 Kia Rondo

Sorry America, you don’t get this vehicle, which is too bad

Plenty of great vehicles around the world skip American showrooms. For various reasons the business decision is made that selling vehicle “x” in the U.S. doesn’t make sense and it’s never offered.

However, every once in a while a vehicle does sneak its way into North America, but only as far as Canada. Over the years, vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, Nissan X-Trail, original diesel powered smart fortwo and Chevrolet Orlando have been available to neighbors in the north.

And now there’s another: the 2014 Kia Rondo. Yes, it was sold in America before being yanked for poor sales. With frumpy styling and a mediocre-at-best value proposition, it made sense that the Rondo’s exit was as predictable as the plot of a low-budget horror movie. But forget everything you knew about that Rondo. There is an all-new second generation Rondo on sale up north and it is a quantum leap ahead of its predecessor. Here are five reasons that Kia should give the Rondo a second chance in the US market.