Kia Rondo Replacements

[kevm14]

Yes, I have watched this one several times. After looking at some prices for the GS350 F-Sport, I may have to reluctantly add it to the list as a budget option, taking the place of the too small ATS. It seems to have a good chassis and I liked what the reviewer said about it feeling light in the canyons. Also, the interior looks nice and they have knobs for the radio! At the end of the day, trapping 101 is a whole lot less satisfying than trapping 111, but it's worth keeping on the list for the size, chassis, long term reliability and lower price of entry (at least at the moment).

Sigh. What is the pricing? If it is SS or Vsport money I guess I don't really see the point. If it is ATS pricing, then I can understand it taking the place of the ATS, just in a size that works.

[Bob]

GS350 F-Sport pricing is somewhat aided by the fact that it came our a year sooner than the SS or Vsport.

Cheapest that I could find: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/deta ... /overview/ 2013 with 95k for $21k. I can say I'm not afraid of mileage at all with that powertrain, similar to the LS3.

More typical seems to be somewhere in the $23-27k range for an example with moderate mileage.

[Bob]

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/deta ... /overview/ 2013 F-Sport with 70k for $23k.

[Bob]

If it was solely my decision, of course I would pony up the extra $5-8k for an SS or Vsport, but I have to be prepared with budget options in the event that my budget gets slashed and I cannot delay the purchase.

[kevm14]

That's the thing that scares me...plus it's a Lexus so it will get the nod over any of the non-Lexus options.

To be honest, I have a similar feeling for both the GS F-sport and ATS. N/A V6 just doesn't get the blood pumping imo. Even though the 101-102 trap is damn close to the Elise.

On paper, you really could make a very strong argument for the GS F-sport. I was surprised by the review of how light feeling it was since an ATS Premium is actually a couple hundred pounds lighter. But as you now well know, the ATS is also a small car.

You should see if you can sneak a V2 test drive in the mix just for the data point. I'd be interested to hear your take.

[Bob]

I have to say the Elise doesn't really get my blood pumping when accelerating in a straight line anymore, so I would prefer something that goes faster, especially when you consider none of these cars are going to turn in and corner like the Elise (nothing personal, just physics).

I'm not putting the GS350 on the "official at home list," because I fear it could rise to the top. A lot of the reviews I am reading complain about numb steering, which is a turn off for me.

[kevm14]

I'm not putting the GS350 on the "official at home list," because I fear it could rise to the top. A lot of the reviews I am reading complain about numb steering, which is a turn off for me.

Good, I think we are on the same page. Keep finding things wrong with it

Airbag recall? Haha.

[kevm14]

I have to say the Elise doesn't really get my blood pumping when accelerating in a straight line anymore, so I would prefer something that goes faster, especially when you consider none of these cars are going to turn in and corner like the Elise (nothing personal, just physics).

Exactly. If you are trading away cornering (which is totally reasonable because physics and just what the vehicles are intended to do), then you probably should pick up some speed. I think the SS and Vsport are Pareto-optimal and the ATS and GS F-sport are not. The Elise is on the Pareto front, but for different reasons.

It will be very satisfying to have a 110+ trapping daily driver, that accomplishes family needs, and is also halfway decent to throw around every once in a while.

[Bob]

I agree. I was pretty excited after getting to drive the SS about how much more fun it will be to have a family hauler with those kinds of capabilities.

[kevm14]

I found the shifting to be a bit fast, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I floored the car in a straight line from a stop on one back road and it spun a lot on the 1-2 shift. The temperature was in the upper 40s so maybe some of that was due to relatively cold pavement. Kevin and I later surmised that maybe the car had a tune because it also had an intake installed.

Highs: the powertrain (I think this goes without saying). It sounds awesome and pulls hard from idle to redline. It's also very responsive and shifts fast (not sure how much of that was due to the tune. The ride/handling balance was very good and the car was very composed even over rough (for NC) roads.

I would bet money it had a tune. I don't know how many tenths or MPH it picked up (probably a few) but even if it didn't, the driveability really does change with a good tune. It takes a tune to dial out torque management and bring back that 90s LT1 feel, just with fairly modern levels of performance.

From a technical standpoint, that actually did sound overly firm on the shifts. If there is enough traction to hold through 1st gear, then the 1-2 should not break traction. I don't know why anyone would want that actually. Other than that, it sounded good. Just another reason to get a stock one and pick your tune, so you can know what you are getting.