Kia Rondo Replacements

[Bob]

Reading some IS300 reviews... Both praised the steering, for its feel and quickness. This sounds like a car that I would appreciate.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons ... 300-page-5

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/200 ... est-review

[Bob]

I just had the best idea yet. Find an IS300 SportCross and do this swap. This vehicle would have the ultimate in performance and exclusivity.

[kevm14]

Yeah, I just saw the details on the cam. Even 115 trap would be more than satisfying. I wonder why the other cam was removed. Driveability issues?

Probably not issues but he may have wanted a smoother idle for nvh and more sleeperness.

[kevm14]

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons ... 300-page-5

Nevermind that, check out the Saab part of that comparison. Last place.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons ... -se-page-2

[kevm14]

This doesn't bode well for the IS 300.

By a small margin, this Saab ranked highest in back-seat room. It has just a bit more space for three across. Still, if you habitually carry that many, we'd advise a bigger car. None of these cars can accommodate three adults in back for any distance. The Saab's five-door hatchback layout also topped the others' for cargo-hauling flexibility.

[kevm14]

The IS300 is a small box of a car with its sheetmetal drawn tightly over fat Goodyear Eagle GS-D 215/45ZR-17 tires. The tall wheels, silvery taillights, and big-bore exhaust pipe add a West Coast swagger. Inside, the beltline is low, letting in lots of light and a great view. The door sills, pedals, and left-foot rest are finished in brushed metal -- racing style! -- punctuated with rubber buttons to keep your shoes from slipping off. The firm buckets have plenty of contour to keep you from sliding around, and the suede inserts finish off the job, gripping your backside like Velcro. Whereas the Volvo and the Benz feel plush inside, the Lexus is thinly padded, with its coverings tightly stretched over the essentials. The steering and the suspension pick up the theme. Everything about this car is pulled taut.

This is definitely your kind of car more than mine.

[kevm14]

Responses are instantaneous. No slack. The steering cuts quickly; we rated it best of all. The brakes respond right now. Body roll is minimal, and the tires read the road, with a bit more noise and ride harshness than you'd expect of a Lexus.

It's almost like this is some kind of...Altezza.

Maybe this car bugs me because it has a luxury nameplate but is clearly not a luxury car in any way.

[kevm14]

There's also the five-speed automatic as the only choice for now. It's a slick execution, fully automatic, or you can select the manual mode, thereby activating two sets of upshift-and-downshift buttons on the steering wheel's horizontal spokes, one set for each hand. Still, it's an automatic, and that puts the lid on all hopes for a high finish in a C/D sports-sedan runoff.

Remember manual transmissions? Remember a time before a "premium" transmission was defined by how quickly some software performs a shift when you pull the lever?

[kevm14]

Also I prefer this test: http://m.caranddriver.com/comparisons/a ... ison-tests

Lots of relevant vehicles in here.
Viggen, CTS, IS300

Everything below the CTS was predictable.

[Bob]

It sounds like their only major complaint about the IS300 was the tires it came with (easily fixed). I think this is a car I always overlooked because the stock powertrain did nothing to excite me. With an LS2, it does seem much more exciting.