But over time they became specialised vehicles in their own right.
Tarago, Nimbus, Odyssey, Trajet, Voyager, Zafira, MPV, Premacy, Carnival, Pyzar, Kombi, and others, became familiar names and were snapped up in huge numbers.
In truth however, while it was okay for Mum to drive her brood in a six or eight seat vehicle, I suspect many dads felt less than comfortable being seen driving them, ( while pretending they were in something a little less prosaic.)
But over time, more and more people began purchasing multi seat, multi purpose SUVs.
There is still a market for the van type people mover, but sales have nosedived in favour of the more rugged looking off roaders across all the market segments.
KIA hoped to arrest that trend, firstly entering the fray as aforementioned, with the very successful Carnival range and later, the smaller Rondo.
This is the second generation of that car and boy is it different.
Sharp European styling from the pen of Audi's former chief designer, Peter Schreyer,has resulted in a multi seat car that looks anything but, and goes a long way to banishing the "stigma" of mum's taxi.
I like the look of the Rondo, from the corporate grille to the smooth and shapely rear end with just enough height to give away that this is not just another hatchback There are two versions of the Rondo, a 2 litre petrol and a 1.7 litre diesel.
On test here is the petrol engined car and it's a surprisingly good package. 122 KW and 213 nm . The engine is redlined at just under 7 thousand rpm and it sounds and feels smooth all the way to that,while delivering acceleration that is more than adequate for a car of this size and type, considering it weighs just under 1600 kilos. In mainly town driving you'll see about 10 litres/100 ks economy. With a full load of people and luggage I would prefer the diesel. The petrol engine needs a good workout in those situations and economy will suffer.
The Rondo is very quiet, feels solid and rides exceptionally well on the road. It is very good in that respect. there's no jiggling over most bumps and it's all very composed and sophisticated. .
KIA seems to have hit a sweet spot with the Rondo's suspension, it's compliant and well tuned for local conditions. Powering through corners is a fuss free operation, it's very reassuring, with good steering feedback. As noted in other modern KIAs the steering feel is adjustable three ways. Normal, Comfort and Sport. You will decide which is best for you after a bit of experimentation.
The seats are marvellous,well padded and bolstered,and in short,very comfortable and just the right height for easy entry and exit. Probably among the best I have sat in for some time in any car regardless of cost. This SLi version has leather clad pews and steering wheel, electrically controlled adjustment with lumbar support as well. Fold out trays with cup holders are fitted to the rear of the front seats. There are more than enough storage nooks throughout the car.
To fit seven seats in a car of this size is no mean feat, but it's been achieved without making the Rondo look clumsy or awkward. From any angle it's a bit of a looker.
The two rearmost seats that fold flat into the cargo bay floor are mainly for children but there's no less comfort than the other rows. Access to them is easy,with the middle row seats adjusting out of the way. A deep and practical glovebox is welcome. It needs to be large. The extremely comprehensive and weighty owners manual is the thickness of a telephone book and must run to well over 200 pages.
There's plenty of clever detail in the Rondo. A soft touch dashboard, and generous padding on console and door armrests. The sunglasses holder overhead is lined with very plush fabric to protect lenses. Driver and passenger sunvisors have an illuminated mirror.
The latest KIAs miss out on very little in the way of equipment. Parking sensors, reach and rake steering column, colour reversing camera, a good six speaker sound system, puddle lights in the wing mirrors( that also swing out of the way when the car is locked.) auto wipers and headlights, and bright red warning lamp on the trailing edge of the driver's door.Some other more expensive makes, as I have mentioned before make do with just a piece of reflective tape here. All windows are fully auto up and down, and the rear glass descends all the way into the doors. It also has dual zone auto climate control.
Interior lighting is good, and the instruments on console and steering wheel switches for cruise, audio and information ,are highlighted in red except for the speedometer and tacho, picked out clearly in white. LED daytime running lights look cool.
The only flaw at night is the not so bright headlights. They are quite dim,with poor penetration and there's very little difference between high and low beam.
The car is more expensive than the previous model at a tad under 34K. But overall I think it's worth looking at, as the Rondo is exceptional in many ways and for larger families should be a must see and test drive. It's compact, but cleverly versatile and at the same time very stylish.
No one will be embarrassed driving it, that's for sure.
Peter Sellen
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