Long-Term Update: 2007 Kia Rondo
By Ron Kiino
Photography by Jessica Germiller
Williams took the Rondo on a roundtrip run from Los Angeles to San Francisco to "load up a soon-to-be college grad with all her clean clothes (stored in a 33-gallon garbage bag), a newly built book shelf, athletic gear, a full backpack, stereo equipment, and two suitcases." Essentially a mini minivan, the Rondo allowed Williams and his crew to utilize "every inch of the flat rear cargo area with all four seats in back folded flat, while still giving us plenty of good visibility out all the rear windows." Although it's adept at hauling a variety of gear, the Kia is less proficient at transporting a full load of adults: "We drove over to a restaurant with seven passengers, and the engine and suspension felt tapped out-it's clearly not made for adult passengers all of the time." | 2007 Kia Rondo | | Months/miles in service | 3/7361 | | Avg econ/CO2 | 20.6 mpg / 0.94 lb/mi | | Unresolved problems | None | | Maintenance cost | $0 | | Normal-wear cost | $0 |
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Posted May 5 2008 08:24 AM by Mark Williams
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Posted April 11 2008 02:33 PM by Allyson Harwood
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Posted April 11 2008 03:38 PM by thomas_voehringer
Some trucks and SUVs have huge blindspots. Here's a technology that overcomes them. more
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Some people consider traveling cross-country a bore, while others consider following the roads that keep our nation moving quite an adventure. I'm one of those adventurous types who see beyond the miles of flat asphalt... more
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Posted Yesterday 04:49 PM by Melissa
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Subaru has redesigned its Forester crossover for 2009 and already the SUV has placed first in our tough test of compact crossovers. The Forester may have improved functionally, but are you digging the new look or do you... more
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DETROIT - This is an idea whose time has come, and quickly gone. Presidential candidates John McCain (I believe he proposed it first, so he's mentioned first) and Hillary Clinton have proposed a moratorium on the federal... more
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