According to senior editor Ed Loh, "The Rondo reminds me of a really nice box, like the kind my dad used to bring home filled with oranges from the local citrus distributor." Let's allow Loh to elaborate: "As a child, I appreciated the thick, corrugated walls of this box and its simple design, with a multitude of uses-fort, car, art project, jail cell for my sister, stairway toboggan. Now, as an adult, I appreciate the Rondo in the same way. It's basic and no frills. The inside is covered in broad swaths of inoffensive plastic. The controls are simple and easy to use. And, although it's not a ton of fun to drive, just like that cardboard box, you make of it what you can-take friends to the movies, schlep your sister and her 70-pound suitcases to the airport, haul lumber. Practical, useful, and best of all-cheap."
| 2007 Kia Rondo |
| Months/miles in service | 11/16,193 |
| Avg econ/CO2 | 19.3 mpg/1.01 lb/mi |
| Unresolved problems | None |
| Maintenance cost | $323.25 (2 oil change/inspection/rotate tires, 1 adjust rear brakes) |
| Normal-wear cost | $0 |