Underneath The Hood

Cargo carrying is the Rondo's party trick. The second row does the flip and fold trick, the third row sinks into the abyss below and hey presto! You've got a perfectly level floor– to the point where a stranger happening upon a Rondo post-seat submersion would be forgiven for thinking the vehicle is a cleverly disguised delivery van. Between the huge rear hatch and the sky scraping roof, the Rondo is a big-box.

Given the Rondo's 3500 lbs. curb weight, its [optional] 2.7-liter V6 generates an adequate 182 horsepower. At least Kia did the right thing and hooked it up to a five-speed automatic gearbox. Acceleration is brisk when the car is unloaded. With a full crew, highway merging takes the patience of a Vulcan. There's no chance of a pistonhead mind meld with the base Rondo's 162hp 2.4-liter in-line four. Besides, the extra power only costs you a grand up front and one and two mpg at the pump (20/27 vs. 21/29 mpg).

I have the 16 valve four cylinder engine (first picture) and it gets around.  At the first take off with the Rondo, it is very zippy and get to a quick start.  Although it's not the most powerful car, it does the job.  If you don't take your car to University Ave., you won't have to worry much about the torque it has.  It is a great car for getting around town, but not racing Dodge Challengers.

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