SURPRISE, SURPRISE; 2007 Kia Rondo packs 'em in.(News)(Product/service evaluation)

Byline: BOB GRITZINGER

It's a short walk from one end of the 2007 Kia Rondo to the other, which makes it all the more surprising when you look in the rear window and see a third row. What's that? Seven seats? In this little thing?

This is no big Expedition/Suburban-class sport/utility vehicle, mind you, but a diminutive crossover built on the Optima chassis, a midsize sedan that seats only five. So where in the 106.3-inch wheelbase did those Koreans find room for that many fannies?

It's all in the packaging, which includes a second row that slides fore and aft to allow for maximum customization of seat space and legroom. While many third rows offer what we've come to regard as merely a street-legal place to tie down a child or two, we haven't found many that are this hospitable-even in far larger vehicles. We wouldn't want to ride cross-country back there, but with riders in the front and middle rows, it was still possible for two adults to sit comfortably, without knees pinned against the seatback or necks bent.

All that people space is wasted if the vehicle doesn't have the power to move them. While the base 2.4-liter, 162-hp, 164-lb-ft I4 mated to a four-speed automatic is adequate, we'd recommend upgrading to the 2.7-liter, 182-hp, 182-lb-ft V6 with the five-speed automatic for anyone adding the third-row option. ...