puddleglum
07-17-2010, 01:33 AM
We recently returned from vacationing in Washington and BC in our Kia Rondo. In case it's unfamiliar, it is a tall wagon, similar in size to a Mazda 5. Old EPA is 21 city/29 highway. I installed a belly pan back to the rear axle and removed the roof rails this year to help improve the aero. and decided to drive the slower roads more than the freeways. There were some 70mph stretches though. Well, after 2560 miles, crossing two mountain ranges (7passes) and the Columbia river basin twice, wind, rain, fog and 95*F heat, we managed an avg. of 32.3mpg for the trip. Two tanks were 33.7. It may not seem like much for many of you, but I was very pleased considering loaded weight was around 4000lb. Watching my speed and DWL is about all I can do for hypermiling this car, but it's by far the best we've ever done.