Name: John Ralston
Who he is: Canadian actor, currently starring in HBO Canada’s critically acclaimed series Living in Your Car, about fallen corporate exec Steve Unger who ends up living in his luxury car. Ralston has also starred in Flash Gordon and Life with Derek, among other TV shows.
What he drives: A charcoal 2008 Kia Rondo EX-V6.
Why the Kia? My wife and I had driven a Nissan Altima for 10 years and we started a family and needed to accommodate two kids. I personally think it’s the most underrated family car around. It’s like a cross between a shrunken minivan and a hatchback. It regularly seats five, but it’s got a third row that can be flipped up so it can potentially seat seven. It’s drives like a compact but has an amazing amount of room and headspace. There’s also a whole slew of standard safety feature that, as parents, we wanted — mobility control, traction control, side curtain airbags all the way down.
Your favourite feature: I guess the fact that it’s a unique drive. It’s obviously not as low as a regular sedan and it’s not as high as an SUV, which we had no use for, but it fits somewhere in between and makes it fun to drive. It also comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, so it’s really stable.
What type of driver are you? I’m a pretty conservative, cautious driver. I think my wife enjoys driving much more than I do. To be honest, we’re not too far from the subway and most of my appointments are on the subway line, so I take it a lot. You need a certain amount of patience driving in Toronto.
What’s your dream car? I don’t consider myself much of a car guy. But I had a ride in a friend’s Audi S5 the other day and it’s quite an amazing vehicle. So, you know, maybe an Audi. I got home that night and started thinking about it.
What would we find in your glove compartment? My wheel lock, a tire gauge, I keep track of all my mileage for work, receipts for car stuff, children’s Gravol for those road trips we take, wipes, hand sanitizer and CDs. I always play a CD before an audition. The type of music depends on the type of audition I’m going to. The most recent one I’ve been listening to is an Ella Fitzgerald one called Pure from the early ’50s.
Heather Buchan is a Toronto-based journalist who has worked at Homemakers, Canadian Living, Canadian House & Home and, most recently, Hello! Canada, where she cut her teeth in the world of celebrities.
