Kia's grown to the eighth-largest brand in the U.S. market in 18 years, and adding a full-sized model fills out the brand's offerings into almost every automobile segment. Kia officials readily admit that many of their models were at best "nondescript."
But Kia's latest models and new offerings have enough style and sophistication to make the brand notable for aesthetics as well as capability.
The Cadenza is officially a member of the basic large-car segment, sharing a platform with Hyundai's Azera. Its competition includes the Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima, Buick LaCrosse, Ford Taurus and Chevrolet Impala.
Kia officials hope it'll be shopped against the entry-luxury vehicles, like Acura's TL, the Lexus ES and Lincoln MKZ. They didn't include Hyundai's Azera, which shares the Cadenza's platform. One evidently doesn't call siblings competitors.
The car sits on the Kia/Hyundai FF platform and the car has a two-inch longer wheelbase at 112.0 inches, and at 195.5-inches, it's five inches longer than the Optima and the same size as the Azera.
An important criterion was to make the car quiet, and it is, thanks to things like triple seals for the doors, undercoating to reduce road noise, and plenty of damping to keep noise and vibration out of the passenger cabin.
The car's looks are very Euro, in keeping with the Kia brand focus. It's also quite sophisticated looking, with a long, sleek profile. With standard 18-inch wheels, and 19-inch available, the car has a well-balanced stance. The Cadenza's front face includes a new interpretation of the Kia Tiger-Nose grill.
Inside, leather is standard in all models, and there's wood and chrome to accent it. The dashboard design is modern, but comfortably focuses controls and the instrument panel on the driver. The center-stack controls are logical and well exhibited on the panel's seven-inch color screen. The look, feel, ambient lighting and even the analog clock generate a feeling of quiet competence and comfort.
Navigation isstandard, along with a 12-speaker, 550-watt Infinity audio system. Naturally, there's Bluetooth connectivity for phone and streaming music. In addition, Kia's telemetric system UVO is included on all Cadenzas.
Using a free downloadable app, the system provides many features normally costing subscription fees in other vehicles. There's automatic dialing of 911 if the airbags deploy, for example. You can use Google Send to Car to plan your routes on any device and then send them to the car's navigation system. One particularly valuable feature lets you find your car in a parking lot.
There are three trim levels: Cadenza Premium, with a price beginning at $35,100; the mid-level Cadenza Luxury starting at $38,100; and the top-of-the-line Cadenza Technology, which starts at $41,160.
If you choose the Premium Package, there's a full-length panoramic sunroof and adaptive high-intensity headlights. You also get an LCD instrument cluster, a 12-way ventilated driver's seat, heated front and rear outboard seats, heated steering wheel with power tilt and telescoping steering column, as well as a power rear sunshade.
The Technology Package adds 19-inch alloy wheels, electric parking brake and adaptive cruise control, which keeps you a set distance from the vehicle in front and, if necessary, brings the car to a complete stop. You also get a water repellant hydrophobic windshield, a radar-based blind spot detection system and lane departure warning system.
The power for all Cadenzas comes from a 3.3-liter V6 engine that produces 293 hp. and 255 lb.-ft. of peak torque. It's attached to a six-speed automatic transmission that comes with paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Kia claims the fuel mileage numbers are 19 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, for a combined rating of 22 mpg.
The suspension is fairly standard, with a MacPherson strut front and multilink rear setup. The ride is comfortable, but with a more American feel than the Optima's European tautness. There's plenty of high-strength steel in the body - 60 percent, in fact. This makes the vehicle's structure more rigid and therefore safer.
The Cadenzas we drove at the vehicle launch were all fully equipped Technology models. The car is pleasant to drive, and can carry a number of adults in comfort and quiet. For me, the suspension was a bit soft. In several tests of hard braking, there was plenty of "wiggle" or squirming. The power processes nicely from the front wheels and the transmission is well tuned to American highways. You can shift the car yourself, but there's no sport mode - you either shift it yourself or the standard processor figures out when to do it.
The Cadenza's primary purchaser will more than likely be middle aged and older empty nesters, as they're the buyers of the competitive large-sedan models. The car's already in showrooms. All Cadenzas include three years of complementary scheduled maintenance.
And in keeping with Kia's musical names, Cadenza is the musical term - in Italian, naturally - meaning cadence.
Courtesy of Heritage Newspapers
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