2014 Kia Cadenza Test Drive

On-Sale Date: June 2013
Base Price: $35,000 to $45,000 (est.)
Powertrains: 3.3-liter V-6, 293 hp, 255 lb-ft; 6-speed automatic, FWD
EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 19/28
What's New: Fresh to the Kia lineup in the United States, the Cadenza is the biggest and most lavishly appointed passenger car in the brand's North American history. The Cadenza shares its front-drive architecture, suspension layout, engine, and transmission with the Azera, Hyundai's premium large sedan, and both cars trace their structural lineage to the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima family sedans. But while the Cadenza and Azera are basically mechanical twins and have an identical 112.0-inch wheelbase, the commonality stops there. As with the rest of the Hyundai/Kia lineup, there is no common sheet metal between equivalent models. The Kia's interior has a more upscale look and feel, plus more standard features than its Hyundai counterpart.
Tech Tidbit: Part of the blind-spot warning system, the Cadenza's new Lane Change Assist uses radar to track the closing rate of cars coming up behind you. If the system deems that a car is approaching too fast for a safe lane change, it activates the blind-spot warning system's audible and visual alerts.

Driving Character: Like its Hyundai cousin, the Cadenza is competent, quiet, and composed in ordinary operation, yet surprisingly willing to tackle hard cornering and quick transitions. Without making invidious comparisons, Kia engineers hint the Cadenza holds an edge in dynamics compared with the Azera, although it's tough to quantify such claims without instrumented testing.

The common 293-hp V-6 delivers respectable acceleration comparable to other V-6 engines in this class, with 0-to-60 performance in the low 6-second range. The six-speed automatic transmission operates seamlessly, and its paddle shifters are effective. The Cadenza's suspension tuning limits body motions in brisk maneuvers. One standout feature of the Cadenza is the exceptionally subdued interior noise levels.

Favorite Detail: Kia is particularly proud of the Cadenza's UVO eServices telematics, a system for controlling entertainment and navigation with your voice. UVO—for "Your Voice"—is a cloud-based program initially developed in cooperation with Microsoft, making it the first Microsoft automotive venture since the introduction of Ford's Sync system. A key distinction versus Sync: UVO is included in the Cadenza's base price and is free throughout the Cadenza's 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty.

Driver's Grievance: Like so many of the new electric-power-steering systems, the Cadenza's substitutes effort for road feel. The driver finds himself or herself making small adjustments to a chosen corner line because the steering conveys no tactile information. A bigger gripe, though, is the loud lane-departure warning system. Its frenzied decibels startle more than they warn, tempting the driver to switch it off—which defeats its whole purpose.

 

Bottom Line: As a Hyundai subsidiary, Kia finds itself navigating a tricky strategy: positioning its clones slightly upmarket from the versions offered by the parent company, even though it lacks parallels for the luxurious Hyundai Genesis and Equus. Despite the mechanical overlap with the Azera, the Cadenza looks and feels a half-step higher on the automotive self-indulgence scale and compares well with the other large, front-wheel-drive luxury cars in this price range. (Kia wasn't ready to release pricing at the Cadenza's California preview, other than to say it will offer the vehicle in one trim level, ranging from the mid-$30,000 range up to the mid-$40,000s with its two option packages.)

The Cadenza's styling, set off by Kia's signature tiger-nose front end, is conservatively elegant. Its interior appointments are top-notch, and the list of standard features is comprehensive. The combination of high chassis rigidity, firm suspension tuning, and new Sachs dampers gives the Cadenza unexpectedly high agility without compromising ride quality.

Courtesy of: Popular Mechanics