Test Drive: 2014 Kia Cadenza Premium

By Kevin Harrison

My girlfriend was recently reminiscing about the time she used to drive her step dad’s 2005 Kia Magentis to school. Even though it got her from point A to point B with minimal protest, it was far from what anyone in high school would have liked to be seen in and, let’s be honest, the Magentis was far from a contender in any segment.

Back then, Kia had still been trying to make a name for itself in our market. It was known as a cheaper alternative to more popular mainstream brands such as Honda and Toyota. And it struggled to make any headway.

Fast forward to 2013. I tested Kia’s latest offering. Boy, have things changed. My girlfriend even commented how on far Kia has come in such a short period of time. Now, all of a sudden, Kia isn’t struggling to keep up with the likes of Honda and Toyota – they’re a credible contender.

On top of that, they’ve even set their sights way higher. They think they can penetrate the near luxury segment and play with the big boys.

So, here is their entry – the all new Cadenza. Kia promises it to be value priced luxury and is confident they can snag a few sales from manufacturers not typically in their segment.

Have they succeeded?

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You can’t play your hand at the near luxury segment without having a product that looks the part. So far Kia has been wowing automotive journalists and potential customers alike with their new design language and the Cadenza is no different. It’s long, low and sleek. The front end incorporates their new corporate design language nicely all while taking elements from a certain German company. At first glance at the front end, you’d be forgiven if you momentarily thought you were staring at a BMW 5-series. In fact, the hood and headlight design is quite similar. Out back, the design is decidedly Kia with very attractive looking tail lights, and a nicely shaped dual exhaust. The look is completed with rather nice looking 19 inch wheels, which are optional. If my tester had a darker colour, I would imagine it would be even more of a looker.

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Inside you’ll find plush seating, high quality materials and a logically laid out centre stack and dash. The only odd part of the instrument cluster is the speedometer is an LCD display while the tachometer is not. And it’s quite obvious. Otherwise they are easy to read and not cluttered.

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One of the things that irritates me about Kias is that you have to press the ‘Agree to not drive while distracted blah blah’ message before the nice display screen shows its face. Really? You’re going to ask every owner to do this every time they start the car? I had the Cadenza for a week and I found it rather annoying. If I actually owned this car I’d go straight to the dealership and demand they deactivate that feature. It’s not as though anyone could sue Kia for driving distracted so, while the message is important, there are no legal implications to not having the message continually pop up and it would serve to protect the screen from being smashed by an owner who has had enough. Okay rant = done. And it really is my only real complaint with the interior. Well, the sunroof still does things you don’t want it to, such as open completely when all you want to do is open the shade, but I imagine with more time spent with the car, you’d be able to get it down pat.

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Interior room is great, the rear seats have plenty of room. When you exit the vehicle, the driver’s seat will automatically move backward and the wheel will telescope inward to help the driver to exit. Even when the seat automatically retracts past my ideal driving position, there’s still adequate knee room in the rear seats. Very impressive. The trunk space is even more impressive. The only downside I see is the opening is a bit shallow, but overall it does the job well for a large sedan.

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I’ve wondered what car might make a great replacement for all the Lincoln Town Cars you see chauffeuring people about in style and I think I might have my answer. The Cadenza is more stylish, more luxurious, just as spacious inside and is of course more modern. Attention limo fleets, this is your car.

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Power comes from a 3.3 litre V6 – the same found in the Sorrento and it produces 293 horsepower and  255 pound foot torque. This is plenty of power for the typical Cadenza shopper and the engine is smooth. My only complaint is power is not immediately available when you put your foot down. There is a good 2-3 second delay on the highway when trying to pass and when it finally reacts, it seems to second guess which gear it should be in. When you put your foot down from a standstill, the response isn’t quite as delayed and pick up is decent through the six-speed automatic. If you mash onto the brakes, the Cadenza will take a bit of a nosedive, but otherwise getting this large sedan to a stop isn’t an issue.

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On the highway, the Cadenza feels almost Lexus-like with a general smoothness and quietness. I’m a fan of those 19 inch wheels but admittedly, they did produce some minor road noise which, if the radio is off, spoils a rather quiet ride. The Cadenza doesn’t exude that solid feeling that most German cars do, but that’s not to say there is not confidence to the driver on off-ramps or quick lane changes. The suspension is all-independent which is good but it’s definitely set up for comfort rather than performance.

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In addition to the typical luxuries you’d expect in this price range, the Cadenza also offers even more such as an electric rear wind shade, auto hold, heated and cooled driver’s seat, voice-activated SatNav, and lazer guided cruise control, which essentially keeps an acceptable distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, even if the car in front slows down. All that and more for $37,000 is a pretty good deal.

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And in fact, the Cadenza is a pretty good car in general. The only danger in transforming your brand so quickly, as in going from what the 2005 Magentis was to what the 2013 Cadenza is now, is such a big change, albeit for the better, in just eight years means having to still fight off the perception of the brand being just a cheap way to get around. It’s clear with models like the Optima, Sorrento and even the new Forte that Kia does not wish to have the ‘cheap wheels’ reputation anymore. But that may ultimately be the Cadenza’s downfall (along with the questionable name). Even though the Cadenza is a good car and great value to my mind, I got humoured grimaces of interest in the office when my co-workers asked what my press vehicle was this week. I know they don’t know what a Cadenza is, but they never even bothered to find out because to them a Kia isn’t worth asking about. Their loss.

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Once Kia gets over that hurdle, you better believe that they will be one of few auto makers to watch. In the meantime, those of us who are smart enough to think critically over brand perception (and those of us smart enough to read this review) are equipped with the knowledge to know that, yes, the Cadenza is not only a credible contender in near luxury territory, but it’s worthy of a spot on most peoples shopping lists.

Price As Tested: $44,995

Pros:

  • Classy styling
  • Luxury feel
  • Roomy interior/cargo area
  • Great standard and available features
  • Smooth ride

Cons:

  • Irritating repetitive distracted driving warning message
  • Difficult to get sunroof to do what you want
  • Power is a big laggy

Immediate Competition:

  • Acura TL
  • Buick LaCrosse
  • Chrysler 300
  • Hyundai Genesis
  • Lincoln MKZ
  • Nissan Maxima
  • Toyota Avalon
  • Volkswagen Passat CC

Overall: 8.5/10

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