Kia, which launched in the U.S. as an economy brand, has reshaped itself with new models over the past few years, bolstering its popularity and image through advanced technology. The Cadenza represents Kia's attempt to reach a premium segment by offering a full-size sedan with quality materials and even more advanced technology than offered in previous cars.
Part of the Kia story has to do with attractive, new designs. The Cadenza follows the lines of the Optima model, but also shows some key differences. For example, the front end has been made more subtle, befitting a premium level car.
The Cadenza uses front-wheel-drive architecture where most luxury cars in the U.S. have rear-wheel-drive. Kia is betting that distinction will make little difference to buyers.
The rear-seat legroom is exceptionally good, highlighting the large sedan format of the Cadenza. The rear seats are fixed, however, with only a pass-through to the trunk.
The Cadenza uses electric power-steering boost, a means of helping fuel economy. An LCD serves as the platform for a virtual speedometer in both the Premium and Tech trim levels of the Cadenza.
The standard navigation uses a touch-screen interface. The screen responds instantly to inputs, and although only top-view maps are available, the design is very nice.
The destination entry screen includes shortcuts to some points-of-interest categories. Voice command also works very well for destination input, letting you say an entire address string rather than separate street name, number, and city.
The Cadenza's stereo shows this music library interface for iOS devices, but offers only a file-and-folder view when playing music from a USB drive. Voice command does not let you request music by name.
