cnet.co/14xbLCZ If you're interested in a Mercedes or a BMW and you're not taking a look at 2014 Kia Cadenza, then CNET's Brian Cooley has some words for you.
We had our Cadenza for about 4 months when we got T-Bone at an intersection. We were hit by Toyota and 45mph right on the front door frame and we had no injury. This car save our lives. Thank God we bought this car. I'm picking up our car today after 3 weeks in the shop. Now we'll have to see how the car handles now.
Hi Ronald, does the kia cadenza have interior illumination? as in when you are driving at night does the cabin emit soft ambiance lighting on doors, dash and foot space front and rear? thank you
SeeDelane Restored like new. It was leased and at the end of lease I decided to purchase it, so I traded 7 months later, because I didn't want to own a car that's been in at accident. I traded it in on a year end 2014 Cadenza.
i just rented a cadenza and drove it from nc to fl....its a fantastic car...extremely quiet...great ride..and about 28 mpg on i95..i never thought id say that about a kia..
I swear, journalists have BMW on the brain. This car is FWD full-size premium, which means it competes directly with Lincoln MKS, Cadillac XTS and even premium versions of Buick Lacrosse, Ford Taurus and Chevy Impala. Oh, and Toyota Avalon. The absolute cheapest BMW 3-series almost competes on price, but it's not the same customer at all.
I don't know why people are criticizing this car so much. Kia has gone a long way, and this car looks to be a winner. Kudos to them for finally getting things right.
Oh also, people get your facts right, the Cadenza is the Kia K7 (this is the new facelift) the K9 is the Quoris (with the platform of the eqqus and RWD)
I think it's great to see more options for buyers! I remember KIA was the car you would want to buy your son/daughter because they were cheap...but they were cheap. Now it's different ,but in a good way!
owning a car is also making statement. owning car was about sensebility volvo would have stayed swedish and saab would have survived bankruptcy. it looks like nice car at good pricepoint. brian you rock
The Hyundai/Kia guys really have come a long way. I remember when people had reservations over Datsun(Nissan), Honda and Toyota. They had issues and ironed them out quickly. Kia is doing the same thing.
I agree, the new look of the IS didn't meet my or majority of fan's expectation. But fugly is a little harsh lol. I've seen it in person from auto show, and I think it's a design that will grow on us. It'll just take a while.
Tell that to Peter Shreyer. He is the guy who has created symbolic designs. If you didn't know, automotive-design students, and professors all admire Peter Shreyer.
I have actually been to Korea where this car is called the K7 in their market. These cars are a dime a dozen over there. So although it may be new to the American market, this level of car is not a new facet for the Kia brand. I'm not in the market for this type of vehicle as I drive a Benz myself. But for the price, the looks, the ergonomics, the power, the technology, and the warranty. There's not too much else out there that can compete with this car within its segment.
Good review Mr.Brian Cooley,..I kind of feel you like where this automobile from Kia is going. I must say I always enjoy your reviews ..straight to the point,truthful info. Make's buying decisions clear and precise. keep up the good work. thank you
I used to trust KBB but here's the thing. I actually looked at the Sonata, Genesis and Genesis Coupe on the used car market here in Canada and their prices are dropping like a rock. Hell I can get a certified pre-owned Hyundai Genesis 3.8 sedan with tech package for $20 grand and the car only has 70,000kms and do remember someone paid north of $40k for it a few years back. A CPO C300 goes for way more money and they sell like hot cakes.
Kia has made great strides over the years and is now making cars that rival many other car makers. There manufacturing process is around 80% automated, and VW has been copying a lot of their processes in manufacturing. I agree that older Kias are not high quality but things change and Kia should be considered a formidable competitor.
I rented an Optima last year....and was pretty impressed with it. In the low 20s, it's definitely a nice car. Paying 35K for this though...there are way better options out there for the money.
Djonkie Bonk that feeling you're talking about driving a european/german engineered car is known as teutonic feel. I know exactly what you're talking about and that's what other car makers, especially the asiasn have been trying to replicate over the years. Ironically, Honda(Acura), Toyota(Lexus) & Nissan(Infiniti) made the europeans step their game up in the early 90's when they came out with they're luxury products.
The TL is a mid size, and the Cazenda is a full size, and a simully equipped TL would be more expensive as well and the TL needs an update at this point
the pilot was considered the benchmark in its class although now its due for a replacement. pick up any car magazine and you'll see the hyundai sonata and kia optima at the back of the pack of their competitive set in the comparisons they do.
The resale values are definitely not as high for the Korean brands, but I think over time they will definitely improve as more people recognize the value. As far as reliability, the Genesis beat many of the German competitors. On a side note, the Mercedes S class, has one of the lowest resale values in the class, so low resale issues is not just a Korean problem.
Oh wow I was confused when he said it was FWD, I had this thing confused with that K9 thing I heard aout a while back. This car seems to be completely under the radar.
"Kias are for people who don't care to do research and just go off word of mouth. " -- My 06 Camry's alternator suddenly died about 1 month ago. The check engine light is still on and I couldn't figure out why-- the dealership will charge me $150 just to find out why. Yes. Kias and Hyundais of today are MUCH MUCH BETTER than before. I'd love to drive this Cadenza given the free maintenance and the long basic warranty + powertrain warranty. They can now compete with Honda and Toyota
On scale the C Class still holds it's value better hence why they can offer a great lease deal on it for those who wish to acquire new. Kia and Hyundai make good cars but they should stay in the compact segment vs. trying to make it in the premium segment and not doing well. Some people feel features make a car but for me I care about the build quality, safety, ride, handling, refinement and powertrain smoothness not speakers that flash to the music.
That might be true if not for the fact the Genesis is $10,000 More Kia - $43,200.00 for LTD model Genesis - $53,000.00 for the LTD model At this price, your nearing a price point where one might be looking at other makes and models. At $43,000.00 your in the area of other makes and models as well, but not the same area as you would be at $53,000.00
Well, for those who don't care about the badge, or the driving dynamics. This offers more for the money, more room, more standard features, more trunk space and arguably, more luxury.. But I agree, for my money, I'd rather get a base model BMW than a Top of the line KIA.
I agree. Cars from Honda/Acura are great but they also cost a lot during maintenance. If it were not from companies like Hyundai/Kia, Honda would continue to not have competitive features like the Accord's standard backup and blindspot cameras. I remember, in the early 90s, you either get a full featured car or a Honda/Toyota/Nissan with minimal/basic features. Why? Because Honda/Toyota/Nissan made the most reliable cars. Still true but they're no longer the only ones.
What a beautiful non bmw or audi! I will definitely purchase this car after my test drive! I am not into driving something every other person is driving (bmw or audi)
Kia hired a former Audi designer Peter Schreyer. That is why it's European influenced. You have to give props though, Kia and Hyundai have come a LONG way.
Stealthmuiz: The Maxima has a low gas mileage and you need Premium to drive it. Acura might be a high on MPG but still, you need Premium gas. Cadenza: Regular. TL: smaller interior than Cadenza
i'm not saying its a good car or anything, but they built this car in the eyes of people who buy the hyundai genesis sedan, which has sold pretty well. i wouldn't buy one of these but i can definitely see optima drivers 'upgrading' to one of these
I don't understand why you can't use the voice command like on my phone from 2010 - hit button then say "Navigate to 1234 example street" like why do you have to tell it what state? it has GPS it should know what state it is in, and if I want to travel out of state, I will let it know. These things look awesome, but they are really but really outdated. For that reason, I feel like it shouldn't even be there, it's like they put it in just so they could charge you more for it - does anybody ever use it? I wonder what the statistics would be on that?
furthermore Honda is the only make in its competitive set that consistently sets the bar in most categories according to all of the top periodicals. odyssey,fit,accord, have all been at the top of the class for years with the accord being on car and drivers 10 best list for a record 26 times.the civic has slipped a bit recently but its still a civic.the ridgeline was considered the best pick up truck but truck guys are traditionalists and it was to radical for them. and for years
This has the same exact engine as the newest Hyundai Azera - and it looks like a big Buick Regal or Optima. Just wish this gal brought something new to the table.
Kia and Hyundai have really come a long way. They really improved their quality and design. Some people are still hating cuz they are still new to the market. Look at Toyota and Honda when it first came out. They were really shitty cars. Look at them now. Just give Kia and hyundai 10 more years and they will be the next Toyota and Honda. Give them a chance
why? because it not that big a deal.sonata genesis optima sedona equus forte elantra sante fe. it is all just a bunch of words used to make average cars sound unique.
Got a request: Could you use a shirt mic because the setup you're using doesn't sound nice with headphones because as you're moving your head around, the sound becomes off balance and I can feel the sound moving around my head. It's very disorienting.
and give me the proof of who is saying all those things about Kia? while I see people saying they have gotten better none of them praise them up and down and say that there even close to other players in there segment.
idk about that....I bought one for a work car for 3000 grand (i live 40 miles away from work) and so far it has 297 thousand miles on it and i have only replaced a shifting senor...it was 10 bucks. I have put 150k on the car my self. you can't look up reviews on a car online anyone who knows anything about a car knows that. If you take car of a car it will take car of you. I wouldn't buy a kia new of course because i would rather have something else. But they are a good cheap car.
I don't see how Kia expects to sell this car when the mercedes C class, bmw 3 series, volvo s60, infiniti G class, lexus IS class ALL start around this price range. They really need to keep catering toward the economic level that they have been.
Why are you comparing this car to cars not even in the same category? Someone looking at a cadenza does not cross shop a small ass 3 series, c class, not to mention the A5. As far as reliability, Hyndai is amongst the best, especially the genesis.
If the price range is at 30k+ I would consider buying a BMW 3 series or Mercedes C-class instead, possibly audi A5 and acura instead. Unfortunately even with all that technology put into the KIA, there would be more benefit in buying luxury cars like those, namely interior quality and engine quality. The body is okay, but can be found on other, nicer cars. they can't sell this car in the 30k range, 30,000 alone may be the limit, but KIA hasn't built enough of a reputation for 30k yet imo.
Not that I would buy this car for 40k either, but the cars you mention are much smaller than the Cadenza. That being said, I would rather drive a base Audi A6 or Acura TL.
