2017 Kia Cadenza Review: A Comfortably Slow Ride

Jan 10, 2017 11:29 AM EST | JP Olvido

Kia has upgraded and updated its luxury sedan in an attempt to change its last-place sales ranking among competitors. The2017 Kia Cadenza isn't the kind of luxury sedan you should expect a lot of.

The 2017 Kia Cadenza. A luxury sedan from a Korean manufacturer was something you would've never heard of until 2012 when Kia released the first generation Kia Cadenza. Since its reveal, the Kia Cadenza held the last-place ranking in terms of sales. Kia hopes to change that with the 2017 Kia Cadenza.

The 2017 Kia Cadenza looks to be something the competition should be careful of. It features new sheet metal, the same 3.3-liter direct-inject V6 engine but now with Kia's eight-speed automatic transmission and all-new and lovely interior.

The positive impression that the 2017 Kia Cadenza initially leaves can be attributed to its wonderfully designed exterior. Only a few of Kia's vehicles can actually pull off a design such as that of the new Cadenza. It has a tall and strong stance with clean body panels, fairly large fender flares, and a ducktail trunk. The 2017 Kia Cadenza's "tiger-nose" grille now stretches into the headlights which feature Z-shaped LEDs much like the taillights.

The elegance that the 2017 Kia Cadenza exudes continues on from the outside to the inside. The interior offers quite a lot of legroom and headroom. Its supple leather seats are diamond-quilted amidst all-black carpet, door panels, and dash. The interior's pillars and the roof are lined with bone-colored suede-like materials.

The exterior and interior designs of the 2017 Kia Cadenza is where praise really stops. Driving on the 2017 Cadenza is more or less the same as the previous generation. What used to be 293 horsepower and 255 pound-foot of torque is now down to 290 and 253 respectively. Although driving performance is smooth and quiet, it is not as remarkable as one would expect it to be. EPA-ratings for fuel economy average 19 to 20 miles per gallon in city driving with the 28 miles per gallon rating having stayed the same from the previous generation.

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