Splitting The Hairs Of Luxury

Seat Heaters, A Head-Up Display, And Good-Looking Design For About $33,000. Could We Ask For More?

- Abigail Bassett

Does luxury maintain its appeal if it’s available to nearly everyone? Kia thinks so, and it’s targeting anyone who has ever wanted goldilocks butt warmers and miles of ultra-quiet interior space. 

Meet the new 2017 Kia Cadenza. 

The Cadenza is nestled between the top of-the-line Kia K900 and the midline Kia Optima. Not quite as big or luxurious as the LeBron James of cars, the Cadenza is now in its fourth year of production, and it’s getting an update to make it more upscale, more mature, and more refined.

First, Kia tackled its looks. The car is the same length as its predecessor, but the wheelbase has been extended by 0.4 inch, and the entire car has been lowered by 0.2 inch and widened by nearly an inch. The extension of the character line along the body makesit look taut and firm, and the rear glass has been pulled back and the decklid shortened, lending to the cavernous interior.

The overhaul didn’t stop with just looks. A revised direct-injected 3.3-liter V-6 that makes 290 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque powers the front-drive sedan. That V-6 is mated to a new eight-speed automatic created in-house. The outgoing model has slightly more horsepower and torque, but the 2017 Cadenza is more fuel-efficient; the EPA has rated it at 20/28/23 mpg city/highway/combined, up from 19/28/22. That’s better than the Lincoln MKZ and Chevrolet Impala V-6s but still trails many competitors.