Crosshairs

Kia’s brand-new flagship, the K900, debuted at the New York International Auto Show earlier this year – and it reaffirms Korea’s intent to take on the very best from the German luxury triumvirate of Audi, BMW & Mercedes.

- Dhruv Behl

It’s no secret that Kia will debut in India in September next year with a compact SUV based on the Hyundai Creta. The brand introduced itself to great fanfare at the Auto Expo in Greater Noida in February this year. Now comes the question of deciding the rest of its Indian line-up. Being considered are the likes of the Stonic CUV and the Carnival MPV – both quite stylish in their own right. But what we have here is Kia’s brand-new flagship – known as the K900 in the US and the K9 in Korea. This is, quite literally, a rolling demonstration of Kia’s technical competence, and virtually two tonnes of proof that they’ve got the Germans in their crosshairs.

What about the tiger’s nose?

Well, it’s there – the trademark ‘tiger-nose’ grille has been bumped up in size to fit the scale of a luxury flagship. The creases on the bonnet follow the indents in the grille, and so does the top of the windshield. In fact, there’s even a hint of the ‘tiger’s nose’ in the steering wheel. To me, though, the front grille looks about as aquatic as it does feline – and it certainly doesn’t appear as individualistic as, say, the extremely pretty Stinger sports sedan. From the back as well, the K900 doesn’t appear as distinctive as Kia’s other models. In fact, there’s a definite hint of Mercedes in the taillights. Plus, I’m not entirely sure about the aesthetic appeal of the chrome rings around the taillights – it just looks like it’s trying too hard. That said, the LED DRLs (daytime running lights), both front and back, are unique and certainly make the K900 stand out. On the whole, it does look quite cohesive and stately and has quite a lot of presence on the road.

Luxury car credentials