The 2015 Kia K900: What the critics say

Automobile

“Yes, this is a Kia.” The nameplate doesn’t lie on this “big, rear-drive stud,” a car that “exudes dignity” despite its humble family background. All 201 inches of the K900 announce that its Seoul overseers are tired of being an entry-level brand. Stately, powerful, and flush with “every relevant creature comfort,” this V-8-powered four-door arrives bearing an urgent message for every captain of a Mercedes-Benz or BMW luxury liner: “You overpaid.”

Consumer Reports

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Unfortunately, the handling in this “cushy, plush” sedan “harks back to the Nixon era.” If you long to get behind the wheel of “a relaxing freeway cruiser” like the ones Cadillac and Oldsmobile made circa 1971, you’ll love that the experience now comes with a well-appointed cabin and a modern power train that produces “effortless acceleration.”

Car and Driver

Fortunately for Kia, “this is not a car on which the near-term future of the company rides.” The K900 is a credible first step into luxury territory, “not a leap to the top.” It’s “no longer news,” though, “that Kia knows how to build cars well.” To truly compete with the old guard, the second-generation K900 is going to have to surprise us.