The 2014 Kia Cadenza: What the critics say

last updated 10 January 2015

Automobile

The Cadenza “takes everything Kia has been doing right for the last few years and does it just a little better.” A first foray into the full-size sedan market for the South Korean car company, the well-equipped Cadenza offers an elegant interior, simple lines that should “age very gracefully,” and an impressively luxurious ride, especially for a brand previously hamstrung by “less-than-stellar suspension tuning.”

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No Cadenza sold will be a cut-rate version. The only available power train mates a 3.3-liter V-6 with a six-speed automatic, and the only trim level “pulls out nearly all the stops.” Standard features include a backup camera, a navigation system developed with Microsoft, and roomy, heated seats in both front and rear. “Should you feel you’re still not thoroughly whipping the Joneses” with the Cadenza’s near-luxury-level package, you do have the option of adding a couple of premium packages.

Popular Mechanics

The Cadenza compares well against its sister sedan, Hyundai’s Azera. Though the two cars share the same engine, transmission, and structural underpinnings, the Kia “has a more upscale look and feel” and arguably offers better road performance. At the very least, this lavishly appointed sedan is “competent and composed in ordinary operation” yet offers “unexpectedly high agility.”