Cadenza -- a Whole New Kind of Kia

If you've been following Kia over the last 20 years, you remember those first cars. I tested a 1994 Sephia and it was pretty basic. It had everything you needed but absolutely nothing extra. It felt like a knock-off previous-generation Toyota Corolla. However, unlike the Hyundai Excel a decade earlier, it wasn't really bad. It was just plain.

Well, of course, we all know the story. Over the years, Kia's models not only proliferated but improved significantly with each generation. Now, it's time for Kia to introduce their "Lexus." It's called the Cadenza, and a fine flagship it is.

There's no compromise here. There is exactly one model -- Premium. It's big and it's beautiful. And, it's full of all the good stuff -- standard. You get a navigation system and a 550-watt Infinity stereo with 12 speakers, including subwoofer. You sit on leather seats and hold a beautiful leather and wood wheel, bask in full climate control, and much more.

1994 Kia Sephia

The Cadenza is motivated by a 3.3-liter V6 that puts out 293 horsepower and 255 lb.-ft. of torque under the shapely hood, all driven through a six-speed automatic with SportMatic manual paddle shifters. Yet, it drinks regular gas. The EPA gives it ratings of 19 City, 28 Highway, and 22 Combined. I averaged 19.5 mpg. The EPA Green scores are 5 for Smog and Greenhouse Gas -- midpack.

It's a great thing that Peter Schreyer, the former Audi designer, is in charge of how Kias look. When I parked my Smokey Blue Cadenza test car next to my wife's Liquid Blue Metallic Audi, you could see some similarities. The proportions are just right, neither boring nor overstyled. While the German brands today are abandoning their formerly conservative, handsome look for something more exuberant, the Cadenza wears the look of a classic BMW, Audi or Mercedes. It looks expensive.

Inside, the car lives up to its impressive body, with the right look and feel. The heated steering wheel has the top third of wood, the rest leather. It's always fun to turn a steering wheel and have a different-feeling handful. It is definitely a luxury touch. Everything is there, including an illuminated console bin, sumptuous leather seating, and the perfect blend of textures and materials.

My tester featured both of the two available option packages. In case the standard amenities aren't enough for you, order the Technology Package and get Advanced Smart Cruise Control, where you can follow the car in front at a set distance (and automatically slow down when that driver does). You also get Blind Spot Detection, a popular feature that probably prevents hundreds of accidents every day. This package includes "Hydrophobic" front door windows, which stay clear when the rain hits them. I wasn't able to test that feature, thanks to some fine late summer weather.

The Luxury Package fills in what the standard package lacks. Get a panoramic sunroof, upgraded leather trim, a ventilated driver's seat with electric seat cushion extension, and an electric rear sunshade. The Supervision meter cluster performs a little light show when you turn on the car. The number dividers for the speedometer shoot out from the center of the gauge and assemble along the ring of the meter. I never got tired of watching the show. An image of the car winks its headlamps at you, as if to say "Hi." There's a little musical tune, too.

It wouldn't be a great car if after all that equipment, it was a bore to drive. Luckily, it's not. The 3,668-pound car drives like it's lighter, yet sails happily along the freeway in cruise mode. The sport-tuned suspension, along with the 19-inch wheels and tires from the Technology Package made the car feel planted and ready for anything.

My car, as a benefit of containing these packages, had the optional white leather interior and no extra cost. You don't see those every day, and I'm sure you'd want to take care with it, but it illuminated the cabin and felt very posh.

With the packages, this car really has everything you could want. I was sure there must be some flaw, and I did find one tiny problem. I set the otherwise divine audio system to NOT change volume with road speed, but it insisted on doing it anyway, so I worked the knob a bit when commute traffic speed varied. But that's it.

The price is $35,900, including shipping, for the single model. Add in the two packages and you'll be at $41,900. That may be the only problem the Cadenza will have to solve. Are there enough buyers for a $42,000 Kia? I think if enough people actually sample the car, after their disbelief fades they may see their way to signing some papers and participating in the remarkable Kia success story.

Kia Sportage Re-imagined

The Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V are widely celebrated for being the first small crossovers in the U.S. market, but the Kia Sportage actually came out first--in 1993. I knew someone who drove one and loved it, but this was the early days of Kia, and sales were small in the U.S.

After a short hiatus, the second generation car arrived in 2005 and, with Kia and fellow Korean manufacturer Hyundai under one roof, it was a companion of the Hyundai Tucson.

But it's the third generation that concerns us here, and what a different set of wheels it is. Debuting in 2011, it introduced a whole new look and feel to Kia crossovers, based on the Kue concept car. You can thank the team at Kia's U.S.-based design center in Irvine, California, for the transformation. Presumably they were inspired by Kia Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer, formerly of Audi's design team.

The first two Sportages had the two-box look set by the landmark Ford Explorer SUV in 1990. As these (sometimes) four-wheel-drive models have morphed more and more into tall cars with lots of cargo capacity, there's no reason to stick to this rigid design template.

The upswept nose is very much part of other Kias, with the now recognizable tab grille and grinning slivers of headlamp cluster, it's a smiling face but it avoids the Joker-like grin of recent Mazdas. The side shaping, high window sill line and blocky rear pillar are new and exciting developments.

Inside, my tester was pretty much all gray, and many of the surfaces were hard, as befits a truck. The armrests and center console bin were padded, at least. There are enough black panels and silver and chrome accents to keep the passenger space from feeling low budget, but this is no Mercedes-Benz, either.

The twin grab handles on the console reminded me of those in the first Audi TT--not a big surprise. A surprising forward-jutting section atop the instrument panel, in front of the driver, added some flair but no additional function. The windshield pillars are shockingly thick, but this is part of making the newest Sportage crashworthy. It also helped the new model gain recognition as a 2011 "Top Safety Pick" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

You can get your Sportage in four levels, starting with the base model and moving up through LX, EX and SX models. The LX upsizes the base car's 16-inch alloys to 17-inchers, places LED turn signals on the outside mirrors, adds keyless entry with folding key and most significantly, a six-speed electronically controlled Sportmatic™ automatic transmission, along with solar and privacy glass.

The EX, like my Signal Red test car, bumps the wheels to 18-inch alloys, slips in high performance dampers, LED daytime running lights, roof rails, a rear spoiler, fog lamps and chrome body trim and door handles. The top-of-the-line SX keeps the 18-inch wheels but makes them special, but puts a powerful yet fuel-efficient 2.0-liter turbocharged GDI engine producing 260 horsepower under the hood. This rates dual exhausts, and stands out with sculpted side sill moldings and a unique grille.

The standard engine in every level but SX is a 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder engine with Continuously Variable Valve Timing. It provides 176 horsepower and has been tuned to deliver a one mpg improvement on the highway over last year's model.

The EPA's Green Vehicle Guide gives the car with the 2.4-liter engine a 6 for Air Pollution and a 6 for Greenhouse Gas; there is one model listed with a 9 for Air Pollution. It's likely sold in California and other smog-legislated states. Both get SmartWay designation.

The base car, which comes only with a manual transmission and two-wheel drive, starts at $19,300. My two-wheel-drive tester came to $28,800. It's possible to get over $30,000 with option packages. These prices include $800 for shipping. 

So, the new car looks good, drives well, and fits right in with the complete repositioning of Kia in the marketplace. What's not to like?