The all-new, second-generation Kia Cadenza sedan has been designed and engineered to build on the international success of its award-winning predecessor, setting new standards for comfort, dynamics and in-car technologies in the large sedan segment.
The new Cadenza boasts a precisely crafted cabin, cutting edge technology for connectivity and driver assistance, a stronger body structure, and powertrain enhancements for a more premium driving experience.
‘The simplicity of the straight line’ – Cadenza’s luxurious and refined design
Designed at Kia’s California design studio, birthplace of the 2012 Track’ster and 2014 GT4 Stinger concepts, as well as the iconic Soul, the Cadenza’s precision-sculpted exterior exudes confidence, with clean lines and expressive details. The design is heavily influenced by the design philosophy of Kia’s Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer’s, which focuses on ‘the simplicity of the straight line’.
Head on, the Cadenza is more expressive thanks to the newly designed ‘face’. While the signature ‘tiger-nose’ grille is still an unmistakable Kia design trait, it has evolved into a new hexagonal shape that emphasizes the Cadenza’s width, with lines extending underneath the headlights.
LED technology inside the ‘piano key’ taillights helps create visual depth while also complementing the Z-shape light signature. Other details include the chrome trim that extends across the trunk lid to accentuate the wide stance, as well as chrome accents on the side mirrors and rear quarter windows.
Exceptional interior comfort and refinement
The interior of the all-new Kia Cadenza is thoughtfully redesigned with even higher quality materials than the preceding model, and higher levels of craftsmanship throughout. Like the exterior, the Cadenza’s soft interior contours are offset by sheared surfaces and bold lines.
Kia designers lifted the sense of interior space with a wraparound dashboard that flows into the door panels and features real stitching. The door panels themselves have been adorned with higher quality soft-touch materials, while soft leather envelopes many surfaces. Nappa leather is available with optional quilted seat bolsters that dress up the Cadenza’s attractive cabin.
Improvements were made throughout to ensure a more pleasant driving experience. The driver’s seat has been lowered for a sportier and more stable feeling, while engineers extended the seat cushion slightly and developed an innovative cushion extension mechanism that slides and rotates, making it easier to find the perfect driving position.
Class-leading interior spaciousness with expanded wheelbase
As well as focusing on luxury and comfort, the Cadenza’s development teams sought to endow the latest model with impressive convenience and practicality. With an eye on intelligent packaging, interior designers lowered the front and rear seats by 11 mm, for a more comfortable seating position and liberating additional headroom.
The 10 mm growth in the Cadenza’s wheelbase over the first-generation model means the latest car boasts the highest legroom for rear passengers in its segment, while lowering the seats hasn’t stopped designers from realizing even greater foot space for rear passengers, with 15 mm additional clearance between the base of the seats and rear passengers’ feet.
Generous cargo capacity ensures the trunk is among the biggest in its class with 515 liters (VDA; 452 liters, SAE) of space. The trunk shape has also been re-engineered to offer a more practical, usable space, with a trunk lid opening that is now 81 mm wider – making it easier to load larger, wider items.
High passive safety levels and new DRiVE WISE assistance technologies
The all-new Kia Cadenza is built upon a strong foundation with a body structure composed of more than 50% Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) – more than twice the proportion found in the outgoing model.
Kia engineers are targeting the highest possible safety ratings, including an overall five-star rating from the USA’s National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, a ‘Top Safety Pick+’ designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the highest possible scores in the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP).
Cutting-edge driver assistance features are also available, with Kia bringing a suite of DRiVE WISE Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to the sedan. DRiVE WISE embodies Kia’s philosophy to realize intelligently safe vehicles and improve safety for all road users. For buyers of the new Cadenza in various markets, Blind Spot Detection (BSD)is available, guiding the driver by giving out a sound and light alarm on the side-view mirrors.
More responsive chassis and greater stability under cornering
The new Cadenza has been engineered to provide a balance between the ride comfort of a large sedan with responsive and agile steering characteristics. The development teams sought to make improvements in every area of the suspension system and suspension geometry, while lightening the chassis to ensure agile, inertia-free responses to driver inputs. Compared to the first-generation Cadenza, the 2017 model is able to withstand a significantly higher lateral force, maintaining maximum stability under hard cornering, while a range of new suspension features ensure the highest possible ride comfort.
The overall chassis is lighter, thanks to the use of aluminum instead of steel in areas such as the front steering knuckles, and engineers have retuned the front and rear subframes with larger bushings to improve lateral stiffness and the suppression of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics. Behind the wheels, larger brake rotors improve overall braking performance and feel. The ventilated front brake discs have been increased from 300 mm to 320 mm, while the solid rear discs have grown marginally from 284 mm to 300 mm, helping to reduce stopping distances.
Modern cabin with Kia’s latest comfort, convenience and infotainment technologies
Brimming with technology, the cockpit is designed to provide a more harmonious human-machine interface with ergonomically intelligent design, intuitive controls, and a suite of enhanced convenience features available in various markets, each engineered to make the driving experience enjoyable and effortless.
Kia’s latest audio and infotainment technologies make the cabin a more enjoyable place in which to spend time. Depending on individual markets, the Cadenza is fitted as standard with a 6.0-inch LCD audio system at the heart of the dashboard, and buyers can also specify a crystal-clear 8.0-inch touchscreen navigation and infotainment system.
All Cadenza models are fitted as standard with dual-zone automatic air conditioning, front cabin power supply, rear passenger heating and an automatic windscreen defog system. An optional wireless smartphone charger, located at the base of the center console, allows customers to charge the latest smartphones on the move.
Efficient and powerful 3.3-liter V6 engine
The Cadenza comes with powerful and efficient 3.3-liter ‘Lambda’ V6 gasoline engine available. The new engine offers strong, willing, ‘everyday’ performance and high levels of mechanical efficiency.
The advanced 3.3-liter V6 GDI engine produces 284 ps and 337 Nm torque, and has been retuned for improved fuel efficiency and instant, dynamic performance, powering the Cadenza from 0-to-100 kph in 7.2 seconds. The MPI engine produces 270 ps and sends 318 Nm torque through the front wheels, enabling the Cadenza to accelerate from 0-to-100 kph in 7.5 seconds.
27 times around the world – Cadenza undergoes Kia’s global durability test
As with every new model from the company, Kia engineers were focused on durability and reliability throughout the development of the all-new Cadenza. The Cadenza is the latest model from Kia to undergo testing and verification by the brand’s newly-launched Global Quality Center, established to ensure all Kia vehicles are engineered, tested and manufactured to exceed customer quality expectations.
The development program for the new Cadenza has been carried out on a global scale, with over 1.1 million kilometers of durability testing carried out around the world – equivalent to approximately 27 circulations of the Earth around the Equator.
To ensure complete powertrain reliability, engineers ran the 3.3-liter V6 engine at full power and under full-load conditions for 41 consecutive days, equating to more than 100,000 miles of real-world use. This high-pressure powertrain test provides owners with the confidence that the 2017 Cadenza is built for the long haul.
The car’s development took place across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America, for extreme climate testing and quality verification for all components used. Tested for a global audience, the car has been subjected to extreme cold and heat, high altitude, and faced the unique demands of the desert, congested city centers, mountain passes and permafrost regions.
The final stage of development involved advanced component quality assessment and evaluation, and final vehicle testing in controlled conditions designed to emulate extreme high and low temperatures, humidity and wind speeds, as well as intense vibrations.
The all-new Kia Cadenza is now on sale and interested customers are encouraged to visit not only the Main Showroom but also The Gate Mall to visit the display. A test drive campaign for the Cadenza is also ongoing where participants will get a first-hand experience of the car.