Kia K900 luxury sedan review - it is all upper crust

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It’s got cooled, heated and reclining seats, digital temperature control, music and media controls, inductive phone charging, USB, 12 volt chargers and cup holders. Sounds like a typical decently equipped car, right? Well this is for the rear seat occupants. A little more evolved than just a leather armrest with cupholders. And the cupholders are forward of the control bank.

The 2019 Kia K900 Luxury is a long wheelbase, roomy, all-wheel drive, powerful luxury sedan that offers a near effortless driving experience with a full menu of technology. With an MSRP of $64,695, it’s a lot of sedan for the price. First impression of it's appearance is a stately and elegant sedan with some European influencers. The chrome touches and multi-spoke wheels speak to it's mission without any glaring faults. In fact, it's carefully crafted all around. 

Where Kia struggles is perceived image. It didn’t start as a luxury brand, nor did it branch off a luxury division. The name might be too cute, just like the hamsters, and the dealership experience may not be “high end” but it’s the ride that counts. Nissan does it with the GT-R, Chevrolet does it with the Corvette, so why not with a luxury sedan? Plus, their 2011 Superbowl commercial with the How You Like Me Now song from The Heavy is awesome.

This 3.3 twin-turbo 365hp V-6 model example was a gem around town and a 300 mile road trip. With the all-wheel drive traction allowing aggressive gear ratios afforded by the 8-speed automatic transmission, acceleration for a 4700lb car is definitely quick, feeling like more power than rated. It’s only at extra legal speeds does it drop off noticeably but still more than “adequate”.  The subtle sound, more like a muted domestic V-8 in a Cadillac from the 1970s or 80s than a V6 hum or wail is an artificial construct from the ASD – Active Sound Design system.  

The Kia is a great long distance cruiser, with excellent seats and a quiet ride. Despite the high speed travel, traffic jams and heavy foot antics, it indicated it slightly exceeded its 21mpg combined rating. When the K900 is in Sport mode though, it would be a bit choppy on the freeway and held a lower gear for a little too long, hoping for that next stab of the throttle. When Sport mode is activated, the lateral bolsters give you a little extra squeeze. The seatbelt gives you an extra snug, more like a hug, when shifting to drive no matter the mode.

The adaptive cruise control worked well but the closest setting meant it would hit the brakes hard when a much slower vehicle was way too late to move over. Lane departure steering wheel corrections were either smooth-subtle or smooth and surprisingly strong. One intersection with a hill crest confused it a little bit. Under normal driving it was gentle reminder to stay in the center lane. The automatic engine shutoff in this $64,895 model is far less noticeable and not nearly as annoying as it is in the wife’s 2018 Audi SQ5. But still detested at brief stops when merging is about to occur like pulling out of a parking lot. Interesting about the start-stop feature, tugging on the steering wheel will not restart the engine unlike other vehicles experienced, but engaging one of the shift paddles will do so.

The K900 is about luxury and technology and there is plenty, especially with the VIP package in this Luxury sub-model example. The 12.3” gauge screen is an LCD TFT display with prominent speed and engine rpm displays that have an absolutely brilliant feature of turning into a blind spot camera view on either side of the car depending which turn signal is activated. It takes a little getting used to, but once you do, it’s a fantastic feature for vehicle placement in relation to other vehicles and even curbs. It was during this time that the only non-luxury aspect of the car noticed was the feel of the control stalks wasn’t quite luxury level, but to borrow an old comparison, far from the broken wine glass stem comparison I once remember reading. The speaker grills are a beautiful laser cut pieces that go nicely with the leather, finished metal and wood surfaces.

The navigation screen is also 12.3 inches which enables map, music and climate settings at the same time. It’s a touch screen, a selection indicator allows rotary dial selection of functions and below the screen are push buttons a well. The configurable options are numerous from seat movement distance when ignition off to custom drive mode, and the drivers display displays the seat movement selected, which mode the windshield wipers are in, seat heating or cooling, etc. The seat cooling is spectacular, the fans cannot be heard, and I can only imagine how good they are on a triple digit day.

Kia’s K900 is a large, luxurious, quick sedan; full of tech, coddling the front and rear passengers, and a delight to travel in. Considering its size, equipment level, and price, it’s a serious contender in the large luxury segment. Check it out, and ask yourself, “How you like me now?”

Kia Forte5 SX review

What if I told you a very European looking 5 door hatchback with sporty styling, dual exhaust outlets, a rear diffuser, manual transmission and lots of features didn’t come from a U.S. or Germany based manufacturer?  Would your next guess be a 2017 Kia Forte5 SX that is a very well equipped hatch with an MSRP of $27,000.

First impression is it looked very much like many of the refined hatchbacks seen in Italy in September during a two week vacation. The rich gray color compliments the black grill treatment and wheels and. A thin red horizontal line across the front clip makes a sporty yet soft statement and ties in the red stitching in the interior. The sloped rear window which is a staple with hatchbacks and keeps the station wagon look from creeping into your head.

Besides making a four door hatchback as sharply styled as possible and still have mass appeal, the interior has very well designed seats with red trim tying in the front styling cue. Surprisingly the seats are both ventilated and heated and were perfect during a roughly 300 mile round trip one day. In addition, dual zone climate control, navigation, satellite radio, moonroof, power entry and exit seat, and the Kia UVO infotainment and telematics service which also includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

The center dash display shows the tach and speedometer along with a multi-window display of the trip odometer, navigation, entertainment, and settings. Counting four cupholders, plus forward console storage is quite good but then it was pointed out the center armrest compartment will hold more water bottles because it’s so deep. Not bad! Granted the interior can always be spruced up with materials and styling elements but from a refinement, layout and functionality standpoint it is excellent. 

Peeking around, the pedals and foot rest are all metal with rubber pads and look serious and full of intent. The hatch space offers 60/40 split fold down rear seats, the “60” properly on the passenger side and they lay flat, cargo tie-down loops, a board that hides the child seat anchors, flaps on either side for flat storage and two layers of segmented storage underneath. 

The 201 horsepower engines provided plenty of power around town and on the highway. Not even realizing it’s turbocharged due to virtually no lag, once rolling in first gear, going wide open throttle will squeal the tires. It does have the common 4 cylinder audible hum, but a slightly tuned exhaust note would be welcome.

The EPA highway rating is a disappointing 29mpg, and judging how early upshifts are suggested on the driver’s display along with “taching out” at 3600 rpm while cruising at 85mph, maybe taller 5th and 6th gears could be utilized for better highway mileage. Hopefully Kia can address this and get the EPA rating into the 30s unless I’m missing something from the equation. 

Everyday driving is enjoyable, the ride is comfortable but the steering provides no feedback. Perhaps most would consider this luxurious refinement, but the enthusiast wants to know what’s going on with the front tires. Shifter throws are short and so is the clutch travel with light effort. This car contributes to the “save the manuals” mantra, its that easy. The flat bottom steering wheel, called, “Very Formula One-ish” in one of our “FactsandFigure” videos, is actually pretty nice because it acts like a lever when turned and lets you know it’s position by feel. Never had that kind of time with one before to appreciate it. 

Pushing the limits on an onramp reveal the very toss able feel of a lighter car and the scrubbing sound of the tires approaching their limits at a cornering speed higher than anyone witnesses in traffic, and the 225 width tires on 18” wheels do a good job of holding the road. I’d be curious to see instrumented test numbers. 

For only $27,000 MSRP, one starts making comparisons. A top-of-the-line Infiniti Q50 that is double the price doesn’t offer power folding mirrors or cooled seats. Kia does pack a lot of value into the car. From the road trip, hauling charity drop-offs and overall utility, this is a great car. Perfect for a comfortable commute, a first time buyer, a practical family car and more. 

Check out the all the pictures on the San Jose Cars Examiner Facebook page. Special thanks to The Drive Shop for providing the vehicle. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1298982410206467.1073741934.378354382269279&type=1&l=abbb84f8cf

Kia Cadenza Limited SXL review

When thinking of a roomy luxury car for a suggested retail price of $45,000 what comes to mind? Think of some legitimate four or five passenger luxury cars, are any of them in that price range? One look at the interior of the Kia Cadenza which was redesigned for the 2017 model year is convincing enough. It’s a luxurious, roomy, front wheel drive sedan with a suite of computer driving aids making for a quiet and comfortable luxury car. This Kia makes a strong case in the segment. This particular loaded Limited SXL model styling is crisp, elegant with a touch of chrome and likely timelessness in the era of the modern sedan. If the name doesn’t carry the panache like Lexus did, the vehicle itself will be considered a gem, if an obscure one right now.

Equipped with the white Napa quilted leather seats, one feels guilty wearing old jeans and sitting in it.  The dash layout is logical, clean and probably best described as elegant. A cute greeting ditty plays when entering the car, then a pretty slick graphical system check is displayed as if preparing for takeoff. A quiet driver with great outward visibility, it’s a very pleasant driver although more shelf for the elbow on the top of the door would be appreciated. Yet such an uncouth driving position is unbecoming in this elegant tourer.

Quite capable on the high speed sweepers, it has a composed feel of proper suspension tuning and a long(ish) 112.4” wheelbase to straddle the bell curve between sport and bouncy old-school luxury.  It’s the tighter turns where you feel the front wheel drive push with subdued tire squeal. Of course that is beyond the intended demographic driving profile. Keep up that behavior and you’re simply betraying the message of the classy exterior chrome accents.

Multiple driving modes are offered and response in the Sport driving mode is noticeably sharp and will immediately spin the tires from a stop despite the classy pretentions. The only other drawback is a slight whine is heard while it continuously holds a lower gear in Sport. Comfort mode offers easy throttle response for driving in traffic, also very well executed with hardware and code. Smart mode is a decent compromise of both but Eco mode kills throttle response and one taste of that lag earned an immediate ban from further use. Despite frequent full throttle usage and over-the-speed-limit cruising speeds, 25 mpg was observed, falling right between the 20 city and 28 highway ratings.

Using all the configurable electronics is fun customization of the features, done on the center driver’s screen. The Surround View Monitor provides a 360 degree view of the vehicle when parking. A close-up view is also selectable for the front, side and rear. It even has a Rear Cross Traffic Alert in case of a passing object when backing out of space or driveway. The heads-up displays just enough information and it is both height and intensity adjustable, even working with polarized sunglasses. A night the LED headlights could be mistaken for brights from the driver’s perspective for the first few trips after dark.

On the 76 mile round-trip drive to the office and back, the Advanced Smart Cruise Control is great for relatively steady speeds. Despite the adjustable following distance, the closest setting was the ideal one as a “two one-thousand” count. Some more tweaking is needed when a large speed differential of the vehicle in front causes a sudden slowdown versus a gentle fade. It’s a little slow to react when a car moves out of the lane but when it does clear, the acceleration is brisk. The programming is logical, the closest setting is much different at 85mph than it is a 35mph, thankfully. In slow traffic when coming to a stop, it becomes necessary to reapply the throttle and the display says as much. Fading over to the lane divider activates the lane departure warning as well as the blind spot warning. Both are effective and not particularly jarring and thankfully not embarrassing if you’re talking on the integrated Bluetooth and the warning(s) beep. 

Stopping at Black Heart Racing’s fabrication shop to discuss a custom tool I needed, the 360 degree cameras were a blessing in the confined parking area of multiple businesses, trucks, etc. The owner Lloyd, a hot-rodder, fabricator and artist I had arrived in a Lexus, which is high praise indeed.

With the weather now getting hot, the air conditioning blows very cold and the ventilated seats are a great luxury, not too cold and very quiet although a higher setting would be welcome for even quicker cool downs. It also has a switch to do it manually. Other little thoughtful touches noticed are shifting into reverse automatically lowers the rear sunshade lowers and silently comes back up after shifting to drive. Locking the vehicle with the remote automatically and silently folds the side mirrors and unfold upon approach. The refinement level is top notch.

A few lacking features that have been out for year in other marques does seem a little odd. Parked car ventilation scheduling isn’t offered. Along the same thinking, holding the unlock button on the key fob does not lower the windows. The moon roof shade doesn’t seem to be able to be moved independently of the moon roof tilt or slide function. It’s either open or closed but the panoramic roof is going to the rear is a nice touch. These are all likely programmable since the hardware is already present.

Regardless of what is lacking, whether a few random features, cylinder count or where the drive wheels are, the Cadenza Limited SXL is impressively equipped. The Kia name may not be synonymous with luxury like the long established brands, yet, but the Cadenza is a strong argument for a roomy, very well equipped luxury sedan that makes driving an enjoyable, efficient and effortless endeavor.