Monday, October 24, 2016

ALL NEW CADENZA 2017

All  Cadenza is to Kia what the Azera is to Hyundai. On the other hand the Avalon is to Toyota. As such, it's a vast and calm front-wheel-drive car with a rich ride, an extravagant inside, and a colossal rearward sitting arrangement. In case you're 6-foot-4, you can sit serenely in the back of these autos. Truly.

For 2017, there's an all-new Cadenza, a marginally more extensive and lower second-era auto that has been enhanced in everything from its more grounded and lighter undercarriage to its attractive styling, which still looks somewhat like the well known Optima and elements what Kia calls a "tiger nose" grille. Regardless of the possibility that you battle to see that tiger,  test and audit of the 2017 Kia Cadenza furnishes you with an unmistakable photo of this enormous Korean-manufactured family vehicle.                                                                                                                                           Thanks to the increased use of high-strength steel, hot-stamped components, and structural adhesives, the unit-body chassis of the 2017 Kia Cadenza is 35 percent stronger in torsional stiffness. This provides a better foundation for the suspension, which features MacPherson struts in front and a multilink rear, along with special Amplitude Selective Damping shock absorbers that make the Cadenza feel plush but controlled. Aluminum front steering knuckles are used to reduce weight, and larger bushings for the front and rear subframes improve lateral stiffness (for more responsive handling) while reducing the Cadenza’s noise, vibration, and harshness. Further adding to this Kia's quiet refinement are extra insulation in the windshield pillars and triple-laminated front windows, plus a special underbody pan that also aids aerodynamics.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           As some time recently, the Cadenza motor is a smooth 3.3-liter V6, still direct-infused yet now tuned for better mileage. This 4-cam motor makes great power (280 pull at 6400 rpm, 250 lb.- ft. of torque at 5200 rpm), and will turn the Cadenza's front wheels in case you're excessively forceful with the throttle when leaving a stoplight. Much more essential, this aluminum-square powerplant with raised pressure (12.0: 1 versus 11.5:1) feels equipped and loose in its obligation, ready to achieve interstate speed easily. Furthermore, at 65 mph, the motor is turning at just 1800 rpm. 

Some of this nice nature is inferable from the Cadenza's new programmed transmission; Kia's initial 8-speed moves commendably easily while you're trundling about town, yet the rigging changes turn out to be reassuringly firm as more throttle is utilized. With forceful throttle utilization you can hear the motor through the firewall, however not to a vexatious degree.                                                           Astute Autobytel visitors may notice that the 2017 Cadenza’s power output is actually slightly less than the 2016 model’s 293 horsepower at 6400 rpm and 255 lb.-ft. of torque at 5200 rpm. What gives? Even though the 2017 Cadenza V6 has bumped compression, higher injection pressure and a new 2-speed oil pump that reduces parasitic losses, Kia, for emissions reasons, has had to switch to a denser catalytic converter, whose added backpressure saps some power.

EPA fuel economy is similarly interesting. All new 2017 Kia Cadenza is rated at 20 MPG city/28 MPG highway/23 MPG combined, only slightly better than the 2016 car’s EPA numbers of 19/28/22. Here’s the scoop: Even though the new Cadenza is a bit lighter and fitted with a new 8-speed automatic transmission that helps fuel economy, tougher EPA tests for 2017 translate to MPG numbers that typically aren’t as good as they were in 2016.  One Kia executive says owners of the new 2017 Cadenza should expect an improvement of about 2 MPG in real world mixed driving.                                                                                                                                                                       The all new 2017 Cadenza was molded at Kia Design Center America, under the direction of Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer. The roofline has been pulled rearward for somewhat of a fastback outline, and Ray Ng, vital outside planner for the new Cadenza, compares the extending of the sheet metal to making a fitted shirt. "This is an auto my father would to drive," included Ng. "Be that as it may, I wouldn't see any problems with driving it myself." 

The two most eminent styling components: Viewed from the side, the 2017 Kia Cadenza has a solitary line extending from front to raise, ending at Z-molded styling components in the headlights and taillights. It's a great looking look, without a doubt, with a lot of chrome to up the extravagance remainder. Likewise essential is the "Intaglio" grille, whose raised vertical cutting edges look sharp if somewhat subsidiary of Maserati or possibly Buick. Passage level Cadenzas will brandish an alternate grille, a "precious stone butterfly" outline seen in different Kias. In total, we feel the new 2017 Kia Cadenza looks more refined than the 2016 auto, and we can see why says it has an "etched certainty."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       This one rock's the boat  new luxury sedan should have an attractive interior, and here the 2017 Kia Cadenza delivers. The roomy 5-seat cabin is highlighted by a stylish wraparound dash that flows elegantly into the door panels and features beautiful stitching, pleasant shapes, high-quality soft-touch materials and plenty of buttons, though not so many as to be overwhelming. Large analog gauges greet the driver, and the center console is capped by a large, easily reached color touchscreen. In the upmarket Cadenza I drove, soft Nappa leather covered the heated and cooled seats, and although I found the seats comfortable—thanks in part to an electrically extendable thigh supporter—the quilted diamond-pattern stitching on the bolsters looks a bit odd, a bit reminiscent of down ski vests from the 1970s.

There’s nothing odd, however, about the voluminous space. Thanks to a slightly longer wheelbase, the 2017 Kia Cadenza has an extra half inch of rear legroom, something the previous model didn’t really need. What’s more, even with the large panoramic sunroof, headroom is plentiful for folks 6-foot-4 or shorter.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     The base Kia Cadenza, curiously dubbed the Premium, starts at "less than $32,000" when it goes on sale in October. It’s reasonably well equipped, with a standard backup camera and Kia’s highly regarded UVO infotainment system that now works with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change-assist, and rear parking assist are optional on this base model, which has 18-in. wheels and the standard grille.

Moving up, we have the Technology. For $39,000 you get a Cadenza with 19-in. wheels, navigation, panoramic sunroof, paddle shifters, high-beam assist, autonomous emergency braking, smart cruise control (that will come to a complete stop), lane-departure warning, forward collision warning, wireless smartphone charging, a Harman Kardon sound system has 12 speakers), and a handy surround-view monitor.

Topping the lineup is the Kia Cadenza SXL Limited, shown in our photos. It’s loaded with all the Technology model has, plus more, and it costs about $45,000. Besides a head-up display, the 2017 Kia Cadenza Limited has a power rear sunshade, pull-up sunshades in each rear door, unique 19-in. wheels, and a Smart Power Trunk. As long as the key fob is in your pocket or purse, the trunk will pop open automatically if you stand directly behind the Cadenza. No awkward swipe of the leg is needed.   On the twisting roads of the horse country near Middleburg, Virginia, the 2017 Kia Cadenza felt at home. This is not a sports sedan, mind you, and it makes no effort to be one. Rather, this large Kia is a comfortable and quiet people hauler with adequate power, and its well-damped suspension, though soft, keeps that spacious body in good control. The electric-assist steering has a light but natural feel, as do the slightly larger brakes. Wind noise is commendably low, and the engine makes its presence known most noticeably at max acceleration, an admittedly rare occasion for most Cadenza drivers. At day’s end, after a long drive in which we also enjoyed the rich sound of the 12-speaker sound system, I still felt fresh; that’s a testament to the remarkable refinement of this large new Kia.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       In addition to a full suite of safety and entertainment technologies, what else can modern electronics provide? With the 2017 Kia Cadenza, it's four driving modes: Eco, Smart, Sport, and Comfort.

Eco is a fuel-saving mode in which the throttle map is slower and the air conditioning compressor works less often. Smart trains the driver to be more efficient, via an icon that switches from white to green when you’re driving in a frugal fashion. Sport, the most noticeable mode, sharpens throttle response, decreases steering assist, and holds gears a bit longer before upshifting. Lastly, Comfort uses standard shift schedules and throttle response, but switches to extra light-effort steering.    If you’re in the market for a large sedan such as the new 2017 Kia Cadenza, there are plenty of others to consider. First among them should be the Cadenza’s mechanical cousin, the Hyundai Azera, which has the same impressive 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. But we also recommend taking a close look at the impressive new 2017 Buick LaCrosse, and the Chevrolet Impala. Ample interior space is an important (but often overlooked) constituent of luxury, and this is an area in which all of these big sedans deliver.   

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