2017 Kia Cadenza Road Test and Review

The Cadenza is to Kia what the Azera is to Hyundai. Or the Avalon is to Toyota. In other words, it’s a large and quiet front-wheel-drive sedan with a plush ride, an opulent interior, and a huge back seat. If you’re 6-foot-4, you can sit comfortably in the back of these cars. Really.

For 2017, there’s an all-new Cadenza, a slightly wider and lower second-generation car that has been improved in everything from its stronger and lighter chassis to its handsome styling, which still bears a strong family resemblance to the popular Optima and features what Kia calls a “tiger nose” grille. Even if you struggle to see that tiger, we hope this Autobytel test and review of the 2017 Kia Cadenza provides you with a clear picture of this big Korean-built family sedan.  

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 before, the Cadenza engine is a smooth 3.3-liter V6, still direct-injected but now tuned for better fuel economy. This 4-cam engine makes good power (290 horsepower at 6400 rpm, 253 lb.-ft. of torque at 5200 rpm), and will spin the Cadenza's front wheels if you’re too aggressive with the throttle when leaving a stoplight. Far more important, this aluminum-block powerplant with raised compression (12.0: 1 vs. 11.5:1) feels competent and relaxed in its duty, able to reach freeway speed with ease. And at 65 mph, the engine is turning at only 1800 rpm.

Some of this easygoing nature is attributable to the Cadenza’s new automatic transmission; Kia’s first 8-speed shifts laudably smoothly while you’re trundling about town, but the gear changes become reassuringly firm as more throttle is used. With aggressive throttle usage you can hear the engine through the firewall, but not to a bothersome 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. The 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 new 2017 Cadenza was shaped at Kia Design Center America, under the guidance of Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer. The roofline has been pulled rearward for a bit of a fastback design, and Ray Ng, principal exterior designer for the new Cadenza, likens the stretching of the sheet metal to creating a fitted shirt. “This is a car my dad would to drive,” added Ng. “But I wouldn’t mind driving it myself.”

The two most notable styling elements: Viewed from the side, the 2017 Kia Cadenza has a single line (what Kia calls a gestural contour) stretching from front to rear, terminating at Z-shaped styling elements in the headlights and taillights. It’s a handsome look, for sure, with plenty of chrome to up the luxury quotient. Also noteworthy is the “Intaglio” grille, whose convex vertical blades look sharp if a bit derivative of Maserati or maybe even Buick. Entry-level Cadenzas will sport a different grille, a “diamond butterfly” design seen in other Kias. In sum, we feel the new 2017 Kia Cadenza looks more refined than the 2016 car, and we can see why Ng says it has a “chiseled confidence.”

A handsome 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 (with 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, the Toyota Avalon, 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.

Inside and out, and from the driver's seat, the 2017 Kia Cadenza impresses. It’s handsome, it drives better than before, and it’s the roomy sedan you’ll need if your tall kids no longer fit particularly well in the back of your trusty Optima. It's also packed with the latest of today’s infotainment and safety technologies, the latter point underscored by nine standard airbags (including one for the driver's knees). Although some people say the traditional family sedan is doomed in the face of increasingly popular crossovers, Kia's spacious new 2017 Cadenza makes us think otherwise.