Essential Insights Before Choosing the Kia Cadenza Luxury Sedan
Discover the key features of the Kia Cadenza luxury sedan, including its performance, interior design, advanced technology, and safety ratings. Designed for those seeking elegance combined with reliability, this vehicle offers a smooth ride, premium amenities, and high safety standards. Learn more about its trims, pricing, and why it stands out in the mid-size luxury segment.
The Kia Cadenza exemplifies the brand's successful shift toward upscale vehicles. This luxury mid-size sedan features a 12.3-inch infotainment display and advanced driver-assistance systems. It boasts an excellent safety rating, generous cargo capacity, and a refined, comfortable interior. If you're considering a premium sedan, here's all you need to know about the Kia Cadenza.
About the Brand
Kia Motors, a South Korean automaker headquartered in Seoul, sold over 2.8 million units in 2019, making it South Korea’s second-largest automaker after Hyundai. Hyundai owns a 33.88% stake in Kia, valued at over $6 billion as of 2015.
Powered by a sophisticated V-6 engine, the Cadenza delivers smooth performance with 290 horsepower. Its intelligent driving modes optimize power, though the transmission lacks some refinement. The car offers comfortable steering and suspension that absorbs bumps efficiently, making it suitable for city driving and highway cruising. While comfort takes priority, the vehicle is capable in performance.
The elegant interior is crafted with premium materials, featuring leather seats with quilted designs and supportive ergonomics. The trunk provides 16 cubic feet of storage, enough for six carry-on bags, and rear seatbacks are designed for added structural support with a center pass-through for extra cargo space.
Technologically, the Kia Cadenza is equipped with a 12.3-inch touchscreen featuring intuitive menus, sharp graphics, and physical controls for selected settings. Standard features include Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, navigation, a premium eight-speaker stereo, satellite radio, wireless charging, Bluetooth, and four USB ports. Optional upgrades include a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, keyless entry, remote start, panoramic sunroof, and dual-zone climate control.
The vehicle prioritizes safety with features such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control that leverages the navigation system to anticipate road curves. The Cadenza received the top “Good” rating from IIHS in all crash tests, with “Superior” marks for collision avoidance and “Advanced” for pedestrian safety systems.
Available in two trims—Technology and Limited—the Kia Cadenza offers various features. The Technology trim includes a 12.3-inch touchscreen, smartphone integration, navigation, premium audio, wireless charging, and comfort amenities like heated and power-adjusted front seats, leather upholstery, 18-inch wheels, and a panoramic sunroof. The Limited trim adds Nappa leather, ventilated and heated seats, a premium 12-speaker sound system, surround-view camera, blind-spot monitoring, parking assistance, and 19-inch wheels. Pricing starts at $37,850 for the base Technology, with the fully equipped Limited costing around $43,550.
