Kia's flagship sedan has officially made its debut in Korea today where it is called the K7. To the rest of the world the car will be known as Cadenza. The Cadenza replace the 10 year old Amanti/Opirus which carries a design that actually went out of fashion many years ago.
According to chief designer Peter Schreyer,"The traditional three-box sedan shape was retained, but was morphed into a more flowing design with an aerodynamic Cd of just 0.29." He further added " The interior is dominated by the treatment of the futuristic 'floating' dashboard that highlights Kia's innovative design approach.".
The Cadenza is shorter then the Opirus but manages to offer more space to the occupants through the extended wheelbase (up by 45 mm to 2845 mm), additional exterior width and more compact rear suspension. The Cadenza which sits on Kia's new 'Type-N' platform sheds 130kg from the previous generation Opirus.
Energy saving LEDs are used extensively on the cadenza from the front head lamps to the rear combination lamp clusters while dual mufflers integrated into the bumper, enhance the new Cadenza's sporty appearance.
The press release by Kia also highlights the 'welcome' system turns on the exterior puddle and interior lights to 'greet' the car owner. I can imagine how Jeremy Clarkson will be annoyed by this feature.
The Kia Cadenza comes equiped with electronic amenities such as Dual-zone climate control air-conditioning is standard, and other high-tech 'comfort & convenience' features include keyless entry and an engine 'start' button, RPAS reversing sensors, a reversing safety camera with interior mirror display screen and a powered extension for the driver's seat cushion.
Here is the technical details :
Body & Chassis
Four-door, five-seater sedan, with all-steel unitary construction bodyshell. Powered by transversely-mounted V6 gasoline engine driving the front wheels.
Engine
3.5-litre / 290 ps : [ Middle East & General Markets ]
Type : 'Lambda II' Quad-OHC, six-cylinder in V, with dual CVVT
Max power : 290 ps (213 kW) @ 6600 rpm
Max torque : 338 Nm (34.5 kg.m) @ 5000 rpm
Transmission
Automatic : 6-sp with fully auto & sequential manual modes
Suspension & Damping
Front : Fully independent by MacPherson Struts.
Rear : Fully independent by Multi-Link rear axle.
Steering
Type : Hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion
Gearing : 2.94 turns lock-to-lock with 11.08 metres turning circle
Brakes
Front / Rear : 300 x 28 mm ventilated discs / 284 x 10 mm solid discs
Wheels & Tires
Standard LX : Alloy 16 in x 6.5J 215/65 R16 tires
Standard EX* : Alloy 17 in x 7.0J 225/55 R17 tires
*Optional on LX
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