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Filed under: Sedan, Kia, First Drives, LuxuryKia's Second Effort At Luxury Finds More Love Than The Amanti The same recent global economic crises that have led luxury automakers to invade the small car market are also somewhat responsible for the influx of near-luxury sedans from mainstream automakers. As the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Audi are reaching down for new customers, automakers like Hyundai, Chevrolet and Toyota are reaching up to bridge the gap and fill in the white space between the industry's typical high-volume large sedans and established luxury sedans. Joining this emerging market, the 2014 Kia Cadenza is the latest sedan to blur the line between value and luxury. One of Kia's core focuses has been offering value to customers, and even with a starting price of $35,100, the Cadenza still represents plenty of that kind of thinking. Despite what might first come to mind, the Cadenza is not named after a piece of furniture. Instead, Kia notes the name for its new front-wheel-drive flagship comes from the Italian musical term that translates as 'cadence'. The name thus fits in nicely with the brand's other musically inspired model name, Forte. Much like the Hyundai Genesis, the Cadenza will serve as a test of sorts to see how much customers are willing to pay for a Kia, and despite recent reports indicating that Kia has confirmed the Quoris for next year, the reality is that the availability of the bigger rear-wheel-drive flagship will be determined in part by how well the Cadenza strikes a chord with buyers. This isn't Kia's first crack at mid-level luxury. That distinction goes to the bug-eyed, Amanti, which was killed off in 2009. The same basic recipe is still in place - V6 power, roomy interior and a lengthy list of standard features, yet this car seems altogether better outfitted to appeal to modern consumers than the baroque Amanti. We headed out to the great weather and even better roads near San Diego to test the 2014 Kia Cadenza to see for ourselves if it has the inner harmony and cadence to keep step with full-size luxury sedans or if it's just here to make a bunch of noise.Continue reading 2014 Kia Cadenza2014 Kia Cadenza originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 May 2013 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Car Buying, Minivan/Van, Sedan, Kia, Luxury What, you didn't think that Kia was going to let Hyundai have all the big-dollar fun, did you? Hyundai may have blazed a trail upmarket with its Genesis Sedan and more recently, the Equus, but its corporate sibling, Kia, has arguably been autodom's hottest brand the last few years, with increases in style, tech, consumer consideration and sales that are the envy of the industry. So it's no surprise that it isn't stopping its North American product onslaught with its just-introduced 2014 Cadenza sedan, it's reportedly readying its premium-minded rear-drive Quoris cruiser for a launch here next year. That's according to a new report from Automotive.com, which spoke with Kia officials at the media launch of the Cadenza. The oddly named Quoris ("derived from the English words 'core' and 'quality,'" says Kia), will likely nuzzle up against its Equus stablemate when it debuts, carrying an estimated $50,000 to $70,000 price tag. To our eyes, the Kia looks markedly more contemporary than the Equus inside-and-out (no surprise, it's a much newer design). And there's even more reason for optimism on Kia's behalf: the Hyundai Equus has been doing just fine on the sales front - even before its recently introduced facelift. So it's not unreasonable to interpret the luxury sedan market as open to the idea of owning a full-size luxury sedan from a non-traditional country. In other news, Kia recently exhumed its elderly Sedona minivan, dusting it off, putting a little more frosting on its flanks and trotting it out to customers anew for 2014. The people mover's odd, Lazarus-like reanimation moment apparently isn't lost on Kia executives, who still very much want a modern minivan. According to the same report, an all-new Sedona, likely informed by 2011's funky KV7 Concept, is still a ways off - but we could hear more about it as early as later this year.Kia to make push upmarket with Quoris next year, new Sedona also likely originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments