We have to miss the Kia Cadenza here in the Netherlands, but in America Kia is fully committed to the still strong market for large sedans. A thorough facelift should ensure that Americans are more often persuaded to go for the Kia.
The Kia Cadenza, which is known as K7 in its home country of South Korea, has been thoroughly renovated. Although the car came on the market just over three years ago, Kia thought it was high time for a major facelift. You can’t argue about taste, but the Cadenza looks a lot sharper than before. A larger and completely new grille, accompanied by sharper shaped headlights, give the Cadenza a more contemporary look.
A lot of work has also been done at the rear. We can see this by, among other things, a continuous light bar between the also completely renewed rear lights. Kia has also kept a solid home, even the entire cockpit is new. Among other things, a 4.2-inch digital set of instruments and the 12.3-inch infotainment screen are standard. It has to take the luxury experience in the Cadenza to a new level and at first glance the brand has done that nicely. Moreover, the engine remains unchanged; a 3.3-liter V6 with 290 hp still serves, coupled with an eight-speed automatic.
Honesty tells us that we first saw the facelift of the Cadenza a while ago, when the updated K7 was presented. This time, however, it concerns the version intended for America and that is a very important one for a Kia. Competitors such as the Nissan Maxima are still in great demand, but the Cadenza managed to attract only 1,600 customers last year. A year earlier, Kia sold around 2.5 times as many Cadenzas. Who knows, the facelift can bring better times.