New luxury car by Kia

Late last year, Kia vice chairman Hyoung-Keun Lee said that the brand would be a genuine competitor to the established luxury automakers by 2017. That time frame seems rather ambitious considering that Kia has gone without a flagship here since the Amanti went out of production in 2010, and a competitive flagship since, well, ever. (The plan also seems ambitious because, well, just read it again.) And while the rear-drive Quoris/K9 is Kia’s range-topper in Korea, its derivative design and distant arrival—it won’t be sold here until some time next year—aren’t setting pulses racing. This car, the Kia Cadenza, probably won’t do that either, but its maker used the car’s debut to announce its entry into the luxury-sedan segment.

The Cadenza shares a number of components with the Hyundai Azera, including its 3.3-liter V-6 with direct injection. Output stands at 293 horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque. The engine is the most-powerful V-6 Kia has ever sold in the U.S., and it sends its muscle to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic that offers paddle-actuated shifts. Underneath, the car has struts up front and a multilink setup in the rear.

Kia references improvements in fuel economy—the car has been offered in other markets since 2010—but didn’t speak to any specifics. (For reference, the Azera is rated at 20 mpg in the city and 29 on the highway.) Kia says that the car is constructed with a heavy dose of high-tensile steel; the stuff makes up 60 percent of the Cadenza’s body structure.