Story by John LeBlanc
LOS ANGELES — The new 2015 K900 is not the first time Kia has built a “flagship” luxury sedan, the last of which was the utterly forgettable 2002 to 2010 Amanti. But it only takes one look at the new K900 to see how far the Korean automaker has come in such a short period of time.
A true “flagship” sedan, the K900 is a full-sized luxury ride that sits above the recently introduced front-drive Kia Cadenza mid-size four-door. While its closest corporate cousin is the Hyundai Equus, Kia designers and product planners have done a good job separating the two big Korean four-doors. The good looking Kia is also a four-wheeled statement that the brand is serious about taking on more established luxury marques in a segment it has never been in before.
“Kia’s rise over the last five years has been fuelled by a willingness to challenge the status quo with vehicles such as the Optima, Sorento and Cadenza, which have brought new and more affluent customers to our showrooms and dramatically raised the profile of the brand while maintaining our value proposition. The K900 is the next logical progression for Kia. It demonstrates what Kia is capable of and will help redefine what the Kia brand stands for,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president, marketing and communications, Kia Motors America.
While a 311 horsepower, 3.8-litre six-cylinder gas engine is the K900’s starter motor (the most-powerful V6 in a Kia ever); it’s the optional 5.0 L eight-cylinder (the brands’ first-ever V8 with 520 hp) that truly communicates Kia’s ambiguous intentions.
Value is synonymous with the Kia brand. And the new K900 will continue that proposition. Although pricing hasn’t been released yet, the Kia sedan is expected to cost thousands less than comparably equipped vehicles from the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, yet offer a high level of standard kit.
How high? Kia says the K900’S top-line V8 VIP model will sport a standard, 12.3-inch color LCD screen (featuring different themes depending on the drive mode selected) the largest TFT instrument panel ever offered in a Kia vehicle, and Kia’s first head-up display, a full colour height-adjustable version that “floats” just over the edge of the sedan’s windshield showing driver information like speed, turn-by-turn navigation and alerts from the blind-spot detection and lane-departure warning systems.
The K900’s opulent goodies spill over into the large sedan’s backseat as well. Additional options include reclining outboard rear seats with multi-stage heating. Under a panel inside the centre armrest, rear-seat passengers can control the Kia sedan’s ventilation system, and can fold the back cushion of the front passenger seat forward with the touch of a button for more room. A power rear window sunshade and retractable rear side window sunshades are standard across all models.
While the new Kia K900 sports aggressive styling, a powerful V8, rear-wheel-drive and a long list of sybaritic features, no new luxury sedan can be rolled out at an auto show without the requisite laundry list of active safety features. And the K900 is no exception, with a long list of safety firsts for Kia.
Kia’s first use of its Advanced Vehicle Safety Management (AVSM) system (that marries the control of various vehicle monitoring systems, including the electronic stability control, seatbelt mechanisms and multiple warning systems) can alert the driver to danger by pre-pressurising the braking system and activate the Pre-Safe Belt system (depending on the anticipated level of a collision risk.) And if the potential of a collision is detected, AVSM warns the driver in three stages: an audible alarm, a visual warning on both the HUD and TFT LCD cluster and a tightening of the front seatbelts.
In addition, the K900 V8 models come standard with Kia’s first Rear Cross Traffic Alert system. It provides an audible warning to the driver if oncoming cross traffic is detected from the rear while the vehicle is in reverse gear.
As always, the big question with the new 2015 Kia K900 will be if luxury buyers can get by its non-established badge. It’s a hurdle the chief design officer of both Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, Peter Schreyer, recognizes.
“For many luxury car buyers, they think badge first, the car second,” Schreyer said. But if buyers can get past the K900’s signature Kia grille, it appears that an authentic flagship sedan awaits them.
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Story by John LeBlanc
LOS ANGELES — The new 2015 K900 is not the first time Kia has built a “flagship” luxury sedan, the last of which was the utterly forgettable 2002 to 2010 Amanti. But it only takes one look at the new K900 to see how far the Korean automaker has come in such a short period of time.
A true “flagship” sedan, the K900 is a full-sized luxury ride that sits above the recently introduced front-drive Kia Cadenza mid-size four-door. While its closest corporate cousin is the Hyundai Equus, Kia designers and product planners have done a good job separating the two big Korean four-doors. The good looking Kia is also a four-wheeled statement that the brand is serious about taking on more established luxury marques in a segment it has never been in before.
“Kia’s rise over the last five years has been fuelled by a willingness to challenge the status quo with vehicles such as the Optima, Sorento and Cadenza, which have brought new and more affluent customers to our showrooms and dramatically raised the profile of the brand while maintaining our value proposition. The K900 is the next logical progression for Kia. It demonstrates what Kia is capable of and will help redefine what the Kia brand stands for,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president, marketing and communications, Kia Motors America.
While a 311 horsepower, 3.8-litre six-cylinder gas engine is the K900’s starter motor (the most-powerful V6 in a Kia ever); it’s the optional 5.0 L eight-cylinder (the brands’ first-ever V8 with 520 hp) that truly communicates Kia’s ambiguous intentions.
December 3rd, 2013 @ 7:56 pm
Just add AWD and I’m a believer!