The current generation of Kia Cadenza has
been around for two years, so a mid-life refresh was due. The 2020 Cadenza has an enlarged concave grille that
nevertheless maintains Kia's signature "tiger nose" shape. The
headlights are now all-LED and fit within a sleeker slit-like housing. The
bumper portion has also been redone with the old quad pod of LED lights in each
corner giving way to an architectural metallic trim piece that spans its width.
The rear bumper and taillights have also been given a re-think. New 18-inch
wheels will also tell you it’s a facelift version, and paying extra even buys
you a larger 19-inch set.
The interior gets more noteworthy changes,
however. The dash has been redone to accommodate the standard 12-inch panoramic
touchscreen that migrates from the Telluride and other higher-end vehicles in
the Hyundai empire. The air vents are now below the screen rather than on
either side of it, and the screen itself fits just forward of the concave dash
surrounding it. The design achieves the purpose of reducing visual bulk without
resorting to the iPad-glued-to-the-dash look. The climate and secondary
infotainment controls were also lowered and rearranged into a waterfall panel
that now meets up with the center console.
Interior feature content is largely the
same apart from three extra USB ports (one more up front, two in the rear) and
an enhanced 10-watt wireless charging pad. It's the safety tech roster that
really gets bolstered, however, as Kia's Drive Wise suite of driver assistance
features now comes standard. This includes the extensive blind-spot monitoring
system that won Autoblog's Technology of the Year award, as well as forward
collision warning with pedestrian/cyclist detection and automatic emergency
braking, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control with steering assist and
navigation-system input, and the Safe Exit Assist feature that warns passengers
when traffic is detected from the rear.
Mechanically, the 2020 Cadenza is the same
apart from efforts made to improve NVH. Rear sub-frame cross members were
reinforced, noise-reducing wheels were added and the shock valves were
redesigned to reduce vibration. Larger rear dampers also improve suspension
rebound over rough surfaces, which is good, because big Kias have been known to
get a bit nautical over big bumps.
Regardless of your other choices, the
entire range ships with only one 3.3-liter V6 engine good for 290 hp and 343 Nm of torque, linked to an eight-speed auto transmission.
Sales in the USA start later this year, with no further specifics given.
