2014 Kia Cadenza
Korean sister brands Hyundai and Kia have certainly made their mark on American buyers. Hyundai is now a major player in family cars and utilities, while Kia is approaching premium brand status. In that vain, Kia is now taking a shot at the U.S. full-size sedan segment, one dominated by the Detroit three and Toyota. Kia’s big four-door is called Cadenza. With a solid track record in large cars back home, let’s see if a big Kia plays well here.
While full-size cars are no longer a huge market in the U.S., it is a car class that’s speaks volumes about a brand’s status and aspirations. Witness the boost Chevrolet’s pride is receiving from their redesigned Impala. A well-priced volume brand flagship sedan can also snare a few luxury buyers as well. And, that is the mission of the 2014 Kia Cadenza.
The Cadenza might actually have a broader audience than expected since it is somewhat smallish compared to other large sedans. With a wheelbase of 112 inches, and a length of 195.5, it’s almost six inches shorter overall than Impala, but nearly five inches longer than the mid-size Kia Optima, with which the Cadenza shares more than a passing Euro-themed resemblance.
The styling is very modern, yet not trendy, and should hold up well for the long period of time that big sedans generally go between redesigns. As to the name? For those of you who avoided music lessons in school, a cadenza is the portion of a song where a soloist gets to really show their stuff, and Kia hopes their Cadenza will bring down the house.
The upscale European influence of the Cadenza’s styling carries over to the interior. It’s driver centric, with nearly flush switchgear, yet clearly luxury oriented. Kia really sweated the small stuff too. Sensible gauges are well shrouded from glare. There are triple-sealed doors and lots of noise insulation to keep things ultra quiet; accompanied by some pleasant looking fake wood trim and soft touch materials.
A very long list of standards includes auto fold outside mirrors, heated leather seats, navigation with SiriusXM traffic, backup warning with camera, a 550-watt 12-speaker surround sound audio system, and Kia’s UVO eServices telematics which is top notch in ease of use.
Beyond that the Luxury Package adds driver’s seat memory and ventilation as well as panoramic sunroof. While the Technology package adds a raft of safety features including Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Blind Spot Detection, and Lane Departure Warning.
While its “not quite full size” size keeps rear seat legroom far from class best, space is still generous. The seat backs don’t fold however. Still, 15.9 cu-ft of trunk space is quite reasonable.
The Cadenza shares many mechanicals with the Hyundai Azera and that includes the 3.3-liter V6 with a front-wheel drive 6-speed automatic. It’s the brand’s most powerful V6 to date with 293-horsepower and 255 lb-ft. of torque.
And much like the Azera, the Cadenza doesn’t launch particularly hard off the line, and power builds gently once you do get rolling. It took 7.0-seconds to reach 60, and 15.5 to see the end of the quarter mile at 94 miles-per-hour. Even using the steering wheel paddles, shifts are not especially quick, but they are premium car smooth.
Through the cones, the Cadenza feels fairly light on its feet, but not so light that you forget how big it really is. There’s plenty of luxury class weight transfer and a soft feel when you ask for rapid response. Unlike other Kias that feel sportier than their Hyundai counterparts, we can’t feel a meaningful difference between Cadenza and Azera, and neither belongs anywhere near a race track. They do belong on the highway where ride quality is downright “plush”. The front struts and rear multi-links are definitely tuned for long distance comfort.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are about average for its class at 19–City, 28-Highway, and 22–Combined. We saw a better than expected 25.9 miles-per-gallon of Regular in mixed driving. The Energy Impact Score is average at 15.0-barrels of annual oil use with CO2 emissions coming in at 6.7-tons.
There is just one Cadenza trim level; Premium; starting at $35,900. Adding both the Luxury and Technology packages raises that to 41,900. Any way you slice it the Cadenza is a lot of large car for the money.
Indeed, taken as a whole, the 2014 Kia Cadenza does have a premium sedan nature, and yes, posture worthy of a brand flagship, but without going overboard on price. It is sportingly handsome, with a very well done interior, with lots of features, and a great ride. All things that should have Kia dealers, and Cadenza buyers, singing a happy tune.
Specifications
- Engine: 3.3-liter V6
- Horsepower: 293
- Torque: 255 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 7.0 seconds
- 1/4 mile: 15.5 seconds @ 94 mph
- EPA: 19 mpg city/ 28 mpg highway
- Energy Impact: 15.0 barrels of oil/yr
- CO2 Emissions: 6.7 tons/yr
2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz
Volkswagen Brings Beetlemania Level Of Excitement To Minivan Segment
The duty of upholding Volkswagen’s heritage has most recently been delegated to small legacy car names like Golf and Jetta. But hold on! A much larger, totally modern take on VW’s classic microbus has just buzzed over the horizon— the all-electric ID. Buzz. It’s been at the top of our minds since we first saw the concept back in 2017. Well, it’s finally here, so let’s get our groove into drive!
This 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz has indeed created the most buzz around Volkswagen since the Beetle’s return to the U.S. in the late 1990s. We couldn’t drive it anywhere without drawing a crowd. No wonder, just about everyone has a VW Microbus story to tell, and seeing this reimagined version rolling down the street brings back all those memories.
VW really pulled it off as far as we’re concerned, as it looks great without appearing over the top. All the cues are here: Big VW logo front and center, lots of greenhouse including A-pillar windows and mini sliders for the second-row passengers, D-pillar air vents, and two-tone wheels. And while its appearance may be pure retro, its drivetrain is far from it, as the ID. Buzz is all-electric, and unlike the new Beetle, the Buzz does retain the original Microbus’ rear-drive architecture.
Powering those rear wheels is a 210-kW motor drawing juice from a 91-kWh battery for a range of 234 miles; 200-kW max charging will get you to 80% in about 26 minutes. Buyers can add another small 80-kW motor up front for 4motion all-wheel-drive and an increase of total output from 282 to 335 horsepower with a combined 512 lb-ft of torque. It uses the same battery, but range estimates drop just slightly to 231 miles. But while those numbers are modest, we also found them to be quite conservative, as we observed as many as 287 miles available in our all-wheel-drive tester’s gauge display and were on pace for 273 miles in our driving loop.
One throwback theme that may be a turnoff to some is that it’s quite a step up into the Buzz’s front seats, but there’s certainly a commanding view of the road once you climb in. Second row seating can be either a three-place bench or a pair of captain’s chairs, so there’s generous room for seven or six passengers. The captain’s chairs in our Pro S Plus offer good support and very easy access to the third row.
Lots of flexibility too with the option to simply fold the seats or remove them altogether.
With the sliding side doors and a wide opening rear hatch, there’s plenty of access for loading big sport utility amounts of cargo. Lots of flexibility too with the option to simply fold the seats or remove them altogether, and the ability to create a full-length flat floor with a rear cargo shelf that covers some handy removable storage bins. There’s 18.6 cubic-feet of space behind the third row, 75.5 behind the second, and a max of 145.5. That’s more than a Chevrolet Tahoe. For smaller items, there are lots of cubbies throughout the cabin, along with a standard Buzz Box that can be moved to multiple locations.
With a design that prioritizes retro form and modern function over aero efficiency, the 4motion equipped ID. Buzz earns a Fair efficiency rating, using 42-kWh of electricity per 100 miles, and we weren’t sure what to expect at our Mason Dixon test track.
What we found was great torque off the line and drama free launches to 60 in just 5.3 seconds. It was very stable at speed and power delivery stayed steady most of the way down the track until we reached about 90 mph, when it began to taper off just before we finished the quarter-mile in 14.0 seconds flat at 97 mph.
With 1,200-lbs. of battery weight nestled in its 127.5-inch wheelbase, the Buzz felt planted to the pavement through our handling course. There was quite a bit of body roll to deal with, but surprisingly little understeer. In panic braking runs, pedal response was inconsistent, feeling soft at times, pushing back hard at others; but through it all, results were quite good, stopping from 60 in an average of just 108 feet.
Three interior themes are available, this Dune is the brightest, featuring coastal inspired wood optic dash décor, “gray and clay” leatherette surfaces, and a high-mounted central 12.9-inch touchscreen. Pricing starts with a rear-wheel-drive Pro S at $61,545; this Pro S Plus begins at $65,045, add another $4,500 for 4motion, which brings a few extra features along with all-wheel drive.
Retro design with old-school VW charm, modern EV drivetrain, big SUV capacity merged with minivan flexibility; it all comes together in this 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz. It’s easily one of the coolest rides of the year and one that will likely keep Volkswagen dealers buzzing for years to come, and that’s something no other people and things mover can say.
Specifications
As Tested
- Motor Setup: Dual-Motor AWD
- Battery Size: 91-kWh
- Horsepower: 335
- Torque: 512 lb-ft
- EPA Range: 231 miles
- 0-60 mph: 5.3 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 14.0 seconds at 97 mph
- Braking, 60-0: 108 feet
- MW Test Loop: ~ 273 miles