LexFather

'

On cue

lol....its blandomatic, looks like something from the 1990s

Please don't mention Audi.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Mike, please exit this thread and knock off the personal jabs.

mmarshall

Agree it's decent-looking....though the front end is pretty much the same as all the other Kia sedans these days. Seems like Kia, like a number of other auto-manufacturers, is going for a standardized front-end look (Audi, Acura, BMW, Mitsubishi, Chevy, Buick, etc...) I think that Ford, with their new emphasis on Aston-style grilles, will probably be next.

I don't see any problem with wheel gaps, as long as they are reasonable. You have to have at least some gap to allow for up/down suspension-travel over bumps/acceleration/braking, weight in the car, and body-roll when cornering. Otherwise, the tires will rub their tread off in the wells, and the fender sheet-metal could be damaged.

Mr. Burns

I just don't see any character or identity with this design. What is it saying about me on the road? What should I be expecting when I buy it?

What Schreyer has failed to do is create a unique and consistent brand design language for KIA. Instead he's taken all of his VW/Audi designs and applied them to KIA with a few changed details and a new grill.

"Smithers' I'm beginning to think that Peter Schreyer was not the brilliant designer I thought he was.."

Trexus

I'm inclined to agree with Blueprint and Mr. Burns on this regarding the Cadenza. Reminds me how the VW Phaeton and Audi A8 were basically the same vehicle with a few minor differences.

Hyundai and Kia are the same company but should have much more differences when sharing the same platforms for either Hyundai or Kia. Hyundai is definitely coming up and should absorb Kia into Hyundai and then create a luxury division to compete with either tier 2 luxury (Acura, Cadillac, Infiniti and Lincoln) or tier 1 luxury (Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes).

pman6

yeah. It's looking like Peter's a one trick pony.

Current audi designers have done a better job since he left.

TangoRed

In theory this would be a good idea, but absorbing Kia into Hyundai would give up an ungodly amount of sales. The two do have distinctive styling and subtle tuning differences, enough to the point where they often end up some distance away from each other when in the same comparison test.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

why are the group of young women behind the car carrying stacks of black boxes?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

agreed they're not differentiated enough, but disagree they should combine hyundai and kia.

also, the whole tier 1 / tier 2 luxury thing is really a u.s.-only concept, as companies like mercedes certainly sell very spartan vehicles in other parts of the world. conversely, it's true that the 'tier 2' brands you mention don't sell really high end cars (LS600hL, LFA, 750, S class, etc.).

hyundai is a wide ranging brand today (accent to equus!), using its kia subsidiary more for more more youthful designed 'premium value' (?) mainstream vehicles.

seems likely in time hyundai will launch a third brand for luxury vehicles.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

I would pick the K9 over this

Trexus

I guess it's kinda like Scion and Toyota (Kia and Hyundai). Now Hyundai needs a luxury division.

Tier 1 and tier 2 is an easier way to categorize luxury vehicles. In other parts of the world BMW and Mercedes do sell spartan vehicles because they don't have a parent company like Toyota or Volkswagen to sell mainstream vehicles. Lexus and Audi have the R&D funding of their respective parent companies. Mercedes tried having a mainstream car company when they purchased Chrysler but that didn't work out. BMW is expanding with Mini. Mini isn't a mainstream car company but has come a long way.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

agreed. kia soul is kinda like a small xB.

seems reasonable, but is 'tier 1' then just 4 brands (mb, lexus, bmw, audi)? what about bentley, or maserati? heck even tesla?

spwolf

well it looks good overall, especially profile which is a lot like 7 series... but you can see it is copied design and those wheels particularly are bad.



this much nicer pics and wheels and shows VW/BMW design cues... you would have no clue what car this is from profile... maybe Passat maybe BMW.... and that kink in the rear doors looks like Lexus.

Chocolate

"I just spent almost 40,000 dollars on a Kia"

and

Vibration and possible alignment or steering issues.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...ng-term-review

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

The K9 is Kia's flagship just like the equus for hyundai.

I would pick a flagship over a middle luxury too