Take a look through the Kia vehicle lineup and you’ll see a group of value-packed cars that have great fuel economy and clever features. You’ll also find a couple of oddballs like the Stinger sports sedan and the $60,000 K900 luxury sedan, the latter of which is a relative mystery to most car shoppers. I recently spent a week with the K900 and came away thinking that it’s a shame more people don’t know about this car. Short of the Kia badge on the hood and the price tag, there is very little to differentiate this car from many of its European counterparts.
The K900 does a convincing impression of a top-notch executive sedan but doesn’t quite stir the emotions like a BMW 5-Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It’s a solid entry into the segment, and though it can’t touch even E-Class levels of luxury that’s ok. Kia owners will be laughing all the way to the bank with the money they saved.
Design
Kia’s designers took no risks with the K900, but the car’s function-over-form shape conveys the brand’s well-deserved confidence in their full-size sedan. Even the Kia “clinched teeth” grille has been toned down for the car. The overall effect works well, and while there’s nothing particularly exciting about the K900 from a design perspective, the buttoned-up profile is just what Kia needed to convey its competence in creating a full-size luxury car.
Inside, there’s very little left to want in the way of luxury features and high-end materials. The leather- and wood-covered heated steering wheel is thick in all the right places and truly feels expensive. Elsewhere, wood and brushed metal finishes accent an interior that is modern and comfortable, if not a bit spartan in its design.
Performance
There’s a big difference between a car’s specs on paper and how it actually feels when you put your foot down, and the K900 doesn’t disappoint from either standpoint. a 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with 365 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque look great until you see that the car weighs in at over 4,500 pounds. Paper or not, when you do bury your foot, it’s a very short leap into varying levels of irresponsible speed and the car maintains its composure the entire time. Of course, that’s not really the point of the K900, but it’s nice to know that the power is there when you want it.
All-wheel drive is standard, and while it’s not a requirement for living in the snow belt, it’s a welcome addition to any vehicle, especially a fluffy full-size sedan. As spring claws its way into New England, our already cracked and buckled road surfaces become downright treacherous with the rising temperatures. Unexpected bumps and potholes are no match for the K900’s torque vectoring AWD and electronically-controlled suspension. I wouldn’t take the car to a race track for a high-speed run, but it’s competent enough to enjoy a spirited drive on a curvy backroad.
Tech
Kia’s UVO infotainment system is one of the best, and it’s put to good use on the K900’s wide touchscreen – all 12.3 inches of it. The system cleverly segments various apps that are in use across the screen, so that things like navigation and music can be clearly seen together in one place. There’s a scroll wheel in use here, and while they aren’t always the most intuitive thing to navigate, Kia’s implementation makes it easy to figure out when using the wheel or the touchscreen will net the best results. Given the distance between the driver’s seat and the screen, the scroll wheel makes operating various radio and screen functions much safer for shorter people and when driving in crowded conditions.
Comfort
If someone blindfolded you and made you sit in the K900, you’d be hard pressed to not believe you were sitting in a classic German luxury sedan. The front seats are deep and well-padded in all the right places. You won’t find massaging or anything crazy here, but you won’t miss those things either. The seats are deep, supportive, and are 20-way power adjustable on the driver’s side. When the sport driving mode is activated, the front seats’ power bolsters tighten up to provide support and hold passengers in place.
Back seat accommodations are where any executive sedan has to shine, and the K900’s star is burning bright. Not only are the seats heated and power-adjustable with lumbar supports, they also get acres of head and leg room and a folding rear armrest with independent climate and audio controls. It’s quite a nice place to be, and I’d have ridden back there the whole time if someone else were allowed to drive.
Cars like the K900 only make sense if people buy them, and there’s a philosophical barrier that brands like Kia and Genesis (Hyundai) have only just begun to break. It’s very difficult for a luxury brand that isn’t European to get a legitimate level of traction in the market, but with brands like Ford and GM backing away from the sedan the window is open wider now for Kia and other up-and-comers. Just a few years ago, paying $60,000 for a Kia would have made most people belly laugh, yet here we are.
