I was provided the KIA Cadenza Limited in exchange for my honest opinion. The story, images, and content are based on my experiences behind the wheel and the road.
When this was written, I was driving a beautiful large SUV, and the Kia Cadenza in no way matched the SUV, from the engine to the ride, but the vehicle was nice to test drive. My road trip to the Poconos allowed me to truly experience the dynamic features of the vehicle and capture how the Kia Cadenza handles the road from the highway to the hills.
I’ll be very honest here as well; there was a different KIA that I was test-driving (and never wrote about) as it broke down and left me stranded, and the story of how long it would take to get the car captured by KIA and returned was ridiculous so driving this particular KIA had ame a little nerve-wracked.
Therefore before attempting to take this vehicle on a long road trip with my kids in the car, we took a test drive a few times. And now for the rest of the story.
Travel is my passion, and I honestly love getting out of Pittsburgh and traveling because there is never enough to do, so leaving provides a small breath of fresh air away from the city of Pittsburgh.
Do you know how you become too familiar with your surroundings and need out? I get antsy if I am not out, and about a few times a month; it is just me!
My latest travels have taken me from Pittsburgh to the Poconos and from Pittsburgh to Erie.
My road-tripping with the Kia Cadenza Limited allowed me to get intimately familiar with this ride.
Buckle up, and get ready to learn all about road-tripping with the Kia Cadenza Limited. Get behind the telescopic wheel and drive.
Lavishly live life on the road from the inside out with Kia Cadenza Limited. My road trips offer scenery, excitement, family adventures, and shopping!
Table of Contents
Road Tripping with the Kia Cadenza
What I First Like About The Kia Cadenza Limited
When I first saw the 2017 KIA Cadenza, I saw an incredible 4 door sedan glistening in the sun. The Granite Brown paint offers sharp exterior styling.
I was not sure that a family would be comfortable in this car, especially if you are stepping out of an SUV and moving into a sedan, but the results surprised me.
Small Geeked-Out Moment
My Samsung Galaxy 8 loves this car because it wirelessly charges. No matter where I go, my phone charges as we drive, and discovering the charger was a big moment in my Kia Cadenze limited driving life!
Test Run: Road Tripping In The Kia Cadenza Limited
To Fiestaware in West Virginia via OHIO on a crazy bridge; I can happily say I will never drive on this bridge again!
Car Features I Love On The Kia Cadenza Limited
We are off on our first trip to the Great Wolf Lodge, which will give us a chance to experience the elevated ride in this car truly.
The Navigation system offered an 8″ touchscreen and a rear camera. I heart this nav system because, by far, it is the most user-friendly system and very helpful when navigating.
- The car is comfortable, and I drive for a lot of travel writing, so I can attest to the comfort.
- The 3.3L Gas Direct Injection V6 Engine never lets me down.
- Each acceleration call is met with a firm resoluteness, meeting my request.
Our trip is from the hills of Pittsburgh to the mountainous region of the Poconos, which allowed me to see how the car would handle when we were on the uphill ascent and the downhill descent.
I can tell you that I didn’t have to push the pedal to the point that it was on the floor when calling for speed.
The Steering Wheel Features Of the Kia Cadenza Limited
- power tilt
- telescoping with memory
- radio, cruise control, phone, and volume all at my fingertips
- heated steering wheel
There is plenty to ogle at right on the steering wheel, don’t you agree? The features are great for safety and help keep our eyes on the road.
Kia Cadenza Limite Feature: Braking
You can see the auto hold feature for braking in this short video, I like that, and it was something I had not experienced before.
The auto hold is the ruler of all things braking!
Drive Style Options: Sport, Eco, Smart, and Comfort.
Whether you prefer to drive in any of the following modes, the Kia Cadenza Limited has you covered.
- Sport
- Eco
- Smart
- Comfort
What Is Smart Mode?
The smart driving mode learns my driving habits, from my shifting response due to road conditions to turning behaviors. It’s incredible. I believe the car should know me as well as I know it, which makes a level playing field for review. Also, because of the amount of highway driving and construction on the highway, I need to feel in command, so I used Smart Mode.
What Is Sport Mode?
Sport Mode offers a more responsive throttle, and I use this for some highway driving (which was often). The KIA is most responsive in this mode while on the highway (IMO). Sport Mode has some serious pull to it made less sense in some places we were traveling.
What Is Eco Mode?
ECO, sorry, I am not that girl, so I do not drive in this mode. There is a slight delay in starting from a stop light, etc., when in ECO. After all, the Eco Mode is meant for slightly lower engine output, so the expected lag. It would not be a big deal for most, but this Type A girl wants to be first in the driving line. ECO mode is not my gig. Remember that ECO mode will provide you with a nice increase in gas mileage.
What is Comfort Mode?
Perhaps you want the vehicle to function without having to make adjustments. Use the Comfort Mode. Comfort Mode compliments shifting, no matter the manual or automatic transmission. Shifting up or down does not make the ride feel different. Use this mode if you have kids or pets who like less ‘felt’ movements when driving and need their naps, as demonstrated above. LOL!
Speaking of comfort…
My Video Overview Of The Kia Cadenza Limited
Now, get inside the vehicle, and learn more about the amenities the 2017 Kia Cadenza offers.
Exterior Overview Of the Kia Cadenza Limited
Dark autumn nights are upon us, so the LED Headlights and Fog lights were extremely helpful as I navigated the hills.
We were ‘high-beamed’ many times, but my beams were not on. The lights are magnificently brilliant. One feature I believe is missing is the auto high beam on this KIA, but I worked around that on dark, untraveled roads, manually shifting from high beam to regular beam.
Passenger Seating Inside the Kia Cadenza Limited
Two teen boys sat in the passenger back seats, and my daughter sat up front. The comfort level of all three in the back was non-existent, as they are teens and it is not spacious if you want me to be honest.
I do think if your teens are not 6 feet or over 5’5″, they will be fine in there, but my boys are big kids (which is why we drive an SUV), and it was squishy but offered heated rear outboard seats, which was a good tradeoff for not being overly spacious.
As for the front passenger seat: The comfortable seating has White Nappa leather seat trim that is sharp against the black detailing. The front seat also has heated and ventilated options.
I Never Saw This Coming: Cargo Space
This trunk was amazing; I love that if I want to crack it to a point and stop it, I can watch.
During one of our test runs in the car, we did a warehouse club run for the obvious reasons mentioned above to see how much I could fit in the trunk.
Truly the Kia Cadenza has some generous space.
Overall Opinion On The Kia Cadenza Limited 2017
Our adventures were supported by a smooth ride, a quiet interior cabin, excellent seat adjustment controls, and much more.
The KIA Cadenza Limited is loaded with features.
This feature-rich vehicle is listed at $45,290.00. However, for my family, the car was functional but not large enough for growing teens and not nearly large enough for a grocer and warehouse club run or more than 2 hockey bags.
Since we are a hockey family and often drive other hockey friends, this vehicle is not practical for our family in that respect. And while loaded with features, I would still opt for an SUV in this price range instead and cut out some of the amenities.
All personal opinion, but so is this article. I hope that Helps. DANA XO
