2015 Kia K900
It was probably only a matter of time until Kia decided to make use of parent company Hyundai's rear-wheel drive platform (used on the Equus) and make something of their own. Ever since the two brands amalgamated, Kia's stable has grown by leaps and bounds, and that platform was the only one they hadn't done anything with for the North American market.
Enter the K900 (I wouldn't have called it that, either, but it's miles better than "K9", the name of the concept version), a V-6 or V-8-powered, rear-wheel drive luxury sedan from a company that, not ten years ago, you would have never guessed had the wherewithal to build one. (Overall score: 8.2)
Walkaround
We'll talk about the front-end in a minute, but let's take the K900 from the profile perspective for just a moment.
It looks very good from this angle, the multi-spoke wheels, chrome detailing and long hood all doing their part to appeal to the grand touring nature of a discerning luxury buyer. Not sure about the side grilles, though; they look just a little too tacked on.
The rear three-quarter also isn't bad, the big taillight lenses nicely joined by a chrome strip, and the twin oblong tailpipes doing a good job hinting at the power within.
The front fascia is a little tougher to appreciate; the patented Kia grille is done to the nth degree here, and the way the distance sensor—used for radar cruise control—is parked right there mid-span is a little off-putting; it reminds us of an unattached block heater chord. Then again, it seems that manufacturers in general haven't quite figured out how to implement the sensors for these types of systems without creasing the lines, so it's hard to fault Kia for the gaffe. (Score: 7.8)
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Interior
It's a totally different experience inside, where Kia has clearly done its homework.
The detailing is spot on, from the way the real wood door inserts arc gracefully from the front doors to the rears, to the way the dashboard matches that, and comes to a nice peak just above the analogue clock mounted middle of the centre stack. Never mind that the seat controls are borrowed from Mercedes, the shift-lever from BMW and the digital gauge cluster from Jaguar; there are a lot of pleasing lines, here, and it makes for a nice, airy interior that's helped by a full-length moonroof.
Not that the moonroof is really needed for occupant comfort, as there's plenty of room to begin with. Rear seat passengers get 970 mm of legroom, which is more than you'll find in many SUVs and crossovers, and even with the moonroof, you've still got 950 mm of head room in the rear, and 1,020 up front. Add 5 mm at the back if you don't have the moonroof. (Score: 8.4)
Tech
Being the V-8 Elite trim, our tester had all the bells and whistles: 12.3-inch SuperVision (a fancy word for "digital") gauge cluster, head-up display, power reclining rear seats (and the ability to actually move the seat in front of you forward!), 360-degree camera, adaptive headlights, cooled rear seats and power-assist door pulls.
Really, though, all you have to do is take one look at the rear-passenger seat controls mounted into the centre armrest to see that this is a car with tech to rival that of any major luxury manufacturer.
It also does a good job of showcasing the K900 as a car to be driven in, as opposed to a car to drive. (Score: 8.8)
Driving
Whether that's accurate, of course, depends on your perspective.
For starters, the power on-tap (420 hp, 376 lb.-ft. for the V-8, or 311/293 for the V-6) is enough to get you up to highway speeds in no time. Power is transmitted through an eight-speed automatic, the only option for the K900.
So when you really start to dig into that powerband (which you have to do to get the most of it; peak power comes at 4,500 r.p.m., peak torque at 5,000) you'll be flying. You may not know it, though, because the chassis—which comes standard with dynamic dampers—does such a good job of masking what's going on beneath you.
Which is where the "be driven" people enter the picture. For them, smoothness and comfort is paramount, and you have that it spades with the K900 thanks to those dampers, plus some fantastic—FANTASTIC—seats both front and back. What you don't get so much of, however, is an especially engaging drive experience once you get past the healthy horses on offer. Steering feel is low, and while switching to a different drive mode will help the situation, you don't get Kia's FlexSteer system that lets you adjust steering weight on the fly. That's a strange choice, considering lesser Kia models get the system.
We also found the K900 a little wallowy as the turns got a harsher. (Score 7.1)
Value
Having said all that, both the 'be driven' and 'drive myself' people might take issue with the fuel economy, which is conservatively rated at 10.3L/100km on the highway, and 15.7 in the city. We saw closer to 17 in the city, but the highway figures are pretty bang-on.
Other than that, though, the K900 provides excellent value. There are few places you'll find all that tech for less than 70 grand before taxes. A base V-8-powered Mercedes-Benz E 550 starts at $76,300, a 550i at another $400 on top of that, although you do get AWD with both those models.
Or go the other way; if you can do without the V-8, you're looking at a sub-$50,000 base price. (Score: 8.8)
Conclusion
As much as I liked the V-8, the V-6 is probably the way I'd go, just for the fuel economy it offers. With it, you still get those great adaptive dampers as standard, great seats, all that space, eight-speed transmission and handsome (from some angles, at least) lines. Or, drop an additional 10 grand or so for the Premium package, and get yourself some wonderful real wood, panoramic sunroof, Nappa leather seats, HUD, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise, lane departure warning and more.
All for $60,995 before taxes.
Hard to miss with that.
Autofocus.ca is a Canadian automotive website dedicated to making car shopping easier and driving more fun. Follow Autofocus on Facebook and Twitter.
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