Kia cadenza/ K7 unveiled in Korea + photos

Kia's flagship sedan has officially made its debut in Korea today where it is called the K7. To the rest of the world the car will be known as Cadenza. The Cadenza replace the 10 year old Amanti/Opirus which carries a design that actually went out of fashion many years ago.

According to chief designer Peter Schreyer,"The traditional three-box sedan shape was retained, but was morphed into a more flowing design with an aerodynamic Cd of just 0.29." He further added " The interior is dominated by the treatment of the futuristic 'floating' dashboard that highlights Kia's innovative design approach.".

The Cadenza is shorter then the Opirus but manages to offer more space to the occupants through the extended wheelbase (up by 45 mm to 2845 mm), additional exterior width and more compact rear suspension. The Cadenza which sits on Kia's new 'Type-N' platform sheds 130kg from the previous generation Opirus.

Energy saving LEDs are used extensively on the cadenza from the front head lamps to the rear combination lamp clusters while dual mufflers integrated into the bumper, enhance the new Cadenza's sporty appearance.

The press release by Kia also highlights the 'welcome' system turns on the exterior puddle and interior lights to 'greet' the car owner. I can imagine how Jeremy Clarkson will be annoyed by this feature.

The Kia Cadenza comes equiped with electronic amenities such as Dual-zone climate control air-conditioning is standard, and other high-tech 'comfort & convenience' features include keyless entry and an engine 'start' button, RPAS reversing sensors, a reversing safety camera with interior mirror display screen and a powered extension for the driver's seat cushion.


Here is the technical details :

Body & Chassis
Four-door, five-seater sedan, with all-steel unitary construction bodyshell. Powered by transversely-mounted V6 gasoline engine driving the front wheels.

Engine
3.5-litre / 290 ps : [ Middle East & General Markets ]
Type : 'Lambda II' Quad-OHC, six-cylinder in V, with dual CVVT
Max power : 290 ps (213 kW) @ 6600 rpm
Max torque : 338 Nm (34.5 kg.m) @ 5000 rpm

Transmission
Automatic : 6-sp with fully auto & sequential manual modes

Suspension & Damping
Front : Fully independent by MacPherson Struts.
Rear : Fully independent by Multi-Link rear axle.

Steering
Type : Hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion
Gearing : 2.94 turns lock-to-lock with 11.08 metres turning circle

Brakes
Front / Rear : 300 x 28 mm ventilated discs / 284 x 10 mm solid discs

Wheels & Tires
Standard LX : Alloy 16 in x 6.5J 215/65 R16 tires
Standard EX* : Alloy 17 in x 7.0J 225/55 R17 tires
*Optional on LX















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Car Review :The 2010 Kia Sorento by Autoblog

Here is the review of the latest Kia Sorento done by Autoblog.

First off, let's talk style. We happen to think the Sorento, though perhaps a bit dated this far into its life cycle, has always been one of the better looking SUVs on the market. While the old and new machines look entirely different from one another when placed side-by-side, that attractive tradition carries on with the 2011 model. Blur your vision a bit and it would be easy to mistake the '11 Sorento for any number of midsize CUVs, but take a little time to pick out the details and you'll likely be pleased.




Starting up front with a grille that's becoming a trademark of Kia Design Director Peter Schreyer (he of Audi TT fame) and is quickly spreading across the rest of Kia's lineup, there's an easily recognizable link between this Sorento and the aforementioned Forte sedan. When it comes to Kia's recent design direction, sharp, geometric shapes and creases are the name of the game, especially noticeable in the case of the Sorento as the eye is drawn to the vehicle's deeply chiseled window sills and rocker panels.

We don't often comment on specific colors on our first drives, but in this case we think it's worth mentioning that the 2011 Sorento puts its best foot forward when painted up in metallic tones and lighter shades, which allow more contrast between the flat surfaces and those angular wedges and indentations. Dark shades and jewel tones seem to mask these – we asked around to verify our initial opinion and found many fellow testers agreed with our assessment. Whatever the case, the Sorento isn't likely to offend and introverted drivers should find that it easily blends into its surroundings.



The term "all-new" is surely one of the most overused phrases in all of autodom, but this is one of those times when it truly applies. This Sorento really is completely different from its predecessor. In fact, the only thing that the 2011 Sorento shares with the 2010 model is its nameplate. Underneath the new sheetmetal is a new unibody structure that replaces the old body-on-frame architecture of the last-gen model. Length is up a little under four inches while the wheelbase, at 106.3 inches, actually shrinks by a smidge. One very important bit made possible by the lack of a full steel frame underneath is a weight reduction of about 400 pounds. In this day and age of rapidly expanding waist lines, that's a big deal. Look underhood and you'll be greeted by one of two powerplants – either a 2.4-liter four cylinder with 172 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque or an optional 3.5-liter V6 that puts out 273 hp and 247 lb-ft.

Propping up the front are independent MacPherson struts with coil springs; at the rear is a fully independent multilink arrangement. Ground clearance sits at 7.2 inches, which strikes us as more than enough considering that very few owners will ever venture off-road anyway. Sitting relatively close to terra firma means entering the Sorento is a breeze for both front and rear passengers. Once inside, there's plenty of room for occupants both up front and in the second-row. And the extra two perches out back? Yeah, pretty much exactly as you'd expect – for children, chihuahuas or chia pets only. Interior space is up a useful 15 percent for a total of 103.9 cubic feet. Put those rear-most seats down and you'll find plenty of cargo space (a max of 72.5 cubes with all the seats stowed away) with a nicely-shaped opening through the single-piece rear liftgate and a good amount of floor space. You'll note, though, that there isn't a great deal of stowage available with the seats up – just 9.1 cubic feet. So configured, our camera bag fit with room to spare while our standard carry-on overnight luggage did not.




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AutoAlert : Hyundai Veloster Set To Arrive In 2011

Hyundai is planning to offer consumers a vehicle that can satisfy the speed demon in them without the frequent trips to the Gas station. Hyundai's president & CEO John Krafcik said the compact sports coupe will bear 70-80% resemblance to the Veloster concept which debut at the 2006 Los Angelas International Auto Show. He further added, "It might be doors or a unique roof or something with the hatch. But it won't be like anything out there before in the small car segment." Well we will take his word for now and expect something that will stun the automotive arena by then.

John Krafcik also quoted that the car will be similar in size to the accent & it will be fun vehicle to drive without compromising on mileage. Power is expected to come from a 1.6Liter four-cylinder with direct injection producing 140 horsepower with mileage figures touching 40MPG.To further entice drivers Hyundai will include a screen in the dashboard for that 'cool factor'.

Source: Edmunds Inline

AutoAlert: Kia Cee'd Facelift Initial Pictures With Interior Shots!!

The successful European Kia Cee'd set to get even better judging by the photos available. The Hatchback was caught doing its rounds at Nurburgring Circuit. From the pictures given one can deduce that the facelifted Cee'd will receive a new set of Bumper with redesign front headlights with projector lamps. The Schreyer Grille will also make a debut in Cee'd line-up too. Expect changes to the rear that encompasses extensive use of LED on the break & indicator lamp along with tweaks to the back bumper.

Rumors had it that Kia is commissioning Lotus and Porche to improve the Cee'd's ride & handling. This will definitely result in better steering response & driving comfort. Powering this car will be a 170hp 1.6 turbo gasoline engine mated to a 6 speed dual-clutch auto box that will promise greater grunt while remaining frugal on the fuel consumption. The ECO -Driving Guide will further help drivers improve their mileage by displaying vital info on the LCD mounted below the speedometer.The interior also sport quite a number of improvements like the mood illumination lighting seen in the Forte. The steering wheel sports s new and most importantly original design with the standard controls available on both side of the wheel.

Since Peter Schreyer took over as chief designer of Kia, the interior of new Kia has evolved towards being more sports orientated with strong hints of Audi's design language. The gearshift looks more up market then the previous kia models and again looks very similar to Audi's. The highlight of the interior got to be the availability of 6.5 inch WVGA touchscreen LCD navigator integrated into the CD-player that will also play Mp3 and be able to connect to your mobile devices via bluetooth. 45 countries map will be available in the 8Gb space available in the unit claimed to be the best in its class.

The Cee'd will be making a grand appearance in the upcoming Frankfurt Motor show and will definitely propel Kia's sales and brand image forward in the European continent.

Pictures are sourced from ceedonline.info via Kia_world.net & worldcarfans.com

AutoAlert:Revealing spypics of Kia Cee'd Plus aka Kia No.3

The Kia No.3 concept seen in the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year has turn out to be the 2010 Kia Cee'd Plus. Here are a few spy shots photos sourced from Worldcarfans.com clearly showing Kia's new family front Grill penned by Peter Schreyer. Kia claims that this B-segment car has the capability to sit 5 in comfort typical of C-segment models.The Ceed Plus MPV will be introduced with two 1.6 liter engine variants, one gasoline/petrol and one diesel, both producing a reasonable 126 hp.

The interior sports a more upmarket design in comparison to its cousin Soul though both of them look somewhat similar. The big bottle water strap to the back seat is suppose to represent a human being to test the safety belts whether it is working properly.

I am quite sure most Malaysian's will welcome this baby to challenge the almighty Honda Jazz B-segment MPV in Malaysia which I personally think is over price for a vehicle of its size and spec. In the mean time Naza should channel more effort into improving its after sales service and perhaps follow the steps of Chevrolet Malaysia by reducing spare parts prices dramatically to help Kia Owners preserve their car value in the used car market.

Next Article : Rise Of Geely China

Related Article : 2010 Kia Cee'd Facelift

Source : WORLDCARFANS.COM