Thanks to Kia for supplying the Kia Cadenza for review. Opinions are my own.
A family car doesn’t mean a boring car! The 2017 Kia Cadenza Limited is a luxury vehicle that is perfect for families. It fits 5 comfortably, with all the bells and whistles at a price tag that is competitive. My daughter and I hit the road in a beautiful Granite Blue 2017 Kia Cadenza for an epic road trip touring the East Coast. We cruised through 8 states and visited national monuments, uncovered important historical facts, discovered and sampled local foods and culture plus more! We visited some of the coolest cities on earth, reconnected with family and friends. Traveling by car can build and reaffirm strong family bonds plus the freedom to come and go as we please. Our trip started in Washington D.C. and ended in Boston. So our Kia become our second home! The 2017 Cadenza did not disappoint! Here are some of my favorite features:
2) She’s got the look – The Cadenza is stylin’! Our Cadenza was Granite Blue which is my new favorite color. In various lights, it took on a dark royal blue which reflected things beautiful and other times it was like midnight. Gorgeous! The interior was a gray faux leather, with a diamond stitching design on the seats. The dashboard has a clean luxurious look with a wood grain finish. For a nice touch, there is an analog clock in the center console. A panoramic sun roof allowed us to connect to the outside world and made the car seem even airier. I also loved the look of the headlights. A cool lightning bolt or z-shaped seemed to expand the reach of the headlights (I’ve been in cars where the headlights don’t seem to cover many areas). The Cadenza is a star!
2) Back Street Driver – At some point, we’ve all spent uncomfortable hours cramped in the back seat of a car. You get little leg room and the AC never seems to make reach back there. All passengers should be as comfortable as the driver. My daughter was my main passenger for the length of the trip but we did have friends and family accompany us at various times. The interior of the car is roomy and my daughter moved in with her road trip necessities which included a pillow from home, reading books, coloring books, and an iPad. The center arm rest was massive and gave her a cubby to hold her items. The rear seating area had plenty of leg room, personal air conditioning, and heating controls as well as seat warmers. My mother-in-law was able to take a nap with the front passenger seat at almost a full recline.
3) Extra, Extra – I remember trying to block sunlight out of my daughter’s face when she was little and stuck in her rear car seat. The 2017 Cadena is equipped with a Power Rear Sunshade and manual side shades. It kept things cooler and we didn’t have to prop a sweater or towel in the window to shade my daughter. Another neat option is the steering wheel can be heated but I didn’t need to use any of the heating options on this trip.
4) Play it safe – Cars seem to almost drive themselves these days. The Cadenza has a lane assist option, a 4-Wheel Disc with Antilock Braking System, air bags galore including a driver’s knee bag. I wasn’t aware of the Forward Collision Warning System until I had to make a quick stop. The Lane Departure Warning System kicked in whenever I unintentionally strayed out of my lane. All the Kia navigation systems help you stay on the course which is helpful for any length of a drive but it really gave me a peace of mind on this long road trip.
6) I love Rock N’ Roll – Music is essential for any car ride. The Kia Cadenza is equipped with the Harmon Kardon system where our favorite tunes serenaded us through 12 speakers for a surround sound experience. We tuned into local stations, took advantage of Sirius (my daughter is a fan of Kids Place Live) and the CD player. I’m grateful that it was equipped with a CD player as some vehicles aren’t equipped with them anymore. Singing during road trips helps pass the time and is a fun bonding activity! If you haven’t noticed, our headers in this post are all song titles.
7) Hey Ya! Cameras are a part of my life! And the Surround View Monitoring system safety feature deserves its own mention. I counted on this feature which gave me a 360 view of the area around the car which was extremely helpful when parking. I grew up in Boston which means that I’m an excellent parallel parker (well that’s what my mom told me). On this trip, I parked in every city, drove in various weather conditions and it was important that I could see what was happening around me so all of the camera views came in handy. My MIL was especially impressed with the camera system as her car camera is pretty small and isn’t as clear to safely see around you.
8) Call me! Distracted driving is a no no! But Kia’s UVO system helps you stay safely connected. By plugging into Apple Car Play and I was able to voice respond to texts, make calls and I even used my iPhone mapping system vs the car’s system. The main reason I used my phone’s system is that I’m more comfortable with the GPS on my phone.
All of the features of the car made our experience fun, safe and comfortable. Thanks to Kia for completing our journey across the Northeast!
