2015 Kia K900 First Test

Technically, this car has been on sale for quite some time. Peddled as the K9 in South Korea from May 2012 forward, it's called Quoris in international markets including Russia, Peru, and the United Arab Emirates. It has been renamed K900 for the United States because of course it has. It's tagged to compete against pride-of-the-industry luxury sedans such as the Lexus LS 460, Mercedes-Benz S550, BMW 740i, and Audi A8, not to mention its platform-cousin the Hyundai Equus. If you judge everything to be better when bigger, Kia is off to a good start. Numerical ascension aside, Kia is once again looking to raise its profile. It's never done anything like the K900. Few vehicular templates are more ambitious to execute than the full-size, rear-drive luxe sedan. If an automaker wants to prove its aspirations are more than delusions of grandeur, it must subject its product to the single most powerful developed market in the world (ahem, the U.S.) There must have been major hand-wringing during many long nights at Kia.

Flagship sedans are statements, and the spotlight shines first on the exterior. Here, the rules of design are fixed. The K900 must be confident without being ostentatious, classy and capable of commanding attention without resorting to parlor tricks. It does carry a substantial presence, partially because of its size and partially because it retains a sense of tradition (lengthy proportions, graceful stance over the sizable and eye-catching wheels) intrinsic to big luxury sedans. Familial Kia cues from the Cadenza and Optima ensure the K900 will turn heads. LED headlights (16 elements, standard with the V-8 model) enhance the face. Auto-unfolding side mirrors welcome the driver before he even touches the door handle.

Despite having never built anything like the K900 before, Kia appears to have had a decent how-to guide.

If there's commotion outside, back-seat passengers won't notice. Appointing the VIP Package to the K900 V8 adds power-reclining rear seats (60/40 split where adjusting the passenger side also alters the center seat in unison). Matched with the standard powered rear privacy/sunshade and manual side and three-quarter window blinds, this means it's always nap time in the second row. From the driver's vantage point, the Cadenza's influence reigns strongest on the center stack's visual design. But there are cabin items the K900 has and the Cadenza doesn't: a 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster (in Sport mode, there's a special configuration showing both a digital tachometer reading rpm to the tens and a reverse-sweeping indicator a la Aston Martin); an around-view parking monitor with multiple selectable camera angles; a 9.2-inch center display with associated Audi MMI-esque knob, buttons, and GUI controls; and soft-close doors. Despite having never built anything like the K900 before, Kia appears to have had a decent how-to guide.