- kia's korea-market k7 sedan has received a thorough freshening that we expect will carry over to its u.s. equivalent, the cadenza.
- higher-end finishes inside the cabin include new switchgear, open-pore wood trim, and stitched leather door panels.
- exterior styling updates in the form of new front and rear lighting elements and a revised grille give the k7 more curb appeal.
kia's large near-luxury sedan, the cadenza, looks to be getting quite the glow-up if its freshly facelifted korea-market k7 twin is anything to go by. based on photos released by kia in south korea, the automaker has turned the luxury up a number of notches with the k7, making it seem more like a lexus es competitor than the current cadenza, which competes for large-sedan sales alongside the chrysler 300 and the buick lacrosse.
the concave grille is larger and has a more snout-like appearance, and thinner headlights have small led light strips that wrap around the edges of the grille. the front bumper has been massaged to have more angular elements, and the wheel designs are new. at the rear, a new led light bar connects the redesigned taillights, and the bumper and trunklid are more angular as well.
the higher level of luxury continues inside with what appears to be a wholly redesigned dashboard with open-pore wood trim, a larger infotainment touchscreen, a digital gauge cluster, and repositioned air vents and climate controls. on the center console is a set of new switchgear that has swapped plain black plastic for the silver-colored metallic kind that we've seen in the kia k900. it appears as though the cadenza also adopts the stinger's electronic shifter, and we can also see cleverly integrated interior ambient lighting elements and rich-looking leather upholstery with stitched seat bolsters and door panels.
we likely won't get the diesel or hybrid powertrains offered in other markets, but it remains to be seen if the cadenza will continue to be powered by its current 3.3-liter v-6 engine or if it will be replaced with the new 2.5-liter direct-injected inline-four that is making its debut in the k7. so far, kia motors america has been mum on details about a facelifted cadenza for the u.s. market, but we expect to know more later this year ahead of an on-sale date sometime in 2020.