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THE BIG PICTURE

Is the Kia Cadenza the right car for you? Well, I can tell you that it sure solves a big problem for me. I’ve had several people ask me how they can get a premium luxury car without the premium luxury price. My usual answer is to either buy used or lease. But buying used means you don’t get the latest and greatest gizmos, and leasing means you have to get a new car (and make another down payment) after three years or so.

The Kia Cadenza is the solution I have been looking for. It is a generously-sized sedan with lots of high-tech luxury features, and while it isn’t exactly cheap, it certainly isn’t expensive — at least, not compared to comparably-sized, comparably-equipped cars from more prestigious brands. The Kia Cadenza is closely related to the Hyundai Azera (Kia is a subdivision of Hyundai), though the two differ in their approach: The Azera is more traditional (think Jaguar or Buick) while the Cadenza is more contemporary (think Audi or BMW).

AN INSIDE JOB

Kia has made some major improvements to their interior designs in the last two years. Much as I like what they’ve done, the Cadenza’s cabin isn’t my favorite; the materials and switchgear are of excellent quality, but the ergonomics leave a bit to be desired. Switches and buttons seemed to have been placed for design rather than functionality, and the rows of look-alike buttons make it difficult to do simple things like turning down the fan or changing tracks on the CD player.

The Cadenza’s driving position is quite good; the driver’s seat offers multiple adjustments and you can even get a power-adjustable steering column with memory settings (a nice feature if you share your car with a partner). But your front passenger won’t fare so well: The right-front seat sits low to the floor and has no height or lumbar adjustment. I’m not particularly tall — 5’6″ — and sitting in the right seat made me feel like a little kid in his mom’s car.

FAMILY-FRIENDLINESS

The Kia Cadenza wasn’t designed for families, per se, but it does a fine job thanks to a generously-sized back seat, easy-to-clean leather interior, and a big (15.8 cubic foot) trunk that will easily accommodate strollers and other bulky baby gear.

SAFETY

The Cadenza is equipped with eight airbags: Two in front, a pair of seat-mounted side airbags for both front and back seats, and two-row side curtain airbags. (Most cars have six airbags, omitting the rear seat-mounted side airbags.) Strangely, it lacks a knee airbag, which is featured on Hyundai’s version of the car, the Azera. The Kia Cadenza is a brand-new model and had not been crash-tested at the time of writing, but Kia says its internal tests indicate that the Cadenza will most likely score five stars in the Government’s crash tests. In terms of active safety features, the Cadenza gets a rear-view backup camera as standard, while lane-departure and blind-spot warning systems are optional.

DRIVING EXPERIENCE

The Cadenza is powered by a 3.3 liter V6 engine that produces 293 horsepower. This engine offers a nice balance of power and fuel economy; acceleration is smooth and responsive, while EPA fuel economy estimates are 19 MPG city and 28 MPG highway — not the best compared to its competitors, but very reasonable for such a big, comfortable car. Keep in mind that the Kia Cadenza runs on cheap 87-octane fuel; many of its 300-ish horsepower competitors require expensive premium gas.

Given its role as a luxury yacht, I was expecting the Cadenza to offer a smooth and serene ride, and that it did. But I was surprised by the handling, and especially the steering feel — this has been a weak point in Kia’s most recent cars, but the Kia Cadenza feels almost sporty in the curves. It’s no BMW, but it responds crisply in sudden swerves and panic braking.

GIZMOS AND TECH

The Kia Cadenza comes standard with Kia’s UVO eServices. (UVO, Kia says, is short for for “Your Voice.” Um… seriously?) UVO not only provides voice recognition for your phone and media player, but it also uses the voice and data connection from your smart phone to provide a series of services, including the all-important ability to dial 911 and transmit the car’s location in the event of an airbag deployment. UVO also has parental controls which will send a text message if the car exceeds a certain speed or drives outside of a pre-defined geographic area — provided your tech-savvy teen driver doesn’t disable the app or disconnect the phone, that is.

Other gadgets include a new adaptive cruise control system, which detects cars in front of the Cadenza and automatically slows down to match their speed. It can even bring the car to a complete halt without any driver intervention. Cool!

Pricing and Trim Levels

The Kia Cadenza is available in a single model, with two option bundles. As with other Korean cars, the base-model Cadenza offers a lot of equipment for the money, although once you add on those option packages, the Cadenza is as expensive as its American and Japanese rivals.

Kia Cadenza Premium: $35,900

Includes leather upholstery, automatic headlights, automatic rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone climate control, auto-dimming mirrors, navigation, 10-way power driver's seat, UVO eServices, backup camera, 18" alloy wheels, eight airbags.

Kia Cadenza Premium with Luxury Package: $38,900

All of the above plus Nappa leather, panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel, ventilated driver's seat, heated rear seats, active headlights, LCD speedometer.

Kia Cadenza Premium with Luxury and Technology Packages: $41,900

All of the above plus adaptive cruise control, 19" alloy wheels, blind-spot and lane-departure warning systems, electronic parking brake, rain-repellent front-side windows.