Berkeley Road Trip, Part 1 - 2014 Kia Cadenza Limited Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Berkeley Road Trip, Part 1 - 2014 Kia Cadenza Limited Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds takes its long-term 2014 Kia Cadenza Limited on a weekend road trip to Berkeley, California and back. The open road is where this big Kia thrives.

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darthbimmer

Driving a big, relaxed cruiser caters to a different mindset in weekend traffic. Instead of trying to beat the clock or get the suffering over with as quickly as possible, you're able to find a zone of comfort. Just pick a lane and go with the flow.

allthingshonda

This reminds me of the 1987 BMW 325es my cousin had. I had just gotten my driver's license and she let me drive part of the way on a 8 hour road trip. The first thing I remember was how slow it was off the line and how heavy the steering felt. My Mom's Buick was faster. But on the highway is where it's German heritage really shined and where everything made sense. When it finally got up to speed 80 mph seemed like you were barely moving. The tall gearing of the manual transmission made it slow to accelerate but gave it long legs for high speed cruising. The heavy steering in the city gave way to incredible feel and control at speeds way above the legal limit. No wind or road noise and the 120 HP I6 engine settled into a silky smooth high pitched turbine like whine. The ride was smooth and stable and the steering was like it was connected to your brain. I felt like I could drive forever and I think that was when I really got into cars.

Today a Honda Accord can do all of that and more but almost 30 years ago this was impressive engineering surpassing anything the Japanese or Americans could do.