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Kia K900 RWD flagship sedan

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Old 11-26-13, 06:48 AM
  #121  
yowps3
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Put a KIA badge on the RLX and everyone would be saying how nice it looks.

I think people associate the Acura badge with bad looking cars, doesn't matter what how much Acura tries.

Though i do agree that the K900 is a better car than the RLX in every aspect. Maybe just interior quality of the RLX is slightly better.
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Old 11-26-13, 11:02 AM
  #122  
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Originally Posted by TRDFantasy
No, what you posted is not corporate philosophy, they're examples of corporate goals. I will say no more on this subject.
absolutely not. Hyundai's philosophy is to GO GLOBAL/WORLD DOMINATION. that's their philosophy. they are not philosophical. i bet they don't care about what they stand for. all they ever think about is bmw. audi. toyota. vw. all they ever care about is getting RESPECT. they have bmw posters in their corporate battle rooms. eh, i've been there.

like most korean companies i've dealt with, they have this do or die mentality. they still have that underdog korean mentality from top to bottom. that's who they are. philosophy? lol i bet they don't believe in that crap.

i know nothing about lexus, and how they do things. maybe lexus wants the global peace, and eco environtment. lol
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Old 11-26-13, 11:05 AM
  #123  
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Originally Posted by yowps3
Put a KIA badge on the RLX and everyone would be saying how nice it looks.

I think people associate the Acura badge with bad looking cars, doesn't matter what how much Acura tries.

Though i do agree that the K900 is a better car than the RLX in every aspect. Maybe just interior quality of the RLX is slightly better.

put kia badge on RLX, it will look even uglier.
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Old 11-26-13, 12:36 PM
  #124  
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Saw this car in person at the LA auto show ... This car is nothing original. It's different Lexus', BMWs' and Mercedes' vehicles put into one ...
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Old 11-26-13, 01:40 PM
  #125  
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Originally Posted by yowps3
I'd imagine the 3.8L V6 would struggle to propel the vehicle. Not to mention the raucous & gruff nature of it. The The Lamba V6 is very gruff! It's even worse than Nissans's VQ

Seeing as how the actual performance of the 5.0L R-spec Genesis doesn't reflect the massive power claim. Also the 8-speed shifts are so slow.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k6GtRltoDZk
You kidding? A co-worker had a loaner Genesis which I flogged out and I was very impressed with the V6 powertrain. Very smooth and refined, and the 8-speed transmission was pretty slick too. I did have a number of complaints with the car overall and don't think I'd buy one (the unsettled ride would have been a deal-breaker), but the powertrain was very nice. More than powerful enough power to get out of its own way and get into plenty of trouble with. The only reason to go for the V8 is for bragging rights. Unlike the RAV4 comparison (other post), I thought the Hyundai's V6 had a nice balance of low-end to mid-range torque. Torque on the Toyota 3.5 drops off too much at the low-end. The Hyundai 3.8 is definitely high-end biased also, but the balance you need for more urban and suburban driving is there. Both engines are way better than the FORD 3.5L V6, which is a complete friggin dog unless you wind it out past 4000rpm. Had an Edge rental for a week. Nice vehicle, but terrible engine. My $0.02.

I think Hyundai has some pretty darned nice powertrains. What they need to work on most are driving dynamics and suspension refinement. And if they were going to go to such great lengths to quiet down the cabin as they did on the outgoing Genesis, they should have gone all the way and isolated out the strange tire and suspension noise that crept in. Otherwise why bother?
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Old 11-26-13, 02:06 PM
  #126  
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Originally Posted by SteVTEC
You kidding? A co-worker had a loaner Genesis which I flogged out and I was very impressed with the V6 powertrain. Very smooth and refined, and the 8-speed transmission was pretty slick too. I did have a number of complaints with the car overall and don't think I'd buy one (the unsettled ride would have been a deal-breaker), but the powertrain was very nice. More than powerful enough power to get out of its own way and get into plenty of trouble with. The only reason to go for the V8 is for bragging rights. Unlike the RAV4 comparison (other post), I thought the Hyundai's V6 had a nice balance of low-end to mid-range torque. Torque on the Toyota 3.5 drops off too much at the low-end. The Hyundai 3.8 is definitely high-end biased also, but the balance you need for more urban and suburban driving is there. Both engines are way better than the FORD 3.5L V6, which is a complete friggin dog unless you wind it out past 4000rpm. Had an Edge rental for a week. Nice vehicle, but terrible engine. My $0.02.

I think Hyundai has some pretty darned nice powertrains. What they need to work on most are driving dynamics and suspension refinement. And if they were going to go to such great lengths to quiet down the cabin as they did on the outgoing Genesis, they should have gone all the way and isolated out the strange tire and suspension noise that crept in. Otherwise why bother?
Well I've never actually driven one. But from a few videos I saw on youtube it didn't look particularly quick. But you never know

And this LOL

(broken youtube link)

Last edited by bitkahuna; 01-24-14 at 03:21 PM.
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Old 01-24-14, 03:33 PM
  #127  
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2015 Kia K900 First Test - Motor Trend motortrend.com



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 ****, 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. There's no doubt this is the quietest Kia ever
-- mere snippets of freeway wind noise and subdued road noise seep in. Objectively, it's less than 2 percent louder than a Rolls-Royce Ghost
(good company to keep) on the sones scale at a 65-mph cruise. It's definitely peaceful if you're a sane, normal driver delighting in the car's relaxing character. But stand harder on the gas pedal, and the 5.0-liter V-8 easily spins up the rear 275/40R19 Hankook Optimo H426s, sending the K900 V8 from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and 0-100 mph in 13.0 seconds. The engine and exhaust notes sing as the speedometer registers ever-higher values, and the mechanical soundtrack is neither alluring nor
grating. The V-8 is one of the main differentiators between the K900 and the K9/Quoris -- the overseas model presses a port-injected 3.8-liter V-6 into service, an engine not offered in the U.S. since 2012. The U.S. receives a good engine, but we don't get available air suspension. Unlike the K9/Quoris or its Stateside platform-mate, the Equus, the K900 has a completely passive suspension.

Each corner has a multilink system with coil springs and Sachs shock absorbers that are amplitude-selective in damping. Adaptable air springs provide a range of suspension setups. Being able to actively choose desired spring rates is a blessing for luxury applications, since the theoretical advantage is gaining access to a soft rate for a comfortable ride plus higher rates for more aggressive chassis control, all in one package. With the K900, it would have come down to picking a set of springs and fine-tuning the shocks. The margin for error in tuning is smaller for Kia.

Dialing in suspensions may have been a sore spot for Kia over the last few years, but recently released products, including the K900, make us think the automaker is soaking its deflection bushings, shock valves, and electric-steering maps in "Star Wars" bacta rejuvenation tanks.

Our vehicle of interest has a springy ride that'll compete well against its more established rivals. It floats over bumps and gobbles up cracks and dips in the pavement with dulled thumps. It gets floaty over a series of continuous raised, round bumps, suggesting minimal levels of damping. Depending on the road, the car skates a fine line between feeling soft and feeling under-controlled. Fortunately, it only really feels under-controlled around our figure-eight handling course, where the body bounces around in the turns. The K900 is all about achieving legitimacy.

Kia acknowledges the prestige factor, an unquantifiable quality that plays a role in appealing to 7 Series and S-Class shoppers, will take time. Meanwhile, look for the Korean automaker to play up its strengths:
giving customers the features, styling, and exclusivity (early predictions place the first-year sales goal at 5000 units) with value to spare. A less expensive V-6 model sporting a direct-injection 3.8-liter with 311 hp is on the way. After learning what the K900 represents to the brand, we can imagine how it will score its biggest victory. The scene is a gas station. A K900 pulls up to top off its tank with regular-octane gas. A stranger at the opposite pump glances over, gestures for attention, and doesn't incredulously ask, "That's a Kia?" Instead, he plainly says, "That's a Kia."

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...00_first_test/
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Old 01-24-14, 07:14 PM
  #128  
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I totally agree with someone saying Hyundai may over take the Japanese such as Toyota and Honda.

I am seeing Toyo and Honda having hard time keeping influences.

Back in 1990 Toyo and Honda were great, stirring up market and all.....but now, look at the Koreans...i mean Samsung...who would think ? I also see Genesis as much as Camry and Civics. So if you say they are having hard time ? Think again....oh Soul and the Tucson too.

Hyundai is a giant...dont mistaken them for only into Automotive...the same as Mitsubishi...though, i dont know what the heck the Japanese are doing nowadays
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Old 01-24-14, 07:42 PM
  #129  
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Originally Posted by Whitigir
I totally agree with someone saying Hyundai may over take the Japanese such as Toyota and Honda.

I am seeing Toyo and Honda having hard time keeping influences.

Back in 1990 Toyo and Honda were great, stirring up market and all.....but now, look at the Koreans...i mean Samsung...who would think ? I also see Genesis as much as Camry and Civics. So if you say they are having hard time ? Think again....oh Soul and the Tucson too.

Hyundai is a giant...dont mistaken them for only into Automotive...the same as Mitsubishi...though, i dont know what the heck the Japanese are doing nowadays
urh, Toyota is biggest car company in the world, thats what they are doing? Most cars sold in the history, biggest proft in the history, things like that?

Hyundai is doing great, but their growth is slowing down, they actually dropped in the USA despite market going up... There are probably at least 4 other car companies doing better than Hyundai right now worldwide and at least 10 in the USA.
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Old 01-24-14, 09:03 PM
  #130  
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Originally Posted by spwolf
urh, Toyota is biggest car company in the world, thats what they are doing? Most cars sold in the history, biggest proft in the history, things like that?

Hyundai is doing great, but their growth is slowing down, they actually dropped in the USA despite market going up... There are probably at least 4 other car companies doing better than Hyundai right now worldwide and at least 10 in the USA.
To add on, I think they'll feel even more pressure when Chinese cars start coming. Maybe this is why they keep coming out with these flagships.
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Old 01-24-14, 11:33 PM
  #131  
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Originally Posted by eoph
Maybe this is why they keep coming out with these flagships.
i think they come out with these flagships primarily for their domestic market to start with and then see how they'll sell elsewhere.
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Old 01-25-14, 09:08 PM
  #132  
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from this angle, it looks like a stretched 3GS, minus front fascia of course. Even the door moulding is similar in design and placement.

This K9 is a mess overall.

prestige is going to be a huge issue because of the unoriginality of design elements. Buyers of flagship sedans want something that is not an amalgam of 5 other brands.

Attached Thumbnails Kia K900 RWD flagship sedan-lexus_gs_manu-07_03.jpg  
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Old 01-25-14, 10:33 PM
  #133  
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more "this Kia looks like that" crap

How about the cars merits or the fact that a vehicle like this exists when some automakers which should have something like this don't.
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Old 01-25-14, 11:42 PM
  #134  
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When are Koreans ever going to make their SC400, LS400, NSX, Supra, Soarer etc

So far all they have are a bunch of goofy looking econoboxes

Give us something revolutionary and stop grinding.
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Old 01-26-14, 06:38 AM
  #135  
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Originally Posted by yowps3
So far all they have are a bunch of goofy looking econoboxes
not sure if serious. have you ever really looked at a genesis, equus, k900, cadenza? they're far from econoboxes, and while they may not necessarily break new styling ground, i've not seen anyone describe them as 'goofy looking' except you.
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