2019 Kia K900: Full-Size Flagship Revealed

Demand for a full-size luxury sedan from Kia has been so high that all of 54 people purchased a new Kia K900 this year through February, at the rate of almost one a day. Those buyers are likely to wish for a complimentary upgrade once they see the 2019 K900, a conservative but modern revision that now looks, feels, and could actually drive like the $60,000 car it is.

High-dollar Hyundais have proved difficult to sell, which is why the former G80 and Equus (now G90) sedans have transferred to the separate Genesis brand targeted at Lexus. But Kia, despite moving just 455 of its biggest sedan last year, continues to put its black oval badge on everything from a $14,000 Rio subcompact to a loaded $50,000 Stinger. And now Kia’s newfound confidence and competence—that Stinger is a genuine rear-wheel-drive sports sedan—shows in the latest K900. Whether shoppers driving straight to a Mercedes-Benz showroom even glance at a Kia dealer’s sign is the K900’s biggest obstacle to success, just as it has been since the first-gen sedan made its U.S. debut for 2015. Brand snobbery aside, the new K900 is once again rife with discounted amenities but can now flaunt more handsome looks and a solid chassis borrowed from the G90.

The previous K900 was strictly rear-wheel drive and offered an optional 420-hp 5.0-liter V-8. The new car adopts the Stinger’s twin-turbo 3.3-liter V-6 and torque-vectoring all-wheel drive as standard. With 365 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque, this new engine, coupled to a revised Hyundai-Kia eight-speed automatic transmission, surpasses the previous naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V-6 by 54 horsepower and 83 lb-ft. The K900’s torque distribution is rear biased, sending up to 80 percent of available grunt to the rear wheels, but can redirect up to half of it to the front axle. Kia claims the body is 33 percent stiffer; the automaker credits hot-stamped metal parts, extra structural adhesive, and a new multilink front suspension as measures intended to deliver better handling, which the original K900 needed far more than it needed brand provenance.

While the softly contoured exterior isn’t as dramatic as the Stinger’s—its most exciting element, the grille, was inspired by water droplets hitting a pool—the K900’s interior might turn heads. Oddly, the four outboard seats in a loaded cabin offer varying levels of adjustment (20 ways for the driver, 12 for the front and left-rear passengers, and 14 for the right-rear passenger), but they’re equally piped and lavishly stitched. That’s expected in a luxury sedan, as are the real wood trim, the large head-up display, the 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and a second 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

But the K900 packs its own tricks. The ambient lighting comes in custom Pantone shades and uses proximity sensors to brighten areas of the dash when the user reaches for a dial. Safety features include cyclist, vehicle, and pedestrian alerts when the K900 is parked and any one of the four doors is opened; a blind-spot camera similar to Honda’s LaneWatch that displays a live feed on the instrument cluster; and rear automated emergency braking pairs with the cross-traffic radar sensors to prevent collisions when backing out of a parking space or driveway. Kia has also adapted automatic brake drying, a feature found on BMWs that lightly squeezes the rotors in the rain. A one-year subscription to a K900-dedicated concierge and app suite, called UVO Luxe, is included.

Pricing and fuel economy figures are forthcoming. When the K900 reaches dealers later this year, Kia showrooms can proudly park it front and center. The K900 seems unlikely to interest shoppers looking to trade in their fifth Lexus, but it could lure Optima intenders to step up to Kia’s flagship.