2017 Kia K900 review

1. All trims have something to offer 

The 2017 K900 is Kia’s answer to the growing high-end luxury vehicle class. It has three trims (Premium V6, Luxury V6, Luxury V8) and two VIP upgrade packages, all of them offering a refined vehicle with a streamlined exterior contour and elegant interior.   The Premium V6 trim may be the base trim, but it’s no slouch. It gives drivers exceptionally comfortable seats, intuitive controls, a large touchscreen, a panoramic sunroof, and a solid infotainment system. The two higher trims and the VIP packages deepen the bench of driver-assist features, upgrade the audio, and provide more styling options.  

2. Nice engine options 

Like its predecessors, the 2017 Kia K900 packs a powerful punch with two engine options. The Premium V6 and Luxury V6 trims have the same engine: a 3.8L direct injection V6 engine, with 311 horsepower and 293 lb-ft of torque. The Luxury V8 trim bumps that to a 5.0L direct injection V8 engine at 420 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque. Those specs get you an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 20 mpg combined on the V6, and 18 mpg combined on the V8.

3. Classic handling and steering 

All three come with an eight-speed automatic transmission with Sportmatic, Kia’s automated manual driving mode that facilitates upshifting and downshifting. To complete the outfit, the Luxury V6 and V8 trims have steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, giving you an energy boost when you need it. The K900’s wide stance (74.8 inches) and large wheels (18-inch on the V6 trims and 19-inch on the V8) mean drivers can expect some softness on cornering, and the suspension delivers a mostly smooth ride on most roads and in most weather conditions. The gas and brake pedals are intuitive and responsive.   

4. Optional driver-assist features  

The 2017 Kia K900 offers some driver-assist features on all trims, including blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, traction control system, hill-start assist, and front and rear park assist. More advanced driver-assist features are reserved for higher-end members of the K900 family (e.g. smart cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, and head-up display are optional VIP Package add-ons for the two Luxury trims only). That flexibility may be great news for those who find modern driver-assist features annoying or distracting.  

5. Good infotainment compatibility 

The Premium V6 trim has a good 14-speaker infotainment suite, with a 9.2-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth^® connectivty, AM/FM radio, CD player, and SiriusXM^® integration, plus USB and aux ports, and Kia’s UVO infotainment system. The V6 and V8 Luxury trims come with all those features but trades up on the audio system with a 900-watt 17-speaker Lexicon sound system with a 12-channel digital sound processor, power amplifier, and subwoofer.