[rpjr1970]

Too bad the K8 won't be sold in the US. Look at that front grill...

Kia K8 sedan replaces the Cadenza with wacky styling and a new logo

While the K8 won't come to the US, its styling will influence future Kia models.

www.cnet.com

 

[BitterLemons]

Beautiful. When I first saw the photo, I thought it was a Genesis.

As for power, Kia has plenty of models with small engines so there would be no reason to put a smallish engine in the K8 in order to meet the CAFE requirements.
(I. E. Government averages fuel economy of all Kias sold, not just all K8’s sold)

Hate the new logo.

 

[robh693]

The engine options alone are outstanding. This guy did a thorough review of the release in Korea.

 

[onlyjeeps]

That review was for the Cadenza, not the K8...the point of this discussion.

As far as engines available to Kia, yes, they have many options available to them but most likely will stick to the naturally aspirated 3.8 (311 HP) in the Genesis series with a small possibility of using the 3.5T (375 HP), but doubtful. I'm sure they will stick to their usual of only one engine being standard (no options) and that it will be around the low 300 HP range. Just enough to get up and go but not enough to compete in the luxury sport car segment.

 

[rpjr1970]

Sort of related, but my wife just picked up a 2021 Sorrento SX X-Line with a 2.5L turbo 4. Her older Sorrento had the same V6 our Candenzas have and was really sluggish. I had my doubts about the turbo but boy I was surprised - really nice low end power and it really zips the Sorrento around. Puts out about the same HP as the V6 - 281HP - and in a 4 cylinder.

 

[onlyjeeps]

I'd guess the main reason is the 2.5T's 311 ft/lb vs the Cadenza's 255 ft/lb plus the Sorrento has an 8 speed transmission vs the Cadenza's 6 speed (2014-2016). Torque makes a big difference with heavier vehicles. The Sorrento is at least 300 lbs more than the Cadenza depending on options such as all wheel drive, etc. Plus modern turbos can bring in the peak torque very early in the rpm range which helps explain that "it really zips." I'm glad she is happy with the new purchase!

 

[MadMax]

Is that new Sorrento 2.5 turbo premium fuel or regular 87? I looked on Kia's spec page for that and couldn't find it

 

[onlyjeeps]

MadMax, now days many manufacturers are quoting the higher output numbers on premium fuel (91+) and lesser numbers on regular (87). You won't see the lesser numbers until the vehicle builder goes live on their website and then in the details you can find both sets of numbers. Fortunately, the new thing these days is you can run your engine on either without any worry of damage, just a matter of how much HP you'd prefer for the $$ involved. The differences aren't much though, usually around 25 HP and similar TQ. 3-5 octane isn't worth much gain. The computers are now able to detect how much octane is in the fuel you fill your tank with...in these cases anyway...and can adjust accordingly.

Now what I haven't seen is what happens if you add 97 or the 101 you can find at certain Sunoco's (East coast). Will the computer recognize this and adjust accordingly (50+ HP) or are the engines limited to just the (93/94) power gains? I'm guessing a resounding NO...but I haven't read anything about someone trying it yet either.