Sorry for the delay on the reply... So I got my wife a 2013 Optima last december (silver) and we LOVED it from day one (our FIRST kia), (coming from two SUV's had for years and years)... I went out of my way to 'need' it for EVERY errand I could think of... need something from the store? I'll go! just fun to drive and a great looking / handling vehicle...
I researched luxury vehicles for about 6 months prior to getting my cadenza and was just about to go get a Benz E350 (certified pre-owned)... but when I sat back and thought about the schedule service costs and cost of ownership for the Benz 'name' I just couldn't do it... NOT after seeing what the Cadenza had to offer (to be honest, the k900 REALLY caught my eye, but just didnt seem like a good daily driver vehicle for my tastes... I could afford it, but its just so plush and a little 'too' luxury for me in terms of driving it EVERY DAY... man, thats a SICK vehicle.
The cadenza I got (limited, aurora with black interior) had everything the K900 had feature-wise except the 360 camera (so awesome... I would just play with it 24 / 7 if I DID have it)... and the numbers were great... got the 2015 limited for right around 33k (all my research put the price at about 40 or so for the maxed out limited)... the sales manager as it turned out was a friend from high school and it really helped when he took a look at the deal they were putting together for me.
Still LOVE the look of the Benz E350, but the way I see it, I have peace of mind knowing the repair costs won't drain my 'fun' money budget for trips and toys/gadgets!
Questions I have are:
1.) how do I know when / where to get software updates for the entertainment system / UVO? (Im a programmer / software developer so I would love to see it 'do' / offer more and have more features than it currently does, but Im still happy, generally speaking. (attached is an image of the software Im running currently)
2.) I think I have the stock hankook tires but would love to know what owners think is a good alternative to the stock ones.
3.) are there any known issues / problems I should look out for? Im about 2000 miles in with it so far, very very happy with the purchase though and thinking about doing a light tint on the rear windows but don't want to mess with an already great looking vehicle.
4.) Is it just me or do you have to really work to get a 'sporty' feel with the paddle shifters / sport mode -- it will respond and really do some nice stuff, but it seems (and probably makes sense) that it tried hard to be soft and easy going but if you really work it, it'll show it has some power... I just usually drop down two gears to get past the old slow cars then shift back up and slow it down before I get a speeding ticket!
Great forum, looking forward to being an active member.