Kia reveals specs of its all-new K7 midsize premium sedan at the Hyundai-Kia R&D Center in Namyang, Korea, just ahead of taking preorders for the revised model.
The K7, called the Cadenza in the U.S., had been shown in Korea in November, but specifications and pricing had been withheld.
At the news conference Kia says the K7 will debut the automaker’s all-new 8-speed front-wheel-drive transmission. Developed over a span of three years, it will be installed later on other Kia models.
Company officials say the new transmission is more efficient than the 6-speed gearbox it replaces and boosts fuel efficiency about 7% for the gasoline-powered K7 and 6% for the diesel model. It also enhances driveability, they say.
It is the first 8-speed front-drive transmission developed and marketed in Korea, a spokesman says.
The K7 is shown with three available drivetrains; 2.4L and 3.3L gas versions and a 2.2L diesel. Kia officials say a hybrid version will be launched sometime in second-half 2016.
The 3.3L enhanced Lambda II engine yields 290 hp and 253 lb.-ft. (343 Nm) of torque. The new 8-speed transmission enables the 3.3L version to develop fuel efficiency of 23.5 mpg (10 L/100 km), approximately the same fuel-efficiency yield of the 3.0L gas engine available in the previous K7 model.
The 202-hp 2.2L diesel-powered model achieves fuel efficiency of 33.6 mpg (7 L/100 km), Kia says.
