2017 Kia Cadenza Earns Top Safety Rating
CARS.COM — Kia’s redesigned 2017 Cadenza full-size premium sedan has earned a Top Safety Pick Plus rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for models equipped with the available front crash prevention system and LED headlights.
Related: 2017 Kia Cadenza: Our View
The Cadenza got the required top good score in the five IIHS crash tests. Also, its new-for-2017 front crash prevention system with automatic braking earned the top superior rating (advanced or superior is required). The system comes on the Technology and Limited trims, but not the base Premium trim.
For 2017, to earn a Top Safety Pick Plus, a car’s headlights also must be rated good or acceptable in IIHS’s new headlight testing. The Cadenza’s LED headlights (on Technology and Limited trims) earned an acceptable rating, though the halogen headlights on the Premium trim got the bottom poor score. See the Cadenza’s full scorecard here.
The 2016 Cadenza got a good score in four crash tests but was not tested for the small front overlap crash.
Not all large or premium cars get the full round of testing. Among 2017 rivals that have been fully tested, the Buick LaCrosse and Toyota Avalon earned only Top Safety Pick status, falling short of the top Plus rating due to headlight scores. See the ratings for all 2017 large cars tested here.
The 2017 Cadenza has not yet been tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
