Second Generation Kia K9 (RJ)

It's been roughly six years have passed since Kia introduced us to their first rear-wheel drive premium saloon, the K9 (known as the K900 in some markets) and although it is silly for a Korean carmaker to make a rival for the BMW 7-Series or a Mercedes S-Class, its performance is very serious on the real world. Now, here we are, the second-generation model of Kia's flagship saloon and for this full model change, THE K9 wants to be even more serious than ever.

2019 Kia K9

2019 Kia K9

As serious as the name implies, THE K9 from Kia aims to be the top-class premium luxury saloon with all of the luxury qualities of expensive European imports with the pricing of its lesser brothers starting at just 54,900,000 Korean Won ($53,000 or Php 2.71 million). While this sounds like a bargain of the moment, there's so much to investigate its full model change starting with its design. While this is exactly big by premium saloon standards, the way it looks can be somewhat perplexing starting with the front view which is pretty much like today's Lincoln Continental while the rear view looks closely similar to the Subaru Impreza G4. Although cheesy, the design is still serious talk for a premium luxury sedan and then we get to peek at the interior.

2019 Kia K9 interior

2019 Kia K9 interior

THE K9's new interior really is like a mashup between the BMW 7-Series and a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, meaning that this is like the best of both worlds for this luxury car and what's even more surprising is that expensive piece of jewelry strapped on the dashboard. See that analog clock? Kia collaborated with watchmaker Maurice Lacroix for this kind of masterpiece, which makes it very special. Also, contrary to popular belief, the wooden trim is made out of real wood so there's a hint of craftsmanship involved in here. While the fancy dashboard stuff as well as the gadgetry really made it special, the party piece of THE K9 is the rear space, and for VIPs, there is an "out on a limo" feeling when they hit the sweet spot especially when it comes with a rear seat entertainment system that keeps them occupied on a long trip to the country club and with other features such as the Lexicon Premium Sound System, its interior is like lucid poetry. Boot space wasn't too shabby either.

2019 Kia K9

The focal point of THE K9 is its performance and to explain what I'm on about, you better pay attention to the Genesis EQ900 for the time being because THE K9 has the same driving experience as its Genesis EQ900 equivalent as well as the serious choice of engines such as the V6 3.3-liter T-GDI (370PS) for the Masters model, V6 3.8-liter GDI (315PS) for the Platinum model, or the range-topping V8 5.0-liter GDI (425PS) for the Quantum model, all mated with an 8-speed automatic with lock-up torque converter. Most of you are tempted to get a V8 variant in rear-wheel drive but don't count of being too excited because, with that powertrain that is somewhat Cadillac territory, it's still as quiet as snoring at bedtime rather than yelling like a hardcore V8 sportscar should because Kia wanted to make sure THE K9 is a serious car made for the serious drivers in the real world and while a rear-wheel drive K9 sounds nice, they can offer you with an all-wheel drive option and that's also nice if you are sure about driving it.

THE K9 introduces the most cutting-edge driver aids in the name of seriousness, including the world's first behind-view monitor which lets drivers see who's tailing them while driving, in addition to the Lane Following Assist, Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control, Highway Driving Assist, Front Collision Assist, Rear Cross Collision Avoidance, Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist-Rear, Safe Exit Assist, and many other safety feature worth eye-popping.

Let's talk serious stuff now because, after quick investigations, I can hardly say that while the dynamics and the overstuffing of safety tech really cramp speedo boys everywhere, the pricing, the interior, and the serious design are worth appealing, and because it is priced less than the Genesis EQ900 equivalent, THE K9 really is a serious bargain worth checking out and even if you are working with K-Pop celebrities or with the Cheong Wa Dae, make no mistake that this car could be it.

Available colors: Snow White Pearl, Silky Silver, Panthera Metal, Lake Stone, Dim Deep Chroma Blue, Marcella, and Aurora Black Pearl.

Photo: Kia Motors