Top Safety Pick

2019 Kia Cadenza

large car / 4-door sedan

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria	Rating
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system	Superior
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Optional system	Advanced

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteria	Rating
LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

Standard blind spot detection
Optional lane departure warning
Optional lane departure prevention

Key

G
Good
A
Acceptable
M
Marginal
P
Poor

Superior
Advanced
Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Kia Cadenza Premium 4-door

The Kia Cadenza was redesigned for the 2017 model year.

Evaluation criteria	Rating

Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1705
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	4
Footrest (cm)	5
Left toepan (cm)	3
Brake pedal (cm)	3
Parking brake (cm)	10
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	1
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	4
Upper dash (cm)	4
Lower instrument panel (cm)	4

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1705
Head
HIC-15	146
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm)	9
Maximum Nij	0.22
Chest maximum compression (mm)	23
Femur (kN)
Left	0.5
Right	0.4
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	3
Right	2
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.51
Right	0.33
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	2.4
Right	0.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	73
Right	65

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Kia Cadenza Premium 4-door

The Kia Cadenza was redesigned for the 2017 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1709
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	6
Footrest (cm)	9
Right toepan (cm)	4
Center toepan (cm)	1
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	2
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm)	6
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	4
Upper dash (cm)	10
Right lower dash (cm)	9

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1709
Head
HIC-15	97
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm)	6
Maximum Nij	0.13
Chest maximum compression (mm)	19
Femur (kN)
Left	0.2
Right	0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	0
Right	1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.35
Right	0.46
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	1.5
Right	1.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	55
Right	54

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP1709
Head
HIC-15	68
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm)	22
Maximum Nij	0.27
Chest maximum compression (mm)	27
Femur (kN)
Left	0.2
Right	0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	0
Right	1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.30
Right	0.22
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.5
Right	0.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	26
Right	35

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Kia Cadenza Premium 4-door

The Kia Cadenza was redesigned for the 2017 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1701
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	5
Left (cm)	10
Center (cm)	8
Right (cm)	6
Brake pedal (cm)	5
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	0
Right (cm)	2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	-3
Rearward (cm)	5
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	0

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF1701
Head
HIC-15	183
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.1
Extension bending moment (Nm)	15
Maximum Nij	0.25
Chest maximum compression (mm)	31
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	1.1
Femur force - right (kN)	0.9
Knee displacement - left (mm)	1
Knee displacement - right (mm)	1
Maximum tibia index - left	0.50
Maximum tibia index - right	0.31
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.3
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	2.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	77
Right	61

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Kia Cadenza Premium 4-door

The Kia Cadenza was redesigned for the 2017 model year. Two side tests of the Cadenza were conducted, one by the Institute and the other by Hyundai/Kia. Ratings are based on both tests.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the Institute's crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment (Institute test car shown).

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags in the Institute's test.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side curtain airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	VTS1701	CES1704
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-16.5	-16.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1701	CES1704
Head HIC-15	266	306
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.3	1.1
Compression (kN)	0.9	0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	31	41
Lateral force (kN)	1.3	1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	32	40
Average deflection (mm)	28	34
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	4.20	4.53
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.43	0.58
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	1.7	1.8
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.8	1.7
Combined force (kN)	3.5	3.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.9	0.7
L-M moment (Nm)	205	187
A-P moment (Nm)	-18	45

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS1701	CES1704
Head HIC-15	85	67
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.5	0.2
Compression (kN)	0.3	0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	10	13
Lateral force (kN)	0.7	0.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	15	16
Average deflection (mm)	12	13
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	2.44	2.08
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.15	0.13
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.4	0.3
Acetabulum force (kN)	2.3	0.0
Combined force (kN)	2.5	0.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.4	0.6
L-M moment (Nm)	44	92
A-P moment (Nm)	41	-39

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Kia Cadenza Technology 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	3,727 lbs
Peak force	16,840 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	4.52

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Power leather seat
Geometry
Backset (mm)	34
Distance below top of head (mm)	0
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	12.9
Head contact time (ms)	57
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	0
Max neck tension (N)	551

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 2 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

Technology trim
Limited trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and fair on the right side. On curves, visibility was good in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual left and both right curves and fair on the sharp left curve.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and on the sharp left curve.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Technology trim Limited trim
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2017-19 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	87.0 m	None
Straightaway left edge	64.4 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	89.5 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	77.8 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	68.6 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	59.7 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	145.8 m
Straightaway left edge	72.5 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	95.9 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	82.1 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	72.0 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	63.1 m

Trim level(s)

Premium trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	Premium trim
Low-beam headlight type	Halogen projector
High-beam headlight type	Halogen projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	No
Overall rating Applies to 2017-19 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	73.9 m	None
Straightaway left edge	38.7 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	47.0 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	38.7 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	42.6 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	36.8 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	156.5 m
Straightaway left edge	122.2 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	59.6 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	57.4 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	45.4 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	40.6 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

Optional Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

Package name

Optional Technology or Limited Trims

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2019 models

Superior

with optional equipment

This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

System details

optional Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to 2019-20 models of the following trim lines: Technology trim, Limited trim

Advanced

with optional equipment

Crossing child

In the 12 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 11 mph.
In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 15 mph.

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 19 mph.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 34 mph. A warning was issued 1.6 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2017-20 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	Premium
Seat type	leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	Premium
Seat type	leather

Rating icon	Rating
G	Good
A	Acceptable
M	Marginal
P	Poor
	Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol	Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol	Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol	Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
	No hardware available

Details by seating position

Position	Rating
1
1	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	difficult to maneuver around anchors
2
2	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	none available
3
3	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	difficult to maneuver around anchors

Technical measurements for this test

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	8
Clearance angle (degrees)	41
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	7
Clearance angle (degrees)	48
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	10
Clearance angle (degrees)	41
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	4-6
Force (lbs)	16
Clearance angle (degrees)	41
Tether anchor
Location	Rear deck
Confusing hardware present	No
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	No
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation