Kia K7 Hybrid 700h

Back in Autumn 2009, the Kia K7 spearheaded the K-Series line of saloons and in case they forgot about it, the "K" letter stands for Kia Motors, the automaker's birthplace: Korea, the English word: kinetic, the Greek word: Kratos, and so on, relating to the letter K. With last year's facelift took place, it only takes a matter of time before Kia Motors introduced a new twist to the K7 premium saloon.

2014 Kia K7 Hybrid 700h

They now introduced the hybrid version of the K7/Cadenza under the banner "K7 Hybrid 700h" and it seems that they're going to outdo with the numbers because starting with this and alongside the K5 Hybrid 500h, which I'll be tackling on later after this, Kia adopted a new naming for their hybrid lineup that goes (number goes here)-0-0-h. This is a K7, right? So for the hybrid version, it's going to bear the 700h subname.

2014 Kia K7 Hybrid 700h

Kia Eco hybrid badge

To make sure deaf people don't mistake the K7 Hybrid 700h for an ordinary K7, the exterior looks nearly identical to the normal model except that now it has blue highlightings on the signature Tiger Nose grille, blue highlights on the projection headlamps and Daytime Running Lamps, 17-inch alloys, and an "ECO hybrid" badge; two on the side view and one at the rear view.

2014 Kia K7 Hybrid 700h

On the inside, it's pretty much identical to the normal K7 because on the hybrid model, you can see the "ECO hybrid" logo on the seats, a very different dashboard with the one of the left that looks suspiciously familiar to other hybrids except this doesn't have the words Eco, Power, and Charge on it but instead it says ECO GUIDE on it. You still get the same premium amenities as the normal K7 as well as this analog clock on the dashboard which looks quintessentially classy for a show-offer.

The K7 Hybrid 700h comes with the Theta II 2.4 MPI engine, which generates in a normal 159PS of power output, is connected to a 35kW electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. Put them together and you'll get 204PS of power while mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. As for the fuel economy, the K7 Hybrid 700h gets a moderate 16.0kmpl combined and CO2 emission of 106g/km. I know, it looks somewhat familiar to what you get from the newer Hyundai Grandeur Hybrid but be warned; the K7 Hybrid 700h weighs at around 1690kg, 10kg more than the Hyundai Grandeur Hybrid.

The K7 Hybrid 700h starts at 35,830,000KRW and available colors are Snow White Pearl, Aluminum Silver, Bright Silver, Aurora Black Pearl, Platinum Graphite, and Satin Metal.

Photo: Kia Motors