EX Premium VS SX Prestige

[brader]

Considering nightfall in both, what would someone miss out on, other than the prestife stuff, going to the ex premium? If this has been asked before, forgive me. I have an sxp nightfall wolf coming in 3 weeks but admittedly the $4,000 less on the EX Premium is a little tempting.

 

[Lith_SXPN]

Is Prestige Package Worth It?

I'm seeing a lot of people here who got the SX with Prestige Package. Seems like there are almost no one who got the regular SX. Curious to see what made the PP upgrade worth it to you as I won't even be able to see the different models in a show room. Was it mainly aesthetic with the napa...

tellurideforum.org

There are couple threads comparing the two. Only you can decide if the upgrade is worth the money.

 

[bruesjoh04]

Considering nightfall in both, what would someone miss out on, other than the prestife stuff, going to the ex premium? If this has been asked before, forgive me. I have an sxp nightfall wolf coming in 3 weeks but admittedly the $4,000 less on the EX Premium is a little tempting.

If you have a SX Prestige on order, I’m doubtful you would be willing to drop all the way down to an EX Premium. Not only are you going to be losing the Prestige package features, but of course all of the SX features as well.

By going with the EX Premium, you’d lose fog lights, the secondary glass panel over the second row, the 360° cameras, blind view monitor, 7” instrument cluster display, reverse tilt down outside mirrors, ambient lighting, fancy stainless steel pedals, driver’s seat memory, Homelink-equipped mirror, an improved sound system, and front parking sensors, and that’s to name just some of the standard SX features.

Of course, on top of that, you’d lose the SX Prestige package features of head up display, rain sensing wipers, fancy nappa leather seats, premium headliner, 110V power inverter, and heated/ventilated rear seats.

I know there’s no way I would give up my SX Prestige for anything less.

 

[Tellthemride]

If you can afford it, go for the best/fully loaded. You still are paying several thousands less than a comparable loaded luxury car. Even in the non-luxury segment. Better peace of mind knowing you have the best trim than regretting you missed out on a feature.

If you are not going to be able to make car payments on time or uncomfortable with a tight budget, that would probably be the only reason I would settle for anything less.

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[Miatd]

I was originally considering an EX premium with NF but then I stepped into an SX Prestige and there was no turning back!!! It's worth the money IMO.

 

[NDBlackEX]

By going with the EX Premium, you’d lose fog lights, the secondary glass panel over the second row, the 360° cameras, blind view monitor, 7” instrument cluster display, reverse tilt down outside mirrors, ambient lighting, fancy stainless steel pedals, driver’s seat memory, Homelink-equipped mirror, an improved sound system, and front parking sensors, and that’s to name just some of the standard SX features.

I find that aside from the memory seats, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not having these features.
The led headlights are so good, I can't imagine the value of fog lights aside from aesthetics, the stereo is fantastic and as far as all the other electric gizmos and whizbangs that come with the premium trim, there's a lot less that can go wrong on the lower trim. These are Kias after all and mine reminds me of that every day.

Full disclosure, I didn't trade anything in. If I had a 10-20k trade, i would've gone for the SXP but having driven my EXP for 9k miles, I'm not left wanting and I'm perfectly satisfied with the options my vehicle has and I'm glad I saved the money. If you're financing, that price difference becomes even greater.

 

[Miatd]

I find that aside from the memory seats, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not having these features.
The led headlights are so good, I can't imagine the value of fog lights aside from aesthetics, the stereo is fantastic and as far as all the other electric gizmos and whizbangs that come with the premium trim, there's a lot less that can go wrong on the lower trim. These are Kias after all and mine reminds me of that every day.

Full disclosure, I didn't trade anything in. If I had a 10-20k trade, i would've gone for the SXP but having driven my EXP for 9k miles, I'm not left wanting and I'm perfectly satisfied with the options my vehicle has and I'm glad I saved the money. If you're financing, that price difference becomes even greater.

Good points you raise! I think it makes a difference whether you are leasing, financing, etc. and obviously what you can afford and want to spend. I knew I would have this for many years to come so I figured I should just go for the top trim with all the bells and whistles.

 

[DarkMossJustin]

I find that aside from the memory seats, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not having these features.
The led headlights are so good, I can't imagine the value of fog lights aside from aesthetics, the stereo is fantastic and as far as all the other electric gizmos and whizbangs that come with the premium trim, there's a lot less that can go wrong on the lower trim. These are Kias after all and mine reminds me of that every day.

Full disclosure, I didn't trade anything in. If I had a 10-20k trade, i would've gone for the SXP but having driven my EXP for 9k miles, I'm not left wanting and I'm perfectly satisfied with the options my vehicle has and I'm glad I saved the money. If you're financing, that price difference becomes even greater.

@NDBlackEX:

Love the LED headlights too. Glad you love your ride

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[NDBlackEX]

@NDBlackEX:

Love the LED headlights too. Glad you love your ride

I drive our cars without and it feels like you're driving a car with gas lamps compared to the LEDs.

 

[Nightsky93]

@NDBlackEX:

Love the LED headlights too. Glad you love your ride

LED is the way to go. Just put some in my boys first truck and he’s so amazed in the difference from stock. Can’t go wrong with LED’s as long as they are adjusted to the right height...... My wife also bought a LED bulb for our kitchen light by mistake and after putting it in in cost me another $350 to do the rest of the house

 

[brader]

If you have a SX Prestige on order, I’m doubtful you would be willing to drop all the way down to an EX Premium. Not only are you going to be losing the Prestige package features, but of course all of the SX features as well.

By going with the EX Premium, you’d lose fog lights, the secondary glass panel over the second row, the 360° cameras, blind view monitor, 7” instrument cluster display, reverse tilt down outside mirrors, ambient lighting, fancy stainless steel pedals, driver’s seat memory, Homelink-equipped mirror, an improved sound system, and front parking sensors, and that’s to name just some of the standard SX features.

Of course, on top of that, you’d lose the SX Prestige package features of head up display, rain sensing wipers, fancy nappa leather seats, premium headliner, 110V power inverter, and heated/ventilated rear seats.

I know there’s no way I would give up my SX Prestige for anything less.

I appreciate it - signed the paperwork for the SXP Nightfall today. Now just need to wait til the 25th for it to get here

 

[dsmclone]

One thing that people forget about is resale value. You're not just throwing away the $4k to get these additional items, your car will also be worth more when you go to trade it in. If I go look at a used 2020, there is currently about a $4k difference. So right now, you're really not paying any extra by going with the SX-P. Of course this will change over time but there will always be some kind of premium you will receive on your trade in by going with the higher package. If you can't afford the extra $4k than that is understandable and I would never advise someone to get a longer loan just to be able to afford the higher model.

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[Tarheelwx]

Our EX has now been in the shop for 34 days straight to fix a rear end “bump after shifting out of reverse. They tried replacing a coupler and last week the rear differential, but neither fixed the problem. Should hear back from Kia Consumer Affairs no later than tomorrow. We love how it drives, but a bump you can feel and hear coming from the rear end with just 11k miles is very concerning.
TW

 

[PittPa]

I find that aside from the memory seats, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not having these features.
The led headlights are so good, I can't imagine the value of fog lights aside from aesthetics, the stereo is fantastic and as far as all the other electric gizmos and whizbangs that come with the premium trim, there's a lot less that can go wrong on the lower trim. These are Kias after all and mine reminds me of that every day.

Full disclosure, I didn't trade anything in. If I had a 10-20k trade, i would've gone for the SXP but having driven my EXP for 9k miles, I'm not left wanting and I'm perfectly satisfied with the options my vehicle has and I'm glad I saved the money. If you're financing, that price difference becomes even greater.

I think you hit the nail when you said these are Kia's in a sense that they aren't a luxury brand. But, when you do load it up, the difference becomes blurred and it does morph into a luxury like vehicle. Almost every review suggest getting the SX and possibly the prestige for it's value. With these, you aren't missing out on many features BMW, Audi, and MB for thousands less.

 

[NDBlackEX]

I think you hit the nail when you said these are Kia's in a sense that they aren't a luxury brand. But, when you do load it up, the difference becomes blurred and it does morph into a luxury like vehicle. Almost every review suggest getting the SX and possibly the prestige for it's value. With these, you aren't missing out on many features BMW, Audi, and MB for thousands less.

When I say I'm reminded daily that it's a Kia, I'm talking mostly about build quality. (It's not good...)

My theory on why people talk about these as cheaper luxury vehicles is that they made them look enough like a range rover that the luxury brand buyers took notice. In reality, these are are comparatively equipped to their class counterparts: Traverse, Pilot, Explorer, Atlas, etc. That's never been a secret, it's all about perception and particularly the perception of the class of buyer who frequently deals in luxury vehicles. I'd include car reviewers as well. They help perpetuate that narrative as many also get their hands on luxury cars to review. So basically, if you're a luxury car owner and have been for years, this is nothing new, for 20 years or so you've been able to buy Chevys and Hondas and Toyotas and now Kias that have most of the options your luxury vehicles have for a fraction of the price. (I'm guessing if you're here because you're debating ex vs SX, that last little bit doesn't apply to you. Sorry about the rant.)

While the Telluride has some of the same features as the lux lines, so does the Honda Pilot... Telluride SXP does have a few features like ventilated 2nd row seats that are class exclusive (both in size and price class) but competitors also have features that aren't even available in Telluride. Many competitors even offer features only available on the Telluride SX and SXP on their lower trim levels. Memory seats and 110v outlet immediately come to mind. These options can be had on competitor's models that cost $7-8k less.

Value is subjective. IMO, when these things can be had at a discount that makes them competitive price wise (at least on the top trim) with other vehicles they'll be a great value. I think the S trim is a good value at MSRP. However, I paid $44k for my EXP. I looked at Chevys that had more options than my Kia and they were $42k after discounts. I also could've bought a Black Edition Pilot, their top trim for about $600 more than my EXP.

For me personally, I would've bought the top trim Telluride but I'm actually glad I settled on the lower trim. The build quality just isn't to the $50k level with these things. The longer I own the Telluride, the more I regret paying a premium price for one but I'm grateful I didn't spend the extra 5k. I do like it overall but I gotta say, I'm worried about how this thing is gonna hold up long term.

Just trying to give my perspective. Don't all you SXP owners jump me too bad. Haha

 

[PittPa]

All points well spoken and respected. It's funny since I come from a German only car ownership for the better of 15 years. I do see some of the shortcomings but I did see what you can get for say a BMW X5 for $80k and it just didn't seem worth while to have a payment pushing $1k/mo. To me, it's all about the safety and accident avoidance that the Telluride has for the price more than the features top level add. I have them on a 2019 Q5 and once you have them, it's hard not to continue. I can spend the extra $ and pretend it's a RangeRover

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[G-720146]

I find that aside from the memory seats, I don't feel like I'm missing out by not having these features.
The led headlights are so good, I can't imagine the value of fog lights aside from aesthetics, the stereo is fantastic and as far as all the other electric gizmos and whizbangs that come with the premium trim, there's a lot less that can go wrong on the lower trim. These are Kias after all and mine reminds me of that every day.

Full disclosure, I didn't trade anything in. If I had a 10-20k trade, i would've gone for the SXP but having driven my EXP for 9k miles, I'm not left wanting and I'm perfectly satisfied with the options my vehicle has and I'm glad I saved the money. If you're financing, that price difference becomes even greater.

Makes me feel so excited. I’m picking up mine today. My neighbor got the SXP and I was wondering if I made a mistake getting the EXP. Thanks!!

 

[DarkMossJustin]

All that matters to me is that I like the car.

I could care less what badge snobs say, or whether a car has enough features to be considered luxury or not.

I didn't go into this purchase saying, "I'm buying a luxury trim KIA, that's why I'm going SX P/T".

I just wanted a good car that satisfied a few criteria:

LED headlights.
Good looking exterior (shape, color combos, wheels).
Cozy interior (I've always like the Brown/Black combo and Dune Brown Nappa Leather seats on black polymer trim w/ Dark Gray premium cloth microfiber headliner, A-pillars, partial B-pillars = classy and cozy)
Traditional-style shifter where I can rest my right hand.
Comfortable, supportive first row seats for longer trips, and a roomy comfy second row with heated/cooled 2nd seats and maximum legroom.
Enough space in the cargo area to store a lot of stuff with the 3rd row permanently down. (The spacious storage well is a huge plus).
Heated steering wheel.
Modern sound/infotainment system (I came from a 2002 Lexus LS with a tape deck and CD changer, no AUX plug, a few blown speakers)
Modern technology: cameras, sensors (Kia's sensors are sensitive California snowflakes and I've learned to go all the way to red before stopping )
Rear cross-traffic alert. I usually back into parking spaces, but when I can't, this is helpful.
HUD
AWD Sport Mode
AWD Snow Mode + a button for electronically "locking" Front/Rear torque distribution (functions under 25 mph for sticky/slippy situations)
Factory-mounted trailer hitch receiver.
Proven engine.
No requirement to use premium gas.
Excellent overall value.

AWD 2021 KIA Telluride SX P/T Classic Trim a.k.a. "Tom Kearns Edition"
OEM All Weather Floor Mats
OEM Carpeted Cargo Mat w/ Seat Back Protection (60/40 split, perfect fit)
OEM Cargo Cover

Aftermarket:
ToughPro Cargo Mat (rolled up in storage, only used for dirty jobs)
WeatherTech TechCare Exterior Wash/Wax kit (highly-recommended for DIY detailing)
American Flag Hitch Cover made from one block of CNC-machined 6061-T6 Aluminum, powder-coated (FlagsNHitches, Etsy)

CanvasBack on order for my future doggo.

Possible additions:
Borla axle-back exhaust system, if they quit avoiding me, open their gates, and let me into their Oxnard HQ to get the group purchase deal done.
Torx exhaust, if Borla doesn't want to play ball.