New Member - Prospective Owner - Chicago

[Buck14]

Telly Tribe,
I am Buck from the People’s Republic of Chicago, Illinois, where we are approaching $12K-$15k market surcharge on top of MSRP on SX Tellys and the government loves to smack new car owners around.

Put some research into a new 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe in the new Calligraphy trim to replace my 2011 Santa Fe Limited and accidentally hit a Kia Telly ad.

Went down a rabbit hole on the 2021 Telly AWD SX and found this forum.

Any pointers for a newbie looking for the following Telly would be much appreciated!
Target: 2021 SX AWD
Exterior Must Have: Dark Moss
Interior Must Have: Espresso or Prestige Nappa Brown
Options: Tow Hitch or Tow Package; Wheel locks; all weather floor mats
Deal Breakers: above MSRP; any finish, colors scheme or options that make my ride look like I’m a gangbanger (like Nightfall)
Urgency: next 6 months would be fine and a year would be OK but not preferred
Where to Buy: Would like to no- hassle order a new SX to my custom specs if possible? Current wait time range? Do I have to order through a dealer or can I order directly from KIA? Considering driving to Indiana for friendly dealers.
Thank you so much for this forum - already learned a lot!!!!!

 

[Buck14]

Deleted duplicate post

 

[qwikhit]

Like this guy; knows exactly what he wants . Have a look around here there are plenty of dealers selling at MSRP just might have to travel or pay shipping to get your vehicle. Those markups are outrageous

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Telly Tribe,
I am Buck from the People’s Republic of Chicago, Illinois, where we are approaching $12K-$15k market surcharge on top of MSRP on SX Tellys and the government loves to smack new car owners around.

Put some research into a new 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe in the new Calligraphy trim to replace my 2011 Santa Fe Limited and accidentally hit a Kia Telly ad.

Went down a rabbit hole on the 2021 Telly AWD SX and found this forum.

Any pointers for a newbie looking for the following Telly would be much appreciated!
Target: 2021 SX AWD
Out: Dark Moss
In: Espresso or Prestige Nappa Brown
Options: Tow Hitch or Tow Package; Wheel locks; all weather floor mats
Deal Breakers: above MSRP; any finish, colors scheme or options that make my ride look like I’m a gangbanger (like Nightfall)
Urgency: next 6 months would be fine and a year would be OK but not preferred
Where to Buy: Would like to no- hassle order a new SX to my custom specs if possible? Current wait time range? Do I have to order through a dealer or can I order directly from KIA? Considering driving to Indiana for friendly dealers.
Thank you so much for this forum - already learned a lot!!!!!

Welcome aboard! And thank you for signing up. I'm glad you found us!

______________________________

 

[DarkMossJustin]

Telly Tribe,
I am Buck from the People’s Republic of Chicago, Illinois, where we are approaching $12K-$15k market surcharge on top of MSRP on SX Tellys and the government loves to smack new car owners around.

Put some research into a new 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe in the new Calligraphy trim to replace my 2011 Santa Fe Limited and accidentally hit a Kia Telly ad.

Went down a rabbit hole on the 2021 Telly AWD SX and found this forum.

Any pointers for a newbie looking for the following Telly would be much appreciated!
Target: 2021 SX AWD
Out: Dark Moss
In: Espresso or Prestige Nappa Brown
Options: Tow Hitch or Tow Package; Wheel locks; all weather floor mats
Deal Breakers: above MSRP; any finish, colors scheme or options that make my ride look like I’m a gangbanger (like Nightfall)
Urgency: next 6 months would be fine and a year would be OK but not preferred
Where to Buy: Would like to no- hassle order a new SX to my custom specs if possible? Current wait time range? Do I have to order through a dealer or can I order directly from KIA? Considering driving to Indiana for friendly dealers.
Thank you so much for this forum - already learned a lot!!!!!

Hi @Buck14,

Are you willing to order your 2021 AWD Telly SX from out of state? Some dealers sell at MSRP and offer to ship. Others you can make a nice road trip out of it and pick up your Telly to drive home. I know you said Indiana, but if you're willing to widen your range, many of us here can make a few suggestions for dealers further away.

First of all, it's too bad you don't like Dark Moss, but we can't all love the gorgeous iconic color of the Telluride

What colors interest you? I give you credit for acknowledging the gorgeous and exclusive seat color for the Prestige Package: Dune Brown Nappa Leather. It contrasts beautifully with the black polymer trim pieces and the aluminum and gloss black pieces.

If you're going Dune to the Moon, and you for some strange reason don't want to pair it with Dark Moss, here are some suggestions:

Everlasting Gray (Kia will try to call it Everlasting Silver, but it's more of a blue-gray with some dark silver flake under the clear coat) looks great with the Dune Brown seats. Interesting contrast.

Black or White Pearl exteriors also look great with the Dune Brown inside.

Gravity Gray might look great too.

Ultimately it's up to you.

Kia's All Weather Floor Mats are awesome. The material is so comfortable under your feet/heel and there's the "TELLURIDE" stamped into the mats, which fit perfectly and hook into the original floor tabs.

Got the Tow hitch and self-leveling Mando (Nivomat-style) rear shock absorbers which have been fine so far.

Get the exact Telly that you want, put in your order for MSRP if you can and be patient. There will be many customers ahead of you waiting to get into Kia's ordering system, but when your order finally gets picked up, things move a lot faster and you'll be counting the days until you drive off in your amazing new ride.

There are some quality options/accessories that if you can get from the factory, go for it:

OEM Carpeted Cargo Mat with Seat Back Protection (has a rubberized layer underneath the synthetic low-maintenance "carpet")
OEM Cargo Cover
OEM All Weather Floor Mats

I really wanted the Illuminated Scuff Plates, but they weren't available when my order was finally picked up by KFOS.

 

[Buck14]

Hi @Buck14,

Are you willing to order your 2021 AWD Telly SX from out of state? Some dealers sell at MSRP and offer to ship. Others you can make a nice road trip out of it and pick up your Telly to drive home. I know you said Indiana, but if you're willing to widen your range, many of us here can make a few suggestions for dealers further away.

First of all, it's too bad you don't like Dark Moss, but we can't all love the gorgeous iconic color of the Telluride

What colors interest you? I give you credit for acknowledging the gorgeous and exclusive seat color for the Prestige Package: Dune Brown Nappa Leather. It contrasts beautifully with the black polymer trim pieces and the aluminum and gloss black pieces.

If you're going Dune to the Moon, and you for some strange reason don't want to pair it with Dark Moss, here are some suggestions:

Everlasting Gray (Kia will try to call it Everlasting Silver, but it's more of a blue-gray with some dark silver flake under the clear coat) looks great with the Dune Brown seats. Interesting contrast.

Black or White Pearl exteriors also look great with the Dune Brown inside.

Gravity Gray might look great too.

Ultimately it's up to you.

Kia's All Weather Floor Mats are awesome. The material is so comfortable under your feet/heel and there's the "TELLURIDE" stamped into the mats, which fit perfectly and hook into the original floor tabs.

Got the Tow hitch and self-leveling Mando (Nivomat-style) rear shock absorbers which have been fine so far.

Get the exact Telly that you want, put in your order for MSRP if you can and be patient. There will be many customers ahead of you waiting to get into Kia's ordering system, but when your order finally gets picked up, things move a lot faster and you'll be counting the days until you drive off in your amazing new ride.

There are some quality options/accessories that if you can get from the factory, go for it:

OEM Carpeted Cargo Mat with Seat Back Protection (has a rubberized layer underneath the synthetic low-maintenance "carpet")
OEM Cargo Cover
OEM All Weather Floor Mats

I really wanted the Illuminated Scuff Plates, but they weren't available when my order was finally picked up by KFOS.

Thank you very much! I corrected my post to more clearly indicate that I will ONLY consider Dark Moss! That’s the color for me for sure!

I would be willing to go anywhere in the country to pick up the Telly assuming it’s worth it.

 

[DarkMossJustin]

Thank you very much! I corrected my post to more clearly indicate that I will ONLY consider Dark Moss! That’s the color for me for sure!

I would be willing to go anywhere in the country to pick up the Telly assuming it’s worth it.

If you're willing to go to Texas and have an amazing drive/road trip back home to break-in your beautiful new ride, Forum Member @StephenCantrelle (Classic Kia Carrollton), who you'll see looking up people's ETAs on the busy "Track my vehicle" thread has helped a number of people get their upper trim AWD Tellurides

 

[Buck14]

I am just so tired of black! Period! I have a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited Black exterior Black interior and I love it!

But, YOLO and I am ready not to see black dominate anymore thats why I am seriously looking at Dark Moss / Espresso combo. And, the “white” headliner is really an off white almost gray and I liked it alot more than the black headliners I saw.

Unfortunately, the dealer did not have any Butterscotch, Nappa Dune or Espresso to see in person.

______________________________

 

[Flekke]

@moe

Thank you very much! I corrected my post to more clearly indicate that I will ONLY consider Dark Moss! That’s the color for me for sure!

I would be willing to go anywhere in the country to pick up the Telly assuming it’s worth it.

@Moe at hilltop Kia in CA sells at msrp. (510) 230-9198. Got the dark moss and dune brown myself and I think it’s the best combo

 

[superk1977]

I ordered the Everlasting Silver (Gray) with Dune Brown last Aug. My delivery date is 3/4! I ordered from Napleton Kia in Elgin. They only Black NF's on the lot at 5K over MSRP. So I ordered. Unfortunately, I paid almost 2K over MSRP but it's worth it. I shopped/drove a VW Atlas, Infiniti QX60, Volvo XC90, Audi Q7, & 2022 Acura MDX. For the price, features, benefits, value; even at 2K over MPRP, it was still worth it compared to those others. Counting down the days...

Welcome fellow Chicagoan!

 

[qwikhit]

@superk1977 what was your impression of the Atlas?

 

[superk1977]

@superk1977 what was your impression of the Atlas?

My wife really liked the Atlas. It was her 1st choice (of non luxury brands). My thoughts:

- the latest Consumer Reports rating on it was a big issue, Atlas had a very low score (compared to Telly's 97!)
- inside was massive, and compares to Telly
- inside dash/console looked very utilitarian/cheap almost in terms of materials, does not have a semi-luxurious design like Telly
- ride was sluggish, didn't have the same ride dynamics as Telly
- my opinion, Atlas did not look as eye-catching, unique as the Telly
- Top model with R-Type (that my wife wanted) was almost $55K! compared to the Telly SX-P

Atlas is a good car but others on here also had some issues/complaints. I'm happy I chose the Telly...

______________________________

 

[qwikhit]

My son and his wife have a Tiguan which is comparable with the Sorento. Rides ok but no where near our Telly.

 

[DarkMossJustin]

I ordered the Everlasting Silver (Gray) with Dune Brown last Aug. My delivery date is 3/4! I ordered from Napleton Kia in Elgin. They only Black NF's on the lot at 5K over MSRP. So I ordered. Unfortunately, I paid almost 2K over MSRP but it's worth it. I shopped/drove a VW Atlas, Infiniti QX60, Volvo XC90, Audi Q7, & 2022 Acura MDX. For the price, features, benefits, value; even at 2K over MPRP, it was still worth it compared to those others. Counting down the days...

Welcome fellow Chicagoan!

The Volvo XC90 has a shapely rear-end. Love following them on the freeways at a distance. The front end, not so much, but I heard the new XC90s have a night-vision option on the top trims. Thermal? Infrared? FLIR would be cool.

 

[DarkMossJustin]

@superk1977 what was your impression of the Atlas?

I think it'll depend on if the Atlas was produced prior to VW's "Dieselgate" scandal or after it.

VW and Audi have been doing some substantial cost-cutting post-Dieselgate so much that my sisters new Q7 has issues not seen on her prior pre-Dieselgate Q7. Her previous Q7 was a rock, all body panel gaps evenly spaced, rarely had any issues except for scheduled maintenance. The new Q7 is driving her and her husband nuts with all the problems and imperfections that weren't on the previous iterations of the same exact model car.

I'm not a VW insider, but I almost want to say that VW's QA/QC took the biggest hit in the cost reductions, because the results aren't looking as sharp as before, but it could possibly be other production issues.

I'd be wary of purchasing any VW/Audi nowadays without going over the car with a figurative fine-toothed comb prior to accepting delivery.

 

[superk1977]

The Volvo XC90 has a shapely rear-end. Love following them on the freeways at a distance. The front end, not so much, but I heard the new XC90s have a night-vision option on the top trims. Thermal? Infrared? FLIR would be cool.

We really liked the XC90 but an equally featured model to the Telly was over $65K! Way over my price range...

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[Buck14]

The Hell With It! I cannot resist the Dark Moss! I am weak! If the KFOS system comes up before I wimp out, I am putting in and order and deposit ASAP!

Does anyone have any suggestions to add to this list (or is anything on here a bad idea?). Thanks again!

KIA Telluride 2021SX AWD

• Dark Moss
• Espresso
• Cargo Seatback Up Mat
• Cargo Tray, Folding
• Cargo Cover
• Interior Light Kit, Multicolored
• Wheel Locks
• Carpeted Floor Mats
• LED Fog Lights
• Door Sill Plates, Illuminated
• All Weather Floor Mats

 

[Lith_SXPN]

- Make sure OEM all weather mats are what you really want. Similar priced mats may have more coverage which will help a lot during Chicago weather.
- Seat back mat and tray does the same job, you might want to choose one of the two.
- Wheel locks... Personally I would opt out of this
- LED Fog is part of SX

Since you are custom ordering, I hope you are not paying a huge premium over MSRP. I also hope the knee issue will be resolved for you. Good Luck.

 

[PittPa]

I like that you are so inflexible on Dark Moss. Good move! I have the black interior, not my first choice, but can deal with it since all my previous sedans came with BMW black.

 

[DarkMossJustin]

The Hell With It! I cannot resist the Dark Moss! I am weak! If the KFOS system comes up before I wimp out, I am putting in and order and deposit ASAP!

Does anyone have any suggestions to add to this list (or is anything on here a bad idea?). Thanks again!

KIA Telluride 2021SX AWD

• Dark Moss
• Espresso
• Cargo Seatback Up Mat
• Cargo Tray, Folding
• Cargo Cover
• Interior Light Kit, Multicolored
• Wheel Locks
• Carpeted Floor Mats
• LED Fog Lights
• Door Sill Plates, Illuminated
• All Weather Floor Mats

Change Espresso to Dune Brown

Get these highly recommended items:
#1: OEM All Weather Floor Mats (TELLURIDE is stamped into the material, perfect fit and hooks perfectly into the floor tabs)
#2: OEM Carpeted Cargo Mat w/ Seat Back Protection (not too thick with a rubberized base layer and synthetic low-maintenance “carpeting”, full coverage, stays put, perfect fit)
#3: OEM Cargo Cover (awesome because it hides everything in the cargo area)

If you have thieving scum in your area or where you park for work/errands, get the OEM Wheel Locks too if you want.