What vehicles did you consider / come from when buying your Telluride?

[miamibeachsteve]

I could get a Highlander Platinum out the door for 43k not bad. Lease is $488! An xle lease is $400! I like the Telluride a lot better but that's a lot cheaper!

 

[szillaxl]

No, the Kia kicks the Explorer's butt. As far as space and capability, the Expedition is the only one that can come close. For me the biggest downfall is the towing and unibody just don't get much higher than 5000lbs. The Explorer can get to 5,600 but it is not much different than the Kia.

Does the explorer need trailer brakes and optional equipment to tow 5600

 

[YAH DEF]

I drove the Expedition today. Even discounted $14k, it is sill $60k or $10k more than my ordered Telluride. It is BIG, but that goes without saying. 3rd row is huge and the center console can hold a small child. Second row seats had some weird puckering (I used to build seats for Ford so maybe I am especially attune to this). At highway speed, I was surprised how loud it was. It was like the wind was vibrating the inside somehow and there was pronounced road noise. I found this surprising and disappointing. The third row when up makes for almost no storage space behind the seat. I could go for the extended version, but this thing is already a bus. Speaking of bus, that hood line is high. I'm 6"1 and I still felt like I could not see what I was driving over. My wife did not go with me but I know she would not feel comfortable driving it.

All that to say that I think the Telluride better suits my family needs even if it can't tow 9000lbs.

I thought my Honda had a lot of road and wind noise until I rode in a friend's Expedition. Holy crap - we had to well raise our voices to hear each other. It was unpleasant. The T is much quieter than my Honda and much much quieter than that Exped.

 

[maddmike]

I thought my Honda had a lot of road and wind noise until I rode in a friend's Expedition. Holy crap - we had to well raise our voices to hear each other. It was unpleasant. The T is much quieter than my Honda and much much quieter than that Exped.

Yeah, my GX felt quiet when I climbed back into it. If nothing else, all this comparison shopping is reminding me how much I like the GX... If only it was a little bit bigger.

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[maddmike]

Does the explorer need trailer brakes and optional equipment to tow 5600

I'm pretty sure that is with the tow package and right engine but I haven't speced one out. I had an old Mercury Mountaineer that I paid $1,500 for as I needed something to tow my race car to and from the track. It ended up being the dog car and gereral beater. We jokingly called it Trusty Steed. Once while towing in the mountains, we lost two spark plugs wires and still made it to Pocono.

I kept it for four years, got a $1,100 insurance payout in a black ice incident, and sold it for $1,200. I did not wash it once during my ownership.

However, I still associate the Explorer with my old beater and I never seriously looked at one since then.

 

[Kwim]

Does the explorer need trailer brakes and optional equipment to tow 5600

the controller is needed it does not come from the factory. Both connectors (4 & 7) come from the factory.

 

[maddmike]

So, in my boredom search, I have come full circle and am looking at the Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy.

In all honesty, besides the front grill, I actually like the look of the Palisade and I think with the Calligraphy edition, it ties it together a bit better. The interior if the Palisade does have some advantages too. I torn between the real and the digital dials but I do prefer the old school shifter. Besides that, I actually like the interior design of the Palisade a bit more. No piano black plastic and I never cared for the "tablet sticking out of the dash" look on any vehicle. The seats and quilted door liners are beautiful but I don't understand the perforated door panels. It seems like that is just asking to collect crud.

Some reviewers are saying the Telluride is slightly more spacious while other are saying they are the same size, so that is a bit confusing. I think perhaps the power rear seats take up a little more room and that is the difference? Rear seat controls on the roof vs on the floor is a toss up. There is more storage places in the Palisade as well as a bigger glove box.

The Palisade has limited colors though and in the Calligraphy, there are only three available colors which I find odd. If I went with the Nightshade, there is only one available interior which is the light grey which looks beautiful but may be hard to keep beautiful. I have found that unlike the on-line pictures, it actually has black on the back of the seats and door panels. This does make it a bit more practical. Because of the weird rear tail light, I am actually thinking that it may look better in white with the tan interior.

Depreciation: These are both expected to depreciate at the same rate (49% in 5 years). Of course, that is an estimate and if there is higher demand for the Telluride, it may hold its value better. I wonder if there are quality differences between the made in GA Telluride and made in Korea Palisade. I don't know if dealers are willing to discount the Calligraphy yet but that may help take some of the stig out of the depreciation.

Unfortunately, no local dealer has one in stock which makes them less likely to discount and means I can't go crawl around inside one.

 

[pnwwarrior]

So - a little bit of background - I am a bit of a car geek and spend a copious amount of time reading up on different cars. Kia is not a brand that I usually shop into. My/ our (me + wife)'s past cars have been a Honda Civic, Mazda 3 (2 Mazda 3's 2011 replaced by 2017), Merc C class, and finally a Tesla Model 3 (current setup is Tesla and Mazda 3). Also, I have never paid above invoice (in all those cars, including the Tesla - which doesn't do negotiation, but I found 1 which had been cancelled delivery and so got about $2k off).

Now, as it happens - we are pregnant and expecting twins arriving in June 2021. The idea of twins plus our family visiting occasionally instantly prompted the discussion to buy a 7 seater to replace the Mazda. Our budget is ~50-55k. I had already done all my research and I decided that its going to be either Volvo XC90 or Telluride. While we both love Mazda - mainly because they are fun to drive and the interior materials are luxury competing - the 3rd row is impractical. Now, my wife doesn't have a good reputation of Kia in her mind. She holds a lot of views based on the reputation of Kia's in late 90's and 00's. It took some convincing and tons of articles going her way to convince her to test drive Telluride.

We first test drove Telluride and liked it. There were some cheap plastics here and there that we disliked, but overall - it had every feature we were looking for and a really good 3rd row. The next day, we drove the XC90 - fully convinced that we are going to love it, but were slightly disappointed. Currently, there are tons of discounts on the XC90 plus I have about $4k incentive from the employer - which basically brought down the price of a $62k XC90 Momentum to around $51k. While the interior was amazing and even Momentum has each and every feature that Telluride SX offers, we disliked the infotainment system it had and the 3rd row was smaller than what the numbers said. 1 big annoyance I had was that the 2nd-row captain's chair has NO ARMRESTS! Once I saw it - I just couldn't take my mind off it. We also read about the reliability issues that XC90 has, and given that we will be keeping this for a long time - it kind of feels like that it would be a bad decision.

We are now making up our mind to put in a factory order for Telluride, but are unable to find a dealer in our area which is offering MSRP ordering and I can't fathom paying a dime over MSRP (especially since we don't need the car for next 6 months). There's also the fact that while we can get the Volvo for about $11k below MSRP - plus it comes with 3 years of maintenance included, the Telluride would be, at the very minimum, at MSRP - which would mean that our total cost of ownership is going to come significantly higher than the Volvo (barring reliability issues) 5+ years down the line.

So - we are still not sure what to do. Reading all these posts on the forum is reassuring that we would be making the right choice, but I still have to first find a dealer which can put in our order at MSRP

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[Kwim]

@pnwwarrior , under the conditions you wrote, what else do you think? The answer is clear. You missed one important point: service and customer service. For Kia, this service is 0, they are not interested in clients. Do you think it is worth buying a completely raw car without having customer service behind your back?

 

[pnwwarrior]

@Kwim the 1 dealer we went to gave me a very bad overall vibe. They are asking for $6k over MSRP and basically became completely disinterested when I mentioned that I don't want to pay above MSRP. Why should I, when I am not in a hurry? Its a depreciating asset, for which the company has set at MSRP. I am just torn right now about buying that Volvo. Don't know how to look over the annoyances I mentioned.

 

[rbfromma]

So - a little bit of background - I am a bit of a car geek and spend a copious amount of time reading up on different cars. Kia is not a brand that I usually shop into. My/ our (me + wife)'s past cars have been a Honda Civic, Mazda 3 (2 Mazda 3's 2011 replaced by 2017), Merc C class, and finally a Tesla Model 3 (current setup is Tesla and Mazda 3). Also, I have never paid above invoice (in all those cars, including the Tesla - which doesn't do negotiation, but I found 1 which had been cancelled delivery and so got about $2k off).

Now, as it happens - we are pregnant and expecting twins arriving in June 2021. The idea of twins plus our family visiting occasionally instantly prompted the discussion to buy a 7 seater to replace the Mazda. Our budget is ~50-55k. I had already done all my research and I decided that its going to be either Volvo XC90 or Telluride. While we both love Mazda - mainly because they are fun to drive and the interior materials are luxury competing - the 3rd row is impractical. Now, my wife doesn't have a good reputation of Kia in her mind. She holds a lot of views based on the reputation of Kia's in late 90's and 00's. It took some convincing and tons of articles going her way to convince her to test drive Telluride.

We first test drove Telluride and liked it. There were some cheap plastics here and there that we disliked, but overall - it had every feature we were looking for and a really good 3rd row. The next day, we drove the XC90 - fully convinced that we are going to love it, but were slightly disappointed. Currently, there are tons of discounts on the XC90 plus I have about $4k incentive from the employer - which basically brought down the price of a $62k XC90 Momentum to around $51k. While the interior was amazing and even Momentum has each and every feature that Telluride SX offers, we disliked the infotainment system it had and the 3rd row was smaller than what the numbers said. 1 big annoyance I had was that the 2nd-row captain's chair has NO ARMRESTS! Once I saw it - I just couldn't take my mind off it. We also read about the reliability issues that XC90 has, and given that we will be keeping this for a long time - it kind of feels like that it would be a bad decision.

We are now making up our mind to put in a factory order for Telluride, but are unable to find a dealer in our area which is offering MSRP ordering and I can't fathom paying a dime over MSRP (especially since we don't need the car for next 6 months). There's also the fact that while we can get the Volvo for about $11k below MSRP - plus it comes with 3 years of maintenance included, the Telluride would be, at the very minimum, at MSRP - which would mean that our total cost of ownership is going to come significantly higher than the Volvo (barring reliability issues) 5+ years down the line.

So - we are still not sure what to do. Reading all these posts on the forum is reassuring that we would be making the right choice, but I still have to first find a dealer which can put in our order at MSRP

We were also considering the XC90 as our top choice and decided to go with the Telluride SXP. Zero regrets with the decision thus far and my wife is thrilled with her new ride. It is certainly MILES from the old Kia reputation. Yes, there are some that have had some issues but if you spend any time on any forum for a given car model you will see the same.

Where are you located? There are many dealers that are selling at MSRP and this forum is full of information and recommendations for those dealers.

 

[Lith_SXPN]

So - a little bit of background - I am a bit of a car geek and spend a copious amount of time reading up on different cars. Kia is not a brand that I usually shop into. My/ our (me + wife)'s past cars have been a Honda Civic, Mazda 3 (2 Mazda 3's 2011 replaced by 2017), Merc C class, and finally a Tesla Model 3 (current setup is Tesla and Mazda 3). Also, I have never paid above invoice (in all those cars, including the Tesla - which doesn't do negotiation, but I found 1 which had been cancelled delivery and so got about $2k off).

Now, as it happens - we are pregnant and expecting twins arriving in June 2021. The idea of twins plus our family visiting occasionally instantly prompted the discussion to buy a 7 seater to replace the Mazda. Our budget is ~50-55k. I had already done all my research and I decided that its going to be either Volvo XC90 or Telluride. While we both love Mazda - mainly because they are fun to drive and the interior materials are luxury competing - the 3rd row is impractical. Now, my wife doesn't have a good reputation of Kia in her mind. She holds a lot of views based on the reputation of Kia's in late 90's and 00's. It took some convincing and tons of articles going her way to convince her to test drive Telluride.

We first test drove Telluride and liked it. There were some cheap plastics here and there that we disliked, but overall - it had every feature we were looking for and a really good 3rd row. The next day, we drove the XC90 - fully convinced that we are going to love it, but were slightly disappointed. Currently, there are tons of discounts on the XC90 plus I have about $4k incentive from the employer - which basically brought down the price of a $62k XC90 Momentum to around $51k. While the interior was amazing and even Momentum has each and every feature that Telluride SX offers, we disliked the infotainment system it had and the 3rd row was smaller than what the numbers said. 1 big annoyance I had was that the 2nd-row captain's chair has NO ARMRESTS! Once I saw it - I just couldn't take my mind off it. We also read about the reliability issues that XC90 has, and given that we will be keeping this for a long time - it kind of feels like that it would be a bad decision.

We are now making up our mind to put in a factory order for Telluride, but are unable to find a dealer in our area which is offering MSRP ordering and I can't fathom paying a dime over MSRP (especially since we don't need the car for next 6 months). There's also the fact that while we can get the Volvo for about $11k below MSRP - plus it comes with 3 years of maintenance included, the Telluride would be, at the very minimum, at MSRP - which would mean that our total cost of ownership is going to come significantly higher than the Volvo (barring reliability issues) 5+ years down the line.

So - we are still not sure what to do. Reading all these posts on the forum is reassuring that we would be making the right choice, but I still have to first find a dealer which can put in our order at MSRP

Since you have time to spare, I would look to buy from out of state. Most Midwest state dealers will sell at MSRP. Kia of Muncie(Indiana) will do MSRP minus Costco discount(was $1200 for SX last I spoke), so that will put you under MSRP. There is also $500 Kia rebate(not sure if Muncie participates) and $400 Military discount. As for 0 service, below average service dealers are certainly out there, but there are certainly above average ones as well. If service concerns you, visit few of your local Kia Dealers to get a feel for it.

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[Kwim]

@Kwim the 1 dealer we went to gave me a very bad overall vibe. They are asking for $6k over MSRP and basically became completely disinterested when I mentioned that I don't want to pay above MSRP. Why should I, when I am not in a hurry? Its a depreciating asset, for which the company has set at MSRP. I am just torn right now about buying that Volvo. Don't know how to look over the annoyances I mentioned.

you do not understand me, I am for the volvo. if you carefully read the posts of the participants, then 90% of the decision is influenced by the price. You have fantastic Volvo conditions.

With Kia, you get a raw car with all its delights. If you are lucky, there will be no problems, and if not, you will have a long and amazing adventure in the fight against kia, since their service does not want to have additional costs that will affect the price in the future.

 

[pnwwarrior]

We were also considering the XC90 as our top choice and decided to go with the Telluride SXP. Zero regrets with the decision thus far and my wife is thrilled with her new ride. It is certainly MILES from the old Kia reputation. Yes, there are some that have had some issues but if you spend any time on any forum for a given car model you will see the same.

Where are you located? There are many dealers that are selling at MSRP and this forum is full of information and recommendations for those dealers.

@rbfromma Good to hear that you guys are loving your ride. We actually really liked the car. It was decent to drive, and as I said - almost every feature we could ask for. The Blind View Monitor on the SX was definitely 1 of our favorite safety features.
We are located in the Greater Seattle Area. I have looked through the forum and there's just 1 dealer taking MSRP order, but they are also mandating getting LoJack installed for $1k. out of state dealer would incur a $1k+ transportation charge, so that's looking like the best bet.

Since you have time to spare, I would look to buy from out of state. Most Midwest state dealers will sell at MSRP. Kia of Muncie(Indiana) will do MSRP minus Costco discount(was $1200 for SX last I spoke), so that will put you under MSRP. There is also $500 Kia rebate(not sure if Muncie participates) and $400 Military discount. As for 0 service, below average service dealers are certainly out there, but there are certainly above average ones as well. If service concerns you, visit few of your local Kia Dealers to get a feel for it.

@Lith_SXPN Yep - I have looked through the forum and there's just 1 dealer around Seattle taking MSRP order, but they are also mandating getting LoJack installed for $1k. out of state dealer would incur a $1k+ transportation charge, so the local dealer with LoJack is looking like our best bet.

 

[pnwwarrior]

you do not understand me, I am for the volvo. if you carefully read the posts of the participants, then 90% of the decision is influenced by the price. You have fantastic Volvo conditions.

With Kia, you get a raw car with all its delights. If you are lucky, there will be no problems, and if not, you will have a long and amazing adventure in the fight against kia, since their service does not want to have additional costs that will affect the price in the future.

I see where you are coming from @Kwim . I think Volvo just might be a fantastic value - but it will require us getting over the annoyances I mentioned. It's definitely a difficult choice to make right now!

 

[Lith_SXPN]

@pnwwarrior, find a dealer that is not too far away from you and make a day trip. Flight cost+gas will be cheaper than transport. Though the cost maybe the same, I wouldn't want to buy from a dealer that has mandatory upsell.

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[pnwwarrior]

@Lith_SXPN yep - trying to look for Montana, Idaho, and Oregon dealers. All of these are within 3-8 hour drives.

 

[maddmike]

@Lith_SXPN yep - trying to look for Montana, Idaho, and Oregon dealers. All of these are within 3-8 hour drives.

I know this is a Telluride forum, but take a close look at the Palisade Calligraphy. Same price point, less rugged and a little more tech and refinement. I'm currently on the fence between the two as the Nightfall just looks cooler but there are more available probably because they are made in Korea which is ramped up in production while the Telluride production in GA seems to have supply chain issues.

 

[maddmike]

Cross post from the Palisade forum as I am still on the fence:

I like some things on both. I don't like that I have to go to Calligraphy to get the Limited stuff this year but I guess it does have some extra touches to make it worth it. I wish they did a "nightfall" to black out all the chrome. Maybe they will next year.

Here is my interior likes and dislikes. Bear with me as I'm thinking through this as I write it to help with my own thought process:
I actually prefer the analog gauges, call me old fashioned: Advantage Telluride
I also prefer the shifter: advantage Telluride
I dislike the flexible cup holder setup and that bin which I know will just collect junk: advantage Telluride
I like the pass-through storage, seems like a great place for snacks: advantage Palisade
I like the slightly larger center console and glove box: advantage Palisade
I don't like the tacked on look (on any car) of the infotainment: advantage Palisade
Better passenger protection: advantage Palisade
Nicer interior switch gear and metal speaker grills: advantage Palisade
Stadium seating, not sure if the Palisade has this: unknown
Interior colors, terrible selection on the Palisade (the white is not practical with a toddler and a new born): huge advantage Telluride as black interior is my only option
More interior storage especially behind the third row: advantage Telluride
Adjustable arm rests/wider arm rests: wash
Perforated leather in the arm rests (why? seems like a good place to spill yogurt): advantage Telluride
Slightly larger 3rd row (according to some reviews): advantage Telluride
Lower level climate controls and no cup holders in the center console: advantage Palisade
No piano black which scratches and smudges and generally looks like crap: advantage Palisade
Nicer steering wheel: advantage Palisade
Interior Quietness. Car and driver have it a 6db quieter while other testers report 1-3 db: advantage Telluride.
No fake wood: advantage Palisade
Seats, nicer design and more adjustments in lumbar, slightly more comfortable: advantage Palisade

Let's talk exterior:
Colors: huge advantage Telluride
Black out option with no chrome: huge advantage Telluride
More integrated trailer hitch look: advantage Telluride
Side profile: wash
Rear profile: wash
Front grille, I currently drive a GX460 so I am used to ugly front grilles but I find this just so big. Somehow the Calligraphy with the extra chrome down below actually balances out the very large, shiny grille to my eyes and make it appear more boxy: Advantage Telluride especially with the Nightfall package but the Calligraphy fixes it a bit and all he metal is brushed instead of chrome.
Power folding mirrors. I actually use this feature as I have my garage set up pretty tight and it seems a strange oversight: advantage Telluride

Warranty and service:
Unlimited rust protection: advantage Palisade
Three years of maintenance included: advantage Palisade
More dealerships in town (one offers free oil changes for life if purchased from them): advantage Telluride

Market and Pricing:
Yes, many dealers are charging a markup but I ordered from two dealers to see who gets here first. If they get in at the same time, I should be able to negotiate below MSRP, if not both are at MSRP. Hyundai dealers have stock coming in in December so they may be eager to close out the month strong: potential advantage Palisade
Availability, my Tellurides should take 4-6 months to come in: Advantage Palisade
Depreciation (cost of ownership). These are both projected to depreciate at 49% however, I do think the Telluride will hold its value a bit better as they are selling these things months in advance and have outsold the Palisade by many multiples. Of course, with new vehicles coming out over the next 5 years (Bronco), that will change. The question is if it will be a more desirable vehicle 5 years from now. I do think it will age better as there are less bold styling choices and cars with classic designs tend to age better. However, with so many of them being sold, that may make them readily available. Right now you can find used Palisade at regular depreciation levels but dealers are asking MSRP for used Tellurides. At least if I get the Telluride and decide I don't like it I can easily sell it: advantage Telluride
Rarity: When I drive around town, I see 2-5 Tellurides a day, I see maybe 1 Palisade a week. It is nice to not have a car everyone has but it does speak to desirability on the secondary market: advantage Palisade

So, now that I have succeeded in further confusing myself, what are your thoughts on my points. Did I get anything wrong?

As far as towing goes, I have a boat that we use to go to the lake every weekend in the summer. We just sold our travel trailer as our second child was born and it was too small for 4 but we may get something in the future. Right now we have to have the ability to tow but the boat is around 3000lbs so no Durago needed.

 

[szillaxl]

Crazy styling that is probably not going to age well - Advantage Palisade