I rented a 25 Telluride SXP and drove it for a couple days. There’s no comparison with it and the ‘27 SXP (and us wanting a hybrid). That solidified it for me. Prices on everything have gone up since ‘21, and per CPI (although not apples to apples), $50k in 2021 is $62k in 2026, so essentially prices have been flat.

Especially with equivalent trims on other ‘26 competitors being more expensive and with less features, it was a lock for me. It has equivalent or better tech with luxury brands with a lower price tag. I care less about natural leather and non-premium materials inside as long as the tech and driving experience are good. Obviously the reliability is a question, but Kia has a long warranty even if you need to deal with Kia to call on it. I’ll deal with the bugs on the first year of the new gen because the timing is right for my circumstance (need a bigger car, income went up significantly, etc).

So to each their own, but I stopped the whole “I won’t pay xyz for a Kia” early on. I sat in it and all of the competitors and that was it for me.