If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, you may be tempted to purchase a luxury model. When you purchase luxury, you’re given a reliable car that also has all of the latest technologies, impressive interiors and exteriors, as well as convenient safety features. However, sometimes a non-luxury class vehicle might just make more sense. Here’s why you might want to opt for the 2021 Kia Telluride and decide against the Cadillac XT6. 

Cadillac XT6 overview

First, let’s take a look at what you get with luxury. According to Cadillac, the XT6 starts off at MSRP $52,695 and has plenty of room with its seven-passenger seating standard and ample cargo space. It has the premium luxury exterior and interior you would expect, with nine different exterior colors and leather seating surfaces with plenty of accents.

You’ll also get power with a 3.6-liter V6 engine, a nine-speed automatic transmission, and driving modes that adapt to how you drive. A wide variety of safety features may also sell you on this vehicle.

Does the Cadillac XT6 stand out?

According to MotorTrend, the Cadillac XT6 mainly just blends in. Yes, it has safety features and a long list of packages to make your luxury vehicle even more comfortable and appealing, but there’s nothing that really calls itself out amongst its competitors. With its price of over $50,000, you wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect something to really wow you. Plus, the competition is stiff.

Enter the 2021 Kia Telluride 

Kia puts the 2021 Kia Telluride starting at an MSRP of $32,190. That’s a much smaller price tag than the Cadillac XT6. You’re also given the option of nine different exterior colors, and lots of different leather seat trims to choose from. You’ll find LED headlights, safe exit and forward-collision assist, an impressive powertrain that matches the XT6, climate control, a head-up display with Bluetooth, eight-passenger seating, and charging built into your rows of seats.

With the savings you receive from the start, you could even opt to upgrade to a special Nightfall Edition, which will give you a gloss black exterior, black finishes, as well as headlamps and fog lamps with black bezels. 

But does it stand out?

It seems to! The 2021 Kia Telluride is considered a great SUV for its affordable price. Its exterior impression is much more attractive and unique than certain competition, and it at least matches the Cadillac XT6 in many efforts. Its cabin actually has more room and tech-savvy features, and its powertrain completely mirrors the competition.

With an exterior that makes it stand out, a fantastic interior with great safety features, as well as durability and drivability while costing $10,000 less, it’s hard to compete. One thing to note, the ride is more firm than the XT6, but that’s a sacrifice many might be willing to make.

Overall, the decision is yours

The 2021 Kia Telluride gives a buyer great bang for their buck. While the interior might not be quite as luxurious as the CT6, you can certainly make an argument that the Kia is hard to beat. To be fair, as a luxury vehicle, the Cadillac XT6 is facing extremely tough competition. However, when a non-luxury vehicle makes for very strong competition, there just might be a problem. Overall, some buyers who are used to a luxury vehicle may be hard to convince, but they really should consider going with Kia.