Tag Archives: SUVs

NEW CARS

Kia Telluride: The SUV That Broke the Aging Curve

For most cars, hitting middle age means one thing: the slow, inevitable slide into obscurity. The paint fades, the shine dulls, and the sales charts begin to sag like a cheap suspension under too much luggage.

But not the Kia Telluride.

This big, square-jawed family bus from Korea has been defying the laws of showroom physics. It’s been around since 2019, which, in SUV years, is roughly two monarchs and three iPhones ago — yet it’s selling better than ever. Last year, Kia shifted an eyebrow-raising 115,504 Tellurides in the U.S., and 2025 is shaping up to be another record-breaker. Through September, it’s already up 13 percent. In other words: while other SUVs are losing steam, the Telluride is out here doing CrossFit.

Still, even immortals need a replacement eventually. And come November 20th, at the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show, Kia will pull the covers off the second-generation Telluride. Don’t rush to your dealer just yet, though — the new one won’t actually arrive until the 2027 model year, likely in the back half of next year. The current model soldiers on for one more lap as the 2025MY, proving you can be both old and desirable if you’ve got the right proportions.

Now, Kia’s teasing us — literally — with a pair of moody teaser shots. The SUV lurks in the shadows like a heavyweight boxer waiting for the bell. What we can see looks… promising. Still boxy, still bold, but now wearing Kia’s sharper, more futuristic design language. There are vertical lights at both ends, and the face has a whiff of EV9 about it — though, unlike its electric cousin, the Telluride keeps a proper grille because, well, this one still burns dinosaur juice.

Speaking of which, under the bonnet things are expected to mirror its corporate cousin, the new Hyundai Palisade. Translation: you’ll have two main options. A good old-fashioned 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 with 287 horsepower for the traditionalists, or a hybrid setup pairing a 2.5-litre turbo four-cylinder with twin electric motors, good for 329 horses and 339 lb-ft. Both setups will come in two- or four-wheel drive — and neither sounds like it’ll have any trouble dragging a family, a trailer, or an ego uphill.

Size-wise, brace yourself for more of everything. Hyundai has stretched the Palisade by around 2.5 inches overall, with a 2.7-inch longer wheelbase, meaning your third-row passengers might actually feel like humans rather than luggage. Expect the Telluride to follow suit — bigger, broader, taller — a subtle evolution from “handsome” to “don’t-mess-with-me” territory.

Price? The outgoing Telluride starts at $37,885, while the latest Palisade kicks off at $41,035. Expect Kia’s new flagship SUV to move a little upmarket — not by much, but enough to let you know it’s serious about the premium family hauler game.

So there you have it. The Telluride story isn’t ending — it’s just leveling up. The old one still sells like hotcakes, and the new one looks ready to keep the momentum rolling. In an age of electric revolution and crossover clones, Kia’s big gas-burning bruiser is proof that sometimes, old-school still sells — especially when it looks this good doing it.

Source: KIA

NEW CARS

Kia EV5: The Electric SUV That Thinks It’s a Living Room

There was a time when “family SUV” meant something sensible, soft, and about as exciting as a beige cardigan. Then came the electric revolution — and suddenly, even the practical stuff had swagger. Enter the Kia EV5, the latest addition to Kia’s all-electric onslaught. It’s boxy, bold, and built to turn the weekly shop into a minor adventure.

But the EV5 isn’t just a battery on wheels with a shiny badge. It’s a statement — a clean, confident “we’ve arrived” from a brand that’s quietly become one of the sharpest players in the EV game.

The Electric Family All-Rounder

Built on Kia’s dedicated E-GMP platform (the same one underpinning the EV6 and EV9), the EV5 slots neatly into the middle of the lineup — think compact SUV practicality with a futuristic twist. Underneath, there’s an 81.4 kWh battery feeding a 160 kW motor, good for a WLTP range of up to 530 km. Translation? You can go from Sarajevo to Split and back on a single charge — and still have enough juice to grab coffee on the way home.

Charging from 10 to 80% in just 30 minutes, the EV5 isn’t interested in hanging around. Add Kia’s heat pump system, regenerative braking, and i-Pedal 3.0 one-pedal driving, and you’ve got an EV that feels thoughtfully engineered, not rushed to market.

Design: Where Opposites Meet

Kia calls its design philosophy Opposites United — and the EV5 nails that brief. It’s simultaneously tough and minimal, futuristic yet friendly.

At 4.6 meters long, it’s properly proportioned — squat stance, muscular bonnet, and that digital tiger face front end framed by Star Map LED running lights. There’s a whiff of concept car here: vertical fenders, geometric surfaces, and a shoulder line that means business.

From some angles, it’s all cyberpunk SUV; from others, a tidy Scandinavian living room on wheels. Even the 19-inch alloys look like they’ve been carved by an origami master.

Inside: Home Sweet (Mobile) Home

Step inside and the “home away from home” tagline starts to make sense. The interior feels more IKEA lounge than crossover cabin — airy, modular, and unmistakably modern.

A Panoramic Wide Display stretches across the dash, combining a 12.3-inch digital cluster, a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and a 5-inch climate display. It’s intuitive, logical, and refreshingly uncluttered — a rarity in the age of touchscreen overload.

The three-zone climate system even includes an odor-reducing after-blow function (yes, that’s a thing) to keep everything fresh, while the rear seats fold flat enough to make camping genuinely plausible. In a moment of pure modernity, there’s even a Pet Mode to keep your furry friends comfy while you’re away.

And then there’s the Disney-themed display pack — Mickey and Minnie popping up on your dash like a friendly reminder that this is a family car with a sense of humor. Next up: Marvel and Star Wars themes. Because who doesn’t want Iron Man as their satnav guide?

Tech and Tranquility

Kia’s latest Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) system keeps everything slick and snappy, while Over-The-Air updates ensure your EV5 won’t age like an old smartphone. Kia Sound 2.0 (yes, that’s the name) creates a “Bold Motion Symphony” inside — essentially the brand’s way of saying your EV hums like a zen spaceship.

Safety? Tick, tick, tick. Highway Driving Assist 2.0 keeps you centered and calm, Remote Smart Parking Assist 2.0 parks for you, and a fortress of ADAS systems stands guard whether you’re cruising or reversing out of the driveway.

The Drive: Calm, Collected, Confident

Drop into the driver’s seat, and the EV5’s low-slung battery gives it surprising poise. It feels solid, planted, and refined — more premium SUV than affordable family car. The i-Pedal 3.0 system makes one-pedal driving smooth and predictable, perfect for city life.

No, it won’t rip your face off like a Tesla, but that’s not the point. The EV5 is tuned for serenity — the kind of calm that makes traffic jams and rainy school runs feel… tolerable.

Part of a Bigger Plan

The EV5 isn’t an isolated experiment. It’s the next chapter in Kia’s EV revolution, joining the award-winning EV6, the luxurious EV9, and the compact EV3 in an all-electric family that’s rewriting what mainstream carmakers can do.

And it’s not just about style or speed — Kia’s aiming for sustainability at scale, with bio plastics, recycled carpets, and plant-based paints baked into every model.

Rollout begins this year in Korea and Europe, with Canada following in early 2026. Expect it to slot below the EV9 in price, but don’t expect it to feel any less ambitious.

The SUV for the New Era

The Kia EV5 is proof that practical doesn’t have to mean plain, and electric doesn’t have to mean sterile. It’s a car that blends comfort, design, and technology into something distinctly human — a reminder that the future can have personality as well as purpose.

In a world full of electric sameness, Kia’s latest family mover dares to be… interesting.

And that’s something worth plugging in for.

Source: Kia

News

Audi’s Bold New Frontier: A Defender-Fighting Flagship SUV on the Horizon

Audi is preparing to enter uncharted territory — and it’s aiming straight at two of the toughest players in the game. According to recent comments from Audi CEO Gernot Döllner, the brand is readying a rugged, ultra-luxurious 4×4 to challenge the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class. This upcoming SUV won’t just be another model in the lineup — it’s being designed as a halo car that will define the next chapter of Audi design and technology.

A Rugged Reinvention of Vorsprung durch Technik

The idea of a go-anywhere Audi isn’t new. The brand’s off-road legacy dates back to the original Quattro — a car that reshaped rallying and gave Audi its technological edge. But this new SUV promises to be something more radical: a luxurious, off-road-capable flagship that blends brute strength with electric-era sophistication.

The concept was first floated in 2023, when then-design boss Marc Lichte hinted that Audi was missing a key player in its portfolio. “There is potential because there are only two premium players in the luxury 4×4 segment,” Lichte said, referencing the Defender and G-Class. “I think there is space for a third one.”

Lichte’s departure soon after left the project’s future uncertain — until now. His successor, Massimo Frascella, formerly of Jaguar Land Rover, has only fanned the flames of speculation. Frascella’s fingerprints are all over the current Defender, and his move to Ingolstadt suggests Audi’s upcoming 4×4 could share that same mix of minimalist design, robust stance, and timeless appeal.

“Don’t Give Up on That Dream”

When asked directly whether the project is still alive, Döllner’s response was succinct: “Stay tuned.”

That teaser came alongside his vision for a streamlined but strategically targeted Audi lineup. While his broader goal is to simplify the brand’s offerings, Döllner insists that niche, high-impact models still have an essential role to play.

“There is no niche banner,” he said. “It works perfectly to have a more focused line-up in the core, and in addition to that have some niche models to build the brand and transfer new ideas from a niche segment into core products. That works perfectly and this is part of our strategy.”

In other words, this 4×4 won’t just exist to look tough on Instagram. It will be a testbed for Audi’s next-generation tech — possibly including new powertrain architectures, off-road software systems, and interior design concepts that will eventually trickle down to mainstream models like the Q5 and Q8.

Made in America? Possibly.

The model’s production site remains an open question, but the United States has emerged as a likely candidate. The growing appetite for luxury adventure vehicles across the Atlantic, combined with shifting import tariffs, has Audi considering a local manufacturing footprint.

“At a group level, we are right now discussing and investigating whether or not we should have a factory for Audi in the US,” Döllner confirmed. “That’s dependent on a stable tariff situation and also on other regulatory boundary conditions.”

One logical solution? Sharing space with Volkswagen Group’s upcoming Scout brand, which will build its own electric SUV (the Traveler) and pickup (the Terra) in South Carolina starting in 2026. The idea of Audi leveraging that same facility hints at economies of scale — and perhaps some shared componentry — though Döllner was quick to clarify that no final decision has been made.

What to Expect

If Audi’s new flagship follows the brand’s current trajectory, expect a battery-electric platform, heavy use of sustainable materials, and a design language that redefines Audi toughness for the EV age. Think less “Q8 e-tron with skid plates” and more “brutal minimalism meets Bauhaus luxury.”

Whether it ends up called the Audi Q9, Activa, or something entirely new, this model could become the ultimate expression of Audi’s technological and design ethos — a showcase of Vorsprung durch Technik reborn for the wild.

As Döllner said with a grin: “Don’t give up on that dream.”

Source: Audi