In the United States, the average price of a new vehicle has been steadily increasing. According to CarEdge, the average price for a car has increased by 34 percent from Q4 2019 to Q4 2024. Now, one can expect to pay an average of $47,740 for a new vehicle.
While this price may seem high, modern cars come with considerably more features and better technology than their predecessors. Netizens have shown off the new technology in their cars, from lane tracking to posture correction and more.
Still, just because one paid a lot doesn’t mean they’ll get the best technology, as this Kia Telluride reviewer learned.
What’s wrong with this 2024 Kia Telluride?
In a video with over 28,000 views, TikTok user and car reviewer Jill Ciminillo (@jillciminillo) shares some of the things she doesn’t like about the 2024 Kia Telluride.
To start, while she says it’s “generally a really nice family vehicle,” in order to get all of the features that someone like her would want in a vehicle, they have to pay considerably more than the base price. For context, the base price of a 2024 Kia Telluride LX is $36,190; the car featured in Ciminillo’s video costs around $54,000.
From there, there are many things on Ciminillo’s list of negative aspects of the car. For example, while Kia says that the car should get 20 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, Ciminillo says, in her experience, the car has only gotten around 12.1 mpg.
She also mentions that the seats are a bit stiff for her liking, the cupholders don’t do a good enough job of keeping bottles in place, and it’s too easy to activate the automatic trunk, though she notes that this feature can be turned off in the settings.
However, the one aspect that has commenters the most upset is the car’s implementation of Apple CarPlay.
How did this car get CarPlay wrong?
For context, CarPlay is a software that manufacturers can implement into infotainment units. It provides iOS users with a seamless experience in their cars.
According to Ciminillo, the CarPlay offered in the 2024 Kia Telluride has two major issues.
“You do not have wireless Apple CarPlay,” she states. She then gestures to the infotainment system. “You have all of this great technology, and you do not have wireless Apple CarPlay.”
Instead, in order to use Apple CarPlay, Ciminillo says one must connect their iPhone up to the car with a USB cable—crucially, a USB-A cable, as the nearby USB-C port cannot be used for Apple CarPlay.
Across the internet, other users have complained about this issue, though some have noted that they’ve found success implementing wireless CarPlay through a third-party USB adapter.
Still, many say that the lack of wireless CarPlay—and the fact that it can only be used through a USB-A cable—seems like an oversight on the part of the manufacturer.
@jillciminillo Things that I didn’t like on the 2024 @Kia America Telluride. ?(Psst: there’s also a video on the things I do like.) #cardujour #nactoy #wwcoty #fyp #cartok #tiktokautocampaign #kia #kiatelluride
♬ original sound - Jill Ciminillo
Viewers share their complaints about Kia
In the comments section, users echoed the TikToker’s complaints about the vehicle.
“54k is INSANE for a Kia,” declared a user.
“My $24k Jetta SE has wireless CarPlay/Android Auto,” added another. “that’s crazy for something that costs that much.”
“12mpg what is this 1976??” questioned a further TikToker.
The Daily Dot reached out to Kia and Ciminillo via email.
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