Always Leave 'em Wanting More

By now, you’ve probably read all about Matt’s adventures in fashion, but the unexpected reveal of Kia’s upcoming Telluride SUV during New York City’s Fashion Week has me reeling. And it shouldn’t.

It shouldn’t, because alluring concept vehicle morph into far less savory production vehicles all the time. Or, in the case of Buick and Cadillac’s concepts, they morph back into the invisible nothingness from which they came. Spy photos of the Telluride pointed us towards an expectation of what appeared on Sunday.

Still, it hurts. Why?

Here:

Maybe it’s not clear enough. Let’s try again.

Yes, that’s the Telluride concept from two years ago, looking both elegant and brawny. Handsome might be a better word. Sure, the bumper, if it can be called that, looks pretty vulnerable, but just imagine for a second that there’s a couple of inches of protrusion and a clear demarcation line between fascia and fender panel (and hood and fender, for that matter).

While the face of the not-yet-in-production Telluride of Fashion Week fame is of a more segment-acceptable height, it shows plenty of real estate between the narrower grille and stacked headlamps, with that mouth narrowing greatly increasing the real estate below it, too. Or at least the sense of it. It would be nice to believe changes could still occur with this model before its official debut, but I’m not holding my breath.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, and I’m just one guy throwing his pointless bitchery into the internet winds, but I feel I’m not alone in these criticisms. Looking at the top image of this piece, I’m reminded of the first-generation Cadillac CTS. And by no small amount. It’s possible the disturbing use of leather straps, buckles, and other tacked-on accoutrements have clouded my judgement, but I don’t think so.

Moving aft along the vehicle’s body, things improve greatly. Still, it’ll take a long walk next to the river tonight to fully unburden myself of this shock.

(Was I ever planning on purchasing a Kia Telluride or any other three-row crossover? Nope. So I’m sure Kia couldn’t care less about my opinion. I’m not the one they need to please.)

[Images: Kia Motors]