This three-row SUV convinced America a Kia could feel like a $60,000 vehicle while costing $40,000, spacious, quiet, loaded with features, and genuinely pleasant to drive. The catch: oil consumption creeps in on some 2020-2021 models after 60k miles (owners report adding quarts between changes with no warning light), and the recall parade gets old fast, nothing dangerous, but trim pieces fall off, screens freeze, and you'll know your service advisor by name. If you can buy at MSRP and stay on top of oil checks, it's still one of the best values in the segment; at $50k with dealer markup, you're overpaying for a Kia when a Highlander or Pilot makes more sense.
The 2020+ Mercedes GLE (W167) is a capable, refined luxury SUV that excels in comfort and interior quality but shows clear use-case fragmentation. The GLE 450 with I6 engine receives strong praise for performance and reliability, while the base GLE 350 4-cylinder is consistently criticized as underpowered. Long-term owners of current-generation models report good reliability with routine maintenance, though AMG variants face expensive tire wear. Critical context: 2018-2019 models suffer from timing cover leaks that do not affect current production. The GLE trades some of the X5's sportier dynamics for superior ride comfort and luxury ambiance. Coupe variants are polarizing, loved for looks but questioned for practicality trade-offs.