OK... I own a 6P and I am planning on keeping it for the time being, mostly because I don't want to bother with the hassle of ordering the Pixel, waiting for it to finally ship, deal with selling my 6P... Not a big deal, just not feeling it since my 6P is running great and I have zero reason to replace it. So the pragmatist in me is winning at the moment.
That being said...
Had I not had either phone, and I was looking at a Pixel XL or a 6P for roughly half the price, I would pick the Pixel without hesitation. The only thing the 6P has that is objectively better than the Pixel is the front facing speakers. The Pixel is quicker, faster, more efficient, will be supported longer (obviously), a camera that takes the 6P's weaknesses and turns them into strengths. Across the board is an upgrade.
As for price... this isn't a Nexus. This isn't priced as a Nexus. The Pixels are both priced precisely in line with the other phones in its class. Yes, they are expensive, but so are the iPhones, the S7s, V20s, HTC 10s, etc. Expensive phones are expensive. From the reviews and thoughts of those I know that have one, Google obviously spend a great deal of effort getting the phone running like a finely tuned machine. There's a lot of time, money and effort both on getting the top shelf hardware as well as the R&D on the software. So people need to put aside the "But Nexus" arguments because that's a different time.