IT’S A BEST BUY BECAUSE:
The Telluride offers excellent passenger and cargo room, nicely balanced road manners, and an upscale look and feel inside and out—all at highly competitive prices.
BUT…
Some class rivals offer a few upscale convenience features—such as a rear-seat entertainment system and power-folding third-row seats—that the Telluride doesn’t.
WORTH NOTING:
The Hyundai Palisade uses the same engine and basic platform as the Telluride, but it has a completely different interior, different styling, and several unique features.
WHAT IS IT?
The Telluride is Kia’s “plus-sized” three-row midsize SUV; it’s the largest passenger vehicle Kia has ever produced, and it slots in above the three-row Sorento in Kia’s model lineup. The Telluride can seat up to eight occupants and is powered by a 291-hp 3.8-liter V6 paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. LX, S, EX, and SX trim levels are offered; each is available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Available safety equipment includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with stop & go capability, blind-spot collision avoidance assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, Lane Following Assist (which works with the adaptive cruise control system to keep the vehicle centered in its lane), and Safe Exit Assist (which can detect an object approaching from the rear and keep the child safety locks activated until the object passes).
Other available features include a head-up display, heated and ventilated first- and second-row seats, heated steering wheel, Quiet Mode (which cuts audio in the second- and third-row seats so sleeping occupants aren’t disturbed), Driver Talk (which enables communication with the second- and third row through the audio system’s speakers), multi-Bluetooth connectivity (two phones can be connected simultaneously), and six total USB charging ports—two in each row (five ports are standard).
WHAT’S NEW?
After its debut for 2020, the Telluride gets a blackout-trim Nightfall Edition package for 2021.
FUEL ECONOMY
The Telluride is EPA-rated at 20 mpg city/26 mpg highway with front-wheel drive and 19/24 with all-wheel drive. During Consumer Guide® evaluation, an all-wheel-drive SX model returned 22.9 mpg in a test that consisted of 70 percent highway driving. Tellurides use regular-grade gas.
VALUE IN CLASS
The Kia Telluride resides in the crowded, highly competitive three-row midsize SUV segment, where there are plenty of rivals offering spacious interiors and a host of family-friendly comfort, convenience, and safety features. The Telluride stands out by handily covering all those bases, and then capping things off with rugged-yet-stately styling that looks like it belongs on a luxury-brand vehicle.
| BASE PRICE RANGE | $31,990 – $44,090 |
| BODY STYLES | 4-Door Wagon |
| AVAILABLE ENGINES | 291-HP, 3.8-Liter V6 |
| DRIVE WHEELS | Front or All-Wheel Drive |
| BUILT IN | USA |
| EPA FUEL-ECONOMY RANGE | 19-26 MPG |
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