2024 Kia Telluride

In X-Line trim, increased ride height makes the Telluride look more beefy. With the additional X-Pro package, the blacked-out exterior trim gives it even more swagger.

The Telluride's interior design pays some homage to GMC trucks and even Range Rovers without mimicking them too broadly. Kia now includes a 12.3-inch touchscreen with every Telluride SUV, but it hasn’t buried climate controls in the touchscreen interface. The Telluride’s cabin has a low horizontal theme with delicate rings of metallic trim which organize clusters of switches and knobs into useful pods. 

Otherwise, the cabin hasn't changed much over the past few years. It's still clad in synthetic leather on base trims, with real leather available as an upgrade. It’s set apart by its functional but friendly appearance, one that’s distinct from the Hyundai Palisade that shares its architecture.

How fast is the Kia Telluride?

The Telluride has a 3.8-liter V-6 engine which delivers 291 hp that wants to be quicker than it is. The engine has to move around more than 4,100 pounds—way more than that once you add on all-wheel drive and anything from the long list of options. 

An 8-speed automatic is tuned to keep the big V-6 in check, but it doesn't flick around its gears briskly; as a result the big three-row SUV never feels particularly quick on its feet, and highway passing can take big stabs of throttle. The engine's quiet, even if it doesn't have the refined snarl of something like Honda's V-6s, but it is more smooth than the Subaru Ascent and its turbo-4 engine.

In X-Pro trim the Telluride can tow up to 5,500 pounds.

Where the Telluride excels is in ride quality. It doesn't have adaptive damping like some more pricey SUVs but it has excellent ride control over big bumps and it's serene at highway speeds too, thanks to a lot of sound deadening. The steering tracks cleanly on the highway, with just the right amount of weight. A consistent feel from steering to ride-motion control and moderately strong acceleration lends the Telluride a tightly integrated feel that in turn, can make it seem as if it’s more nimble and quicker than it really is.

The Telluride offers synthetic leather trim with an option for leather; in its SX-Prestige edition, it can be trimmed with nappa leather. 

While front seat comfort is excellent, second-row seat comfort might be even better for tall passengers. The Telluride has big rear doors and offers a choice between a three-person bench seat or a pair of captain's chairs. The latter’s where we’d choose to relax during a long road trip, since the second row’s so spacious, with lots of legroom and headroom. 

It's in the third row where things get a little cramped for tall people. While the third row is bigger than that of some competition and though its bench seat can accommodate tall  passengers for short drives, it's less usable than, say, that in a Honda Pilot.

The Telluride has 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind its third row. Flip and fold the third-row seatbacks out of the way and the Telluride's cargo space blooms to 46 cubic feet. Fold down row two's seats and the Telluride offers up 87 cubic feet of cargo space, a lot smaller than the space in a Pilot, but about the same as you'd find in a Ford Explorer.

Where the Telluride comes into its own is in its interior finishes, particularly in vehicles above the EX grade. Kia fits convincing wood trim and soft quilted leather in the priciest Tellurides—and they do a convincing job of delivering an interior that looks more luxurious than the cabins of some rival vehicles with more prestigious brand names.

Like most three-row SUVs, the Telluride’s outward vision gets impeded at the rear by blocky roof pillars—but otherwise, the high seating position rewards even smaller drivers.

The $39,225 Telluride S trim adds a power driver’s seat, 20-inch wheels, heated front seats, second-row captain’s chairs, and wireless smartphone charging.

Which Kia Telluride should I buy?

We’d go with the Telluride EX. For $42,955, it has heated front seats, leather upholstery, a hands-free power tailgate, and wood trim. 

The EX can be configured with X-Line trim, which includes all-wheel drive, a heated steering wheel, roof rails, different 20-inch wheels, and ground clearance of 8.4 inches (up from 8.0 inches). 

How much is a fully loaded Kia Telluride?

The $54,450 Telluride SX-Prestige X-Pro comes with everything from nappa leather trim and Harman Kardon audio to a sunroof, heated and cooled second-row seats, a head-up display, and a surround-view camera system.