2023 Kia Telluride

Its boxy exterior earns it two points above average, while its classy cabin is worth another point. The Kia Telluride is an 8 on the TCC scale. 

This year’s fresh face will take an expert to spot. New headlights surround a slightly chunkier grille up front, while the taillights are integrated better than before. New wheel designs spruce things up, and most versions now ride on 20-inchers. 

This year’s new X-Line trim level sits about an inch higher than other versions. The package is offered on higher-end Tellurides, and it can be augmented with an X-Pro package that adds more blacked-out exterior elements. 

The cabin is mostly unchanged, with all models now receiving a 12.3-inch touchscreen that sits next to a digital instrument cluster. A new steering wheel finishes things off. Synthetic leather now comes standard, with several grades of real hides on the options list. In top SX Prestige guise, the Telluride’s cabin bests some luxury models costing tens of thousands more.

All-wheel drive is optional, though models with the X-Line and X-Pro packages require it. The all-wheel-drive system can be locked for a 50:50 split at speeds up to 40 mph, too. X-trim vehicles also have better approach and departure angles to pick their way through difficult terrain—but we’re not sure how many Telluride drivers seek that much adventure, even with more knobby tires wrapped around its wheels.

How fast is the Kia Telluride?

Let’s just focus on the comfy ride, OK? Even without adaptive dampers and tall tire profiles, the Telluride exhibits excellent composure and control over bumpy pavement. It’s serene at speed, too, thanks to terrific sound deadening and excellent straight-line stability. The steering exhibits good heft, and the Telluride can feel more nimble than its fairly big proportions would otherwise suggest. 

Fine, fine, you want to know how fast it is. With 291 hp from its 3.8-liter V-6, it should be quick, but that engine is tasked with moving around more than 4,100 lb—and way more than that with all-wheel drive and all those tantalizing options. The 8-speed automatic keeps the V-6 in check, but it’s never particularly quick. It can require big stabs at the throttle for highway passing. While quiet, the V-6 doesn’t emit the refined snarl of, say, Honda’s V-6—though it’s smoother than the turbo-4 in the Subaru Ascent. 

With all-wheel drive, it can lug up to 5,500 lb in X-Pro trim.

Open the big rear doors and you’ll find a choice between a three-seat bench and individual captain’s chairs. Either way, the Telluride is plenty spacious. Range-topping SX Prestige versions even offer heated and cooled second-row seats. Access to the third row bests some competitors, and the bench back there can accommodate adults for shorter stints. 

A sizable 21 cubic feet of cargo space awaits behind row three, and that grows to 46 cubes behind row two before topping out at 87 cubic feet. The cargo floor is somewhat high off the ground, though.

Interior materials are nice enough in base versions, but they really impress at the top of the lineup where you’ll find soft quilted leather and convincing woodgrain trim.

Automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, and active lane control all come standard. SX Prestige trims now include the ability to perform lane changes on their own, too.

The S trim costs $900 more, bringing with it 20-inch wheels, a power driver’s seat, and a host of minor exterior and interior trim tweaks. 

Which Kia Telluride should I buy?

The EX is a good starting point at $42,625. It’s outfitted with leather seats that are heated up front, a power tailgate, and a few other niceties, plus Kia offers second-row captain’s chairs as an option. The EX is also the gateway to the new X-Line package that includes a raised ride height and special exterior touches for about $2,300 more than a standard all-wheel-drive model. 

How much is a fully loaded Kia Telluride?

The Telluride SX Prestige runs $51,725 with standard all-wheel drive, and can climb to $54,120 with the X-Pro package. 

SX Prestige models tickle luxury vehicles with their nappa leather trim, Harman/Kardon audio, heated and cooled seats in the front and second rows, and a big sunroof. 

Competitors with hybrids eke out 35 mpg combined or better.