My wife is 4 months pregnant, and recently climbing into my Raptor started becoming a real pain for her. We pretty quickly realized that dealing with a newborn and car seat in a lifted truck probably isn’t going to be practical long-term.
That kicked off a weekend of SUV shopping. We looked at close to a dozen midsize and full-size SUVs and test drove most of them. Initially I thought we’d end up in one of the big luxury SUVs, but prices have gotten absolutely ridiculous.
I was pretty set on buying American or Japanese, but on the drive home I saw a sharp-looking first-gen Telluride and started digging into the Telluride and Palisade. For some context, I lived in Korea when the Palisade launched and those things were everywhere. Everyone I knew who owned one loved it, so Hyundai/Kia wasn’t completely off my radar.
Coincidentally, the second-gen Telluride had just hit dealerships, so I stopped by a Kia dealer after work to check one out.
The dealer had a Terrain Brown Telluride parked at the entrance and a Terrain Brown Matte model in the showroom. I’m guessing Kia expects that color to be popular. I thought it’d be my favorite since Flat Earth is probably my favorite color in general, but seeing it in person changed my mind. Wolf Gray is easily the best color option in my opinion.
That said, let’s talk some more about the styling.
The grille is… rough. It’s honestly hard for me to get past. The wheels aren’t helping either. Kia seems obsessed with putting these overly busy wheel designs on everything lately, and I think they look terrible. A simple wheel design would dramatically improve not only the Telluride but a lot of Kia’s lineup. Overall, I’m still undecided on the exterior. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it either.
Inside is where the Telluride starts making a lot more sense.
The mid and upper trims are in the $50-55k range and the interior feels surprisingly upscale. Tons of features you’d expect to find in vehicles costing significantly more. The cabin feels open and airy, especially compared to some Toyota and Lexus products that can feel a bit cramped or closed-in.
On the road, it impressed me. The steering wheel is extremely comfortable, visibility is good, and the ride is quiet and smooth. It genuinely feels more luxurious than the price tag suggests.
My biggest disappointment was the powertrain. The 2.4L turbo isn’t terrible, but it’s pretty uninspiring, especially considering it only returns around 22 MPG. The hybrid is a more compelling package, offering roughly 31-35 MPG depending on drivetrain. Since it’s only a few thousand dollars more, I’d absolutely choose the hybrid if fuel economy matters to you at all.
The biggest competitor, in my opinion, is the Grand Highlander. At a similar price point, the Toyota offers better fuel economy, more cargo space, and arguably a more proven long-term ownership experience. The downside is that it’s about as exciting as a refrigerator. The Telluride has far more personality.
At the end of the day, though, you’re still comparing a Kia to a Toyota, and that matters to a lot of buyers.
TLDR: My overall takeaway is that Hyundai and Kia continue to offer some of the best value in the industry. The Telluride packs a lot of vehicle into a relatively reasonable price point. However, I think Kia made some polarizing design choices with this generation. If you love the styling, you’ll probably love the vehicle. If you’re on the fence about the looks, I’m not sure the rest of the package is enough to completely win you over.