2020 Kia Telluride
- All-new SUV is Kia’s largest and most sophisticated to date
- Includes a host of safety and driver-assistance features
- Standard V6 engine
- Seating for 7 or 8 passengers
- Excellent value, even as you climb trims
- Pricing starts at $32,785 (including $1,095 destination charge) | Price yours
- On sale now | See Telluride models for sale near you
It’s exceedingly rare, but every once in a while, a baseball player will hit a home run in their first at bat in the MLB. If this were Major League Baseball we were talking about, the Kia Telluride would be that athlete.
This brand-new three-row SUV from Kia is the brand’s largest, most sophisticated and most beautiful to date. Combined with its host of standard safety features, power, practicality, and startling value, it is also not just the best Kia SUV to date, it’s the best among all players in its segment.
That’s quite a feat, especially in the bread-and-butter class of midsize crossover SUVs that has become the de facto family vehicle. And it’s not like the Telluride doesn’t have formidable competition. Here’s why the Kia Telluride earned the 2020 Midsize SUV Best Buy Award.
Roomy Inside, Exquisite Outside
The 2020 Telluride offers seating for seven or eight passengers, depending on whether you opt for the second row to be a three-person bench seat or a pair of captain’s chairs. Either way, those in the middle will be treated to ample legroom.
As is the norm for this class, third-row legroom is on the snug side and just shy of what the Honda Pilot offers, but it’s enough for children and bearable for adults on short trips. Cargo room behind the third row easily beats that of competitors, and is made all the more useful thanks to a deep subfloor that keeps items secure and hidden from sight.
Up front, the seats provide an excellent perch with a commanding view. And while there are a bevy of buttons and switches for everything from an available all-wheel-drive lock mode to ventilated seats, controls are easy to see and use. Everything is sensible. We also prefer the Telluride’s traditional gear shifter to other options in the segment, such as buttons or a rotary dial.
On the outside, the Telluride projects a tough yet handsome physique. Instead of the more rounded design of many crossovers, the Telluride has a blockier profile that reminds of a traditional SUV. Our eyes think it is the best looker in the segment, and one that appears far more than its price suggests.
One of our editors put it best when he said this: “Your house looks more expensive with it parked out front.”
Active Safety Systems and Stress Erasers Come Standard
Three-row crossovers continue to replace sedans and minivans as the vehicle of choice for families, and as any mother or father will tell you, nothing matters more than the safety of their child. In a world where drivers have only become more distracted and commutes are ever more stressful, it pays to have a vehicle that packs the latest safety and driver-assistance features.
The new Kia Telluride not only brings the latest safety systems to the table, it has many of them standard. Even a base LX model includes blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control. The latter system, which can bring the Telluride to a complete stop then resume when the vehicle ahead moves, is an excellent ally and stress reliever if your commute involves freeway traffic.
Higher trims bring even snazzier features, such as Kia’s Blind-Spot View Monitor that shows a live camera image in the instrument cluster when you activate the turn signal, and a surround-view camera.
Value and Power
At $31,690, the 2020 Kia Telluride has one of the lower starting prices in its segment. That figure is also several thousand below the average transaction price for a new vehicle, which is creeping toward $38,000. But unlike so many other new vehicles, the Telluride’s value story is even more remarkable as you climb trims.
Our editors did something of a double-take — for all the right reasons — upon seeing the cost of our test model. Ours arrived with a price tag below $46,000 — yet it could pass for an SUV retailing for $65,000.
That amount is actually less than the loaded price of competitors, which often cross the $50,000 mark. Our top-line Telluride SX came with all-wheel drive and loads of amenities that ranged from a 10.25-inch touchscreen that replaced the standard 8-inch unit to Nappa leather seating, an excellent sounding Harman/Kardon audio system, heated and ventilated front seats, 20-inch wheels and a heads-up display.
No matter which Telluride you choose, you’ll get a standard V6 engine. With 291 horsepower, it is among the most powerful in its segment, and combined with Kia’s superb 8-speed automatic transmission, offers some of the best road manners in its class.
There’s plenty of power for acceleration and passing, and the Telluride’s 3.8-liter engine is even rated to tow 5,000 pounds. Various driving modes can tailor the Telluride’s attitude for everything from comfortable highway cruising to sportier handling. For the most part, we left ours in “Smart” mode and let it figure things out, which it always did.
And as with all new Kias, the Telluride comes with an exceptional warranty that covers 10 years/100,000 miles for the powertrain. Finally, like so many other Kias, the Telluride is made in America, at Kia’s sprawling factory in Georgia.
Add it all up, and it’s easy to see how Kia easily hit it out of the park with the brand-new Telluride.
Photo Tour: 2020 Kia Telluride
More 2020 Kia Telluride
Build and price your own 2020 Kia Telluride to see this week’s Fair Purchase Price, 5-Year Cost to Own and more, or check out the Telluride models for sale today at dealers near you.
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