- Two-time winner of Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Award
- Many advanced safety and driver-assist features are standard
- An IIHS Top Safety Pick
- Seats seven or eight people in a spacious interior
- Excellent value
- Pricing starts at $32,190 (plus $1,125 destination) | Price yours
The Kia Telluride came on the scene last year with a great deal of fanfare. This SUV has the value, space, safety, and convenience to make it a tough competitor in the midsize SUV segment. After earning several prestigious awards last year, the trend continues for 2021. This marks the second year the Telluride is Kelley Blue Book’s 3-Row Midsize SUV Best Buy. It’s also the second year we named it one of our best family cars.
It’s just as popular with families, and it’s easy to see why. Whether you have a large family or a family with a lot of gear, the Kia Telluride has the seating, space, and cargo area you’re looking for. It’s an impressive vehicle, coming nicely equipped right out of the box in LX trim. Even at its reasonable base price, the Telluride comes with V6 power, an impressive amount of advanced safety and driver-assist features, and an upscale interior. The Telluride is practical and capable, with easy-to-use tech in a modern cabin.
Safety in Numbers
Here are some important numbers for you to know. The first is five, for the 5-Star safety rating the Telluride earned from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It’s the highest rating a vehicle can get in that agency’s testing. Next is seven, for the number of airbags that are in every Telluride, for 3-row protection. The third number is 11, for the advanced safety and driver-assist features that come standard as part of Kia’s Drive Wise suite of features. These include forward collision avoidance with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keeping assist, and rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist. The 2021 Kia Telluride is also an IIHS Top Safety Pick.
In addition to these features, every Telluride also comes with Safe Exit Assist, which warns if a passenger tries to open a door when a vehicle or bicycle is approaching from behind. Higher trim levels add features like a blind-spot monitor located within the gauge cluster, automatic high beams, surround-view monitor, and a forward parking distance warning. And even the best-equipped Telluride still costs less than its similarly outfitted competitors.
Spacious, Smart Interior
The 2021 Kia Telluride comes standard with 8-passenger seating, or it’ll accommodate seven people in models that have the optional second-row captain’s seats. Either way, the Telluride is roomy, which helps ensure this SUV can continue to be your family vehicle even as the kids go through growth spurts. It’s easy to stay connected thanks to standard smartphone connectivity and the Kia’s five USB ports. Available niceties like a wireless phone charger, premium Harman Kardon audio, Nappa leather seats, and two rows of heated and cooled seats can make any road trip a pleasure. And all three rows of seats recline.
When carrying cargo is the higher priority, the Telluride’s 87 cubic feet of space behind the front row makes it easy to get all your gear there in one trip. This SUV’s cargo space is among the best in the segment. There are even hooks on the back of the third-row seats where you can hang bags of groceries.
Value
That brings us to value. A 291-horsepower V6 engine, 5,000-pound towing capacity, and a stellar 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty come standard. That’s in addition to the wide array of standard safety and tech equipment in a spacious vehicle, all at a reasonable $33,000 base price, including destination charge.
But you don’t have to stick to the base model to appreciate its value. As we explain in our Expert Review of this Kia, “Considering its wealth of features, the Telluride is a model that is a great value even at its highest trim.” Its highest trim, the SX, comes in at around $43,000 for an SUV that can easily be mistaken for a much more expensive vehicle. No matter what trim level you look at, the 2021 Kia Telluride is a smart value for families.
More 2021 Kia Telluride
Build and price your own 2021 Kia Telluride to see this week’s Fair Purchase Price, 5-Year Cost to Own, and more, or see Kia Telluride models for sale near you.
