With Americans on the move now more than ever, finding a good-looking and spacious midsize SUV for a decent price is getting more difficult. Fortunately, buyers have enticing options, including the 2025 Kia Telluride and 2025 Volkswagen Atlas.
They’re 3-row utility vehicles with room for the whole family and with powerplants pushing 300 horsepower. In a midsize SUV, that’s probably the minimum standard for size and performance in the segment. Fortunately, these offerings from Kia and VW add more to the mix, including good looks from a traditional design.
Let’s check out how these midsize 3-row SUVs compare.
2025 Kia Telluride
The Kia Telluride was an instant hit when it debuted for the 2020 model year and has been named our Best Buy Award in its class every year since its debut. With a stylish and rugged exterior and a V6 engine putting out 291 horsepower, it gives buyers looking for room and capability an excellent starting point.
Perhaps even more impressive is that you can dress this ute up, pushing it from handsome to dashing. There are 10 different trim combinations available, from the base model LX to the SX Prestige X-Pro. The LX comes with front-wheel drive (FWD), but for $2K you can add all-wheel drive (AWD). Once you move into the EX X-Line, AWD is standard equipment.
The Telluride is a great place to be if you need the latest technology. It features five USB-C ports throughout the SUV and a free 1-year subscription to Kia Connect Ultimate, which offers improved navigation with real-time and predicted traffic levels. Pricing for the Telluride carries over from last year’s $37,585, including the destination charge.
Kia Telluride Highlights
Big power: The Kia Telluride features a 291-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and front- or all-wheel drive (AWD). That kind of power helps when tooling around town or trying to get out of town.
Money well spent: The Telluride won its class’ KBB Best Resale Value award in 2022. It finished just behind its sibling, the Hyundai Palisade, in 2023. In short, you’re getting your money’s worth with the Telluride.
Space for up to eight: The Telluride can carry up to eight people, while the VW Atlas holds a max of seven. If you need that extra spot for a family member or friend, the Telluride has it.
Read our Kia Telluride Expert Review or see 2025 Kia Telluride models for sale near you.
2025 Volkswagen Atlas
Volkswagens can’t help themselves. They are what they always are: nice, polite, and useful. VW has learned a lot about the SUV market and American preferences during its short time in the business, and that homework shows in the Atlas.
54 Atlas got some exterior and interior tweaks to make it look more like it should be outside, driving in the mud — or at least be mud-adjacent. The Atlas is an attractive-looking 7-seater with cabin updates, including a bigger screen, 3-zone climate control, wireless charging, and more. It continues to get better. Pricing starts at $39,625, including the destination charge.
Volkswagen Atlas Highlights
Big tech: The interior tech makes the cabin a pleasant and safe place, starting with its all-new ID.DRIVE with several new driver assistance technologies and simple convenience features like wireless charging, heated and ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. That’s impressive standard equipment.
Big space: Even though it only comes with seating for up to seven, Atlas owners know it boasts a cavernous interior, which means plenty of room for everyone. Perhaps just as importantly, when you lower the second and third rows, there’s plenty of space for stuff. It’s a real hauler.
Big (enough) power: This current generation of the Atlas gets an all-new and much more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder. One of the significant drawbacks of the previous models was an anemic 4-cylinder, and even the more powerful V6 wasn’t anything to write home about — 2024 is a new year with a much better powertrain.
Read our Volkswagen Atlas Expert Review or see 2025 Volkswagen Atlas models for sale near you.
Similarities
They’re spacious midsize SUVs with attractive exterior styling, top safety ratings from NHTSA and the IIHS, and robust engines — a fantastic combination.
Conclusion
This is a tough choice to make. The Volkswagen is a little roomier, but the Kia has a longer warranty, and the fuel economy is nearly a tie. Take them for a drive. Get a good look at them and pick the one you think looks and drives better. There are no losers here.
New 2025 Kia Telluride Prices
|
Retail Price
|
Fair Purchase Price (60085)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
$37,805 |
$36,428 |
|||
$40,805 |
$39,450 |
|||
$43,505 |
$42,360 |
|||
$47,605 |
$46,186 |
|||
$47,900 |
$46,635 |
|||
$48,800 |
$46,833 |
|||
$51,300 |
$49,673 |
|||
$52,805 |
$51,088 |
|||
$54,200 |
$52,427 |
|||
$55,100 |
$53,386 |
New 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Prices
|
Retail Price
|
Fair Purchase Price (60085)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
$39,625 |
$36,831 |
|||
$41,525 |
$39,062 |
|||
$43,730 |
$40,953 |
|||
$45,630 |
$42,709 |
|||
$48,080 |
$45,209 |
|||
$49,625 |
$46,697 |
|||
$54,630 |
$51,701 |
The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors. The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for New 2025 Kia Telluride vehicles and New 2025 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership. These prices are updated weekly. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) quoted includes the destination fee, but does not include tax, license, document fees, and options.
| 2025 Kia Telluride | 2025 Volkswagen Atlas | |
| Popular Powertrains | ||
| Engine | 3.8-liter 6-cylinder | 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder |
| Horsepower | 291 hp @ 6,000 rpm | 269 hp @ 5,500 rpm |
| Torque | 262 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm | 273 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic |
| Fuel Economy | 20 city/26 highway/22 combined | 20 city/27 highway/23 combined |
| Also Available | FWD, AWD | FWD, AWD |
| Specs | ||
| Basic Warranty | 5 years/60,000 miles | 4 years/50,000 miles |
| Powertrain Warranty | 10 years/100,000 miles | 4 years/50,000 miles |
| NHTSA Overall Safety | 5 stars | 5 stars |
| Max Seating Capacity | 8 | 7 |
| Wheelbase | 114.2 inches | 117.3 inches |
| Overall Length | 196.9 inches | 200.7 inches |
| Width | 78.3 inches | 78.3 inches |
| Height | 68.9 inches | 70.4 inches |
| Turning Diameter | 38.8 feet | 41.0 feet |
| Headroom, Front | 40.9 inches | 41.3 inches |
| Headroom, Second Row | 40.2 inches | 40.4 inches |
| Headroom, Third Row | 38.1 inches | 38.3 inches |
| Legroom, Front | 41.4 inches | 41.7 inches |
| Legroom, Second Row | 42.4 inches | 37.6 inches |
| Legroom, Third Row | 31.4 inches | 33.7 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Front | 61.6 inches | 61.5 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Second Row | 61.2 inches | 60.8 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Third Row | 55.3 inches | 54.9 inches |
| Cargo Volume | 21/87 cubic feet | 20.6/96.6 cubic feet |
