2,000 mile report (likes and dislikes)

[ronniebell]

I've had my new 2021 Telluride (S trim) for less than 2 weeks now and have put on about 2,000 miles. Here's a short list of what I really like and what I don't like.
What I like

• Smooth, quite, and comfortable ride for all passengers, even for those in the 3rd-row seat (average size adults or less). I've ridden in this 3rd row and it's fine. (I'm 5' 10" and 190 lbs.) Regarding the quietness, I'm in my mid-60s and my hearing is getting worse. In the Telluride, I can hear much better when people are talking any where in the vehicle.
• Excellent handling and adequate acceleration.
• Fabulous technology, such as Smart Cruise Control (SCC), Lane Assist, Blind Spot warning features, Apple Carplay (and Android Auto), etc. My trim has 6 USB ports, two for each of the three rows.
• Comfortable seating for 7 people. Access in and out is very good.
• Great cargo space with lots of room for stuff.
• AWD and snow driving features - We live in eastern Washington with lots of snow and drive a lot in winter through Montana and other northern states over mountain passes.

What I don't like

• Having traded in my 2019 Honda Insight EX (a hybrid that got 55-58 mpg in town and 44-49 mpg on the highway), I cringe every time I fill up the tank. I have to keep reminding myself of the benefits.
• No blind spot cameras on left or right on this trim level. (Honda Insight had one on the right which I loved.) Upper trim levels have blind spot cameras on both sides.
• Confusing dashboard control settings. Takes some time to get used to them. Also, a little hard for me to see (too small of a font.)
• Warning sounds (blind spot and lane departure) are too loud. If anyone is sleeping, they often wake up. These sounds can be turned off in the settings, but that defeats the purpose.

About ready to drive it 1,700 miles from Missouri to Washington state next month. In South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho the posted speed limit on Interstate 90 is often 80 mph, so I'll be cruising at about 83-85 mph much of the time. Should be interesting.

 

[Tortuga07]

You can lower the volume for warning sounds in the settings. Still kinda loud at lowest setting though.

user settings > driver assistance > warning volume

 

[SARS]

I've had my new 2021 Telluride (S trim) for less than 2 weeks now and have put on about 2,000 miles. Here's a short list of what I really like and what I don't like.
What I like

• Smooth, quite, and comfortable ride for all passengers, even for those in the 3rd-row seat (average size adults or less). I've ridden in this 3rd row and it's fine. (I'm 5' 10" and 190 lbs.) Regarding the quietness, I'm in my mid-60s and my hearing is getting worse. In the Telluride, I can hear much better when people are talking any where in the vehicle.
• Excellent handling and adequate acceleration.
• Fabulous technology, such as Smart Cruise Control (SCC), Lane Assist, Blind Spot warning features, Apple Carplay (and Android Auto), etc. My trim has 6 USB ports, two for each of the three rows.
• Comfortable seating for 7 people. Access in and out is very good.
• Great cargo space with lots of room for stuff.
• AWD and snow driving features - We live in eastern Washington with lots of snow and drive a lot in winter through Montana and other northern states over mountain passes.

What I don't like

• Having traded in my 2019 Honda Insight EX (a hybrid that got 55-58 mpg in town and 44-49 mpg on the highway), I cringe every time I fill up the tank. I have to keep reminding myself of the benefits.
• No blind spot cameras on left or right on this trim level. (Honda Insight had one on the right which I loved.) Upper trim levels have blind spot cameras on both sides.
• Confusing dashboard control settings. Takes some time to get used to them. Also, a little hard for me to see (too small of a font.)
• Warning sounds (blind spot and lane departure) are too loud. If anyone is sleeping, they often wake up. These sounds can be turned off in the settings, but that defeats the purpose.

About ready to drive it 1,700 miles from Missouri to Washington state next month. In South Dakota, Montana, and Idaho the posted speed limit on Interstate 90 is often 80 mph, so I'll be cruising at about 83-85 mph much of the time. Should be interesting.

Thanks for the post. We are waiting on an S, expected late August and it's rare to get a detailed post like this. I'm coming from an old 2.slow liter Jetta so I'm excited to get a bit more power, a lot more space, and the AWD. And I'm a bit worried to see how much the gas budget increases.

I've had a few folks recommend that we take the time to learn the menus / technologies before getting out on the road a bunch. Thanks again for the great post!

 

[kcwjr1948]

We've had our car for more than 6 months. Two 3000+ roadtrips. The car easily cruises at 85 - you don't even know you are going that fast. Have fun and a great trip.

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[ronniebell]

Thanks for the post. We are waiting on an S, expected late August and it's rare to get a detailed post like this. I'm coming from an old 2.slow liter Jetta so I'm excited to get a bit more power, a lot more space, and the AWD. And I'm a bit worried to see how much the gas budget increases.

I've had a few folks recommend that we take the time to learn the menus / technologies before getting out on the road a bunch. Thanks again for the great post!

The way I figure extra gas cost is as follows: With my Honda Insight, I spent about $1,100 per year on gas driving about 18,000 mile per year on average. My Telluride will cost slightly more than double that. I'm figuring about $2,300-$2,400 per year.

 

[ronniebell]

Thanks for the post. We are waiting on an S, expected late August and it's rare to get a detailed post like this. I'm coming from an old 2.slow liter Jetta so I'm excited to get a bit more power, a lot more space, and the AWD. And I'm a bit worried to see how much the gas budget increases.

I've had a few folks recommend that we take the time to learn the menus / technologies before getting out on the road a bunch. Thanks again for the great post!

You are welcome. One thing I forgot to add to the "don't like" list is that the headlights are NOT LED. My last car had LED headlights and they are far superior than standard headlights in my opinion.

 

[Tellthemride]

Warning sounds (blind spot and lane departure) are too loud. If anyone is sleeping, they often wake up. These sounds can be turned off in the settings, but that defeats the purpose.

Agree with this 100%. Even on the lowest warning volume, the blind spot warning is way too loud. I also don’t want to turn the warning sound off completely.

 

[dsmclone]

We've been on a few road trips since buying the Telluride. Our trip from Iowa to Texas we only got about 22mpg and averaged 83 mph. We took a trip from Iowa to Wisconsin and our average speed dropped to around 71 but the fuel mileage went up to 26. It's really easy to cruise fast in the Telluride but it gets thirsty at those speeds.

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[DarkMossJustin]

The LED headlights are amazing.

Love the heated steering wheel and ventilated driver's seat on at the same time.

HUD works as advertised.

Rain-sensor-activated wipers are quite sensitive. Someone ahead of me on the freeway sprayed theirs and so many droplets hung in the air and activated my wipers a split second before they hit my windshield.

Sometimes, hot days and dust + wind at high speed also activates the wipers from time to time.

 

[ronniebell]

The LED headlights are amazing.

Love the heated steering wheel and ventilated driver's seat on at the same time.

HUD works as advertised.

Rain-sensor-activated wipers are quite sensitive. Someone ahead of me on the freeway sprayed theirs and so many droplets hung in the air and activated my wipers a split second before they hit my windshield.

Sometimes, hot days and dust + wind at high speed also activates the wipers from time to time.

Yes, your Telluride SX trim has LED lights. My S trim does not. Is there a way to upgrade that now?

 

[Tellthemride]

Yes, your Telluride SX trim has LED lights. My S trim does not. Is there a way to upgrade that now?

The easiest and most affordable way. Replacing bulbs.

Thread 'Comprehensive LED Upgrade Guide with Photos'
Comprehensive LED Upgrade Guide with Photos

The most labor and most expensive way. Replacing entire assembly. Will get you EXP/SX quality results.

Post in thread 'Retrofit EX with SX LED headlights'
Retrofit EX with SX LED headlights

 

[Navin_Johnson]

We've been on a few road trips since buying the Telluride. Our trip from Iowa to Texas we only got about 22mpg and averaged 83 mph. We took a trip from Iowa to Wisconsin and our average speed dropped to around 71 but the fuel mileage went up to 26. It's really easy to cruise fast in the Telluride but it gets thirsty at those speeds.

I've taken 7 road trips from Chicago to Ft. Collins, CO, and noticed the exact same results after the first two years. After that, we had to decide to just pay a little more and GET there, or take it easy and save a little money. Happy to see those numbers as they are exactly what I was getting on the Sorento, and the Telluride will certainly be an upgrade.

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[ronniebell]

Just put another 1,500 miles on my Telluride. A few more things to add to the likes and dislikes above. The middle captain seats do not recline all the way, only slightly. It doesn't matter if the 3rd row seats are up or down or if the 2nd row captain seats are slid more forward. Not good for taking a nap. The smart cruise control is slightly better than the adaptive cruise control on my Honda Insight EX (2019) which had some false slow downs occasionally. The second and third row climate controls are fabulous. Passengers can control them or the driver can control them on the dashboard. Very cool.

 

[Nata]

Yes

 

[Lakaiguy]

Yes, your Telluride SX trim has LED lights. My S trim does not. Is there a way to upgrade that now?

Yes.

Lets say changing a light bulb in your home is a 1 out of 10 on the difficulty meter.

Changing a light bulb in your car would be a 3 out of 10. Still very easy just a few additional steps required.

Buy these. I would choose the 4500k from the drop down menu. You get more light output and no cheesy super blue color.
DDM Tuning

 

[Sevi]

S trim is also lacking the power folding mirrors (not that I would use that feature much) and the power outlet at the bottom of the center console in front of the second row.
Of course no power lift gate, or power passenger side, or driver memory seats.

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[2020Telly]

S trim is also lacking the power folding mirrors (not that I would use that feature much) and the power outlet at the bottom of the center console in front of the second row.
Of course no power lift gate, or power passenger side, or driver memory seats.

That’s one of the reasons I got the S. In that description I count at least 7 nice-to-have electronic features that while convenient, all have motors that could fail over time. I haven’t test driven an EX-P nor SX because I don’t want to get tempted and my S and the value it brings.

 

[FeGee3]

I do enjoy seeing other people's views on their Telly pros and cons. Here are some of my personal additions after 20k miles and 1 year of ownership:

• As nice as it looked when new, the piano black interior trim on my S is just so not practical (easily scratches and looks dusty ALL the time).
• I did hate the projector headlights and thus switched immediately to plug-n-play LEDs from LASFit and I love them.
• I also added LEDs to: front turn signals, rear turn signals, rear brake and rear radiant, as well as backup and license plate (some trial and error with canbus bulbs to prevent hyper flash but I got there in the end and the result is worth the $ & time investment).
• Superficial complaint but I do wish my S could have come with the stock EX-P/SX LED headlights with the orange DRLs, those things are just so cool.
• Wish heated steering wheel came on this trim.
• Wish fog lights came on this trim too.
• Kia needs to add adjustable headrests, the non-pivoting feature is a big comfort miss from them.
• Otherwise the only other complaint is the lack of decent paint options from KIA. While I do enjoy my Moss color when it is bright and sunny, it is otherwise dull and shows dirt fast. I value safety on the road and none of the stock paint options from Kia are what I would call a safe AND fun color (bright red, blue... or orange! etc). I know I can wrap or paint the car but seriously Kia? Give us something bright and fun (NOTE: my Dark Moss is fun, as is the Wolf Grey, however neither is bright)

 

[2020Telly]

I do enjoy seeing other people's views on their Telly pros and cons. Here are some of my personal additions after 20k miles and 1 year of ownership:

• As nice as it looked when new, the piano black interior trim on my S is just so not practical (easily scratches and looks dusty ALL the time).
• I did hate the projector headlights and thus switched immediately to plug-n-play LEDs from LASFit and I love them.
• I also added LEDs to: front turn signals, rear turn signals, rear brake and rear radiant, as well as backup and license plate (some trial and error with canbus bulbs to prevent hyper flash but I got there in the end and the result is worth the $ & time investment).
• Superficial complaint but I do wish my S could have come with the stock EX-P/SX LED headlights with the orange DRLs, those things are just so cool.
• Wish heated steering wheel came on this trim.
• Wish fog lights came on this trim too.
• Kia needs to add adjustable headrests, the non-pivoting feature is a big comfort miss from them.
• Otherwise the only other complaint is the lack of decent paint options from KIA. While I do enjoy my Moss color when it is bright and sunny, it is otherwise dull and shows dirt fast. I value safety on the road and none of the stock paint options from Kia are what I would call a safe AND fun color (bright red, blue... or orange! etc). I know I can wrap or paint the car but seriously Kia? Give us something bright and fun (NOTE: my Dark Moss is fun, as is the Wolf Grey, however neither is bright)

I've been happy with the LED retrofit and I don't get oncoming traffic flashing me thinking I have my high beams on.

I'm in the minority I guess, because I prefer the white DRLs over the amber. I feel it looks better to me with the headlights on. I do think the amber is a color that stands out more but the rectangular halo even though in white it does stand out also. When I turn the signal on it does call attention to the fact that I'm turning by turning the DRL off.

I added some fog lights that look factory from eBay and I'm really happy with the added visibility and how they look. All documented here: Aftermarket Fog/Driving Light mounting options

My next project is installing Coil SumoSprings to the rear struts to help with the squat with the stock shocks and stock struts when adding cargo and towing.

 

[Lakaiguy]

My next project is installing Coil SumoSprings to the rear struts to help with the squat with the stock shocks and stock struts when adding cargo and towing.

Nice. I've been looking at those as well. Do you know of any other owners who have installed them yet?