Our 2020 Kia Telluride Never Lost Its Luster
The three-row Telluride's unwavering excellence over 40,000 miles illustrates how far Kia has come.
True to Kia tradition, our long-termer felt more expensive than its $47,540 price—so much so that some staffers drew comparisons to Range Rovers.
The fit and finish indicates that this SUV was built with care, and the materials proved durable too. We loaded it with lumber, let our kids snack in the back, and drove our filthy dogs home from the park in the passenger's seat, yet the Telluride looked nearly showroom fresh at the end of our test.
Delusions of Range Rover grandeur occasionally had our drivers yearning for a turbocharged V-6 with another 100 horsepower, but with a 6.9-second run to 60, this 4507-pound ute is plenty quick. Over the course of our test, we averaged 21 mpg, which matches the Telluride's EPA combined estimate and beats the averages of our departed Subaru Ascent and Volkswagen Atlas long-termers. The Mazda CX-9 and the Honda Pilot that we ran for 40,000 miles both managed 22 mpg.
We struggled to find serious fault with it. In fact, we're slightly embarrassed to reveal the shallowness of our nitpicks—one editor criticized the way the washer fluid trickles down, rather than sprays, the rear glass. No matter how hard we tried, we never found a shortcoming substantial enough to poke a hole in the Telluride's all-around excellence. It is easily the best vehicle Kia has ever made.
Rants & raves
"Kia has built a range rover for the middle class." —Dave Vanderwerp, Director, Vehicle Testing
Kia has figured out that giving customers more car than they expect is an all-conquering formula. —Rich Ceppos
Though it lacks a surplus of horsepower, the Telluride is a joy to drive. —Austin Irwin
This vehicle is so comfortable and desirable. —Joey Capparella
It's great at hauling people without being ungainly to maneuver and park on city streets. —Annie White
There's no good reason to buy any other mid-size SUV. —Eric Tingwall
Has Kia raised the bar too high? How does it get better than this? Adding turbochargers might be the only way. —David Beard
I like it so much, I bought one. —Nathan Schroeder
Other car companies have to be saying, "Holy shit! How'd they do that?" —Rich Ceppos
I've found a flaw: I need a step stool to reach the center of the wiper blades to clear them of ice. —Juli Burke
The Telluride has the space of the Volkswagen Atlas and the style of the Mazda CX-9. —Eric Stafford
- This isn't going to help with Telluride prices. Lol
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