KIA Telluride Test Drive Impressions and Reviews

[aceinthehole]

I test drove the Telluride (I believe it was the Ex model) last week. It had enough power and was quiet. I did pick up a little on road imperfections. I expected a more composed ride. Perhaps the higher level SX with prestige package will ad a some more insulation for road surfaces. I agree with other reviews that it is not as big as portrayed in their advertisements. It is not the big, bold and boxy SUV that appears to be the storyline. Maybe it is just me but the front end looks big and bold but then it kind of tapers off at the cabin; a little odd. Nonetheless, I think it will be a good vehicle for KIA and I may consider it as soon as they start offering some savings. Before purchase though, I will want to take the top-of-line SX out for a spin to see if there is a difference in road feedback. I believe I read somewhere that the 20" wheels/tires ride better than the 18" ones on the Ex. Usually the bigger combination give a rougher ride. The Sorento is a fine vehicle and has a beautiful ride. I don't know if the Telluride is as equal. However, the local dealer representative (Kelly KIA in Butler, PA) mentioned to me that the Sorento may be on its way to extinction. I have not heard that anywhere else. The Sorento is a great SUV and I would hate to see it expire.
If the price difference between Sorento and the Telluride is significant ($3000 or more) then I believe the Sorento is the best buy.

On another note: I own a 2015 Hyundai Sonata and a 2017 Santa Fe Sport. I have only one complaint on those. The idle on the Sonata seems to emit a slightly noticeable vibration. I have had Hyundai's for the past decade or so and have not been disappointed. However, the current batch of Hyundai vehicles establish a terrible design cue. I have no Idea how the front ends on the 2018 and up cars/SUV's were approved. They are degrading. Even on the Genesis: they put a plastic looking plate with no design element (other than a rectangular box) in the center of the grille. I believe it is for sensing purposes. Now look at how KIA addresses that same issue; much more pleasant to the eye. I have no understanding why they are putting those big ugly grilles on their cars/SUV's. Look at the new Santa Fe, the new Sonata, the new Elantra and the upcoming cousin to the Telluride; a horrible appearance. They need to fire their whole design team and start with the top decision maker. Enough said!

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I test drove the Telluride (I believe it was the Ex model) last week. It had enough power and was quiet. I did pick up a little on road imperfections. I expected a more composed ride. Perhaps the higher level SX with prestige package will ad a some more insulation for road surfaces. I agree with other reviews that it is not as big as portrayed in their advertisements. It is not the big, bold and boxy SUV that appears to be the storyline. Maybe it is just me but the front end looks big and bold but then it kind of tapers off at the cabin; a little odd. Nonetheless, I think it will be a good vehicle for KIA and I may consider it as soon as they start offering some savings. Before purchase though, I will want to take the top-of-line SX out for a spin to see if there is a difference in road feedback. I believe I read somewhere that the 20" wheels/tires ride better than the 18" ones on the Ex. Usually the bigger combination give a rougher ride. The Sorento is a fine vehicle and has a beautiful ride. I don't know if the Telluride is as equal. However, the local dealer representative (Kelly KIA in Butler, PA) mentioned to me that the Sorento may be on its way to extinction. I have not heard that anywhere else. The Sorento is a great SUV and I would hate to see it expire.
If the price difference between Sorento and the Telluride is significant ($3000 or more) then I believe the Sorento is the best buy.

On another note: I own a 2015 Hyundai Sonata and a 2017 Santa Fe Sport. I have only one complaint on those. The idle on the Sonata seems to emit a slightly noticeable vibration. I have had Hyundai's for the past decade or so and have not been disappointed. However, the current batch of Hyundai vehicles establish a terrible design cue. I have no Idea how the front ends on the 2018 and up cars/SUV's were approved. They are degrading. Even on the Genesis: they put a plastic looking plate with no design element (other than a rectangular box) in the center of the grille. I believe it is for sensing purposes. Now look at how KIA addresses that same issue; much more pleasant to the eye. I have no understanding why they are putting those big ugly grilles on their cars/SUV's. Look at the new Santa Fe, the new Sonata, the new Elantra and the upcoming cousin to the Telluride; a horrible appearance. They need to fire their whole design team and start with the top decision maker. Enough said!

Welcome aboard, @aceinthehole. And thank you for signing up. It's actually the automotive press that has portrayed the Telliuride as something it's not. What it IS, is a "big SUV". As big as any other "big" SUV like the Chevy Traverse or Buick Enclave or BMW X5 - or so many others in the same size class. What it is NOT, is a full-size body on frame SUV - which is what they made it sound like since the beginning... This really confused things... It's not a Cadillac Escalade, or a Lincoln Navigator, or a Lexus LX570...

The 20" wheels won't give the Telluride a softer ride, but will improve on handling a bit.

I do feel the Sorento will go away. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense for both vehicles to coexist in KIA showrooms. I think this will be the last generation of the Sorento unless the Telluride doesn't meet KIA's sales expectations...

As for grilles and appearances, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While some people hate the new design language of Hyundai and Genesis vehicles, other people love them. I know a guy who thinks Lamborghinis are ugly. To each his/her own...

 

[Big T]

Today I drove an EX Telluride for the second time. My wife and I drove 45 miles to a San Diego dealer in my BMW X3 M40i as we wanted to get right out of the X3 and into the Tellluride for comparison. She loved the overall look, the interior space, comfort, and the feeling of safety. Our mind is made up; the BMW goes and Telluride SX AWD w/Prestige pkg will be ordered. Good job Kia!

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Today I drove an EX Telluride for the second time. My wife and I drove 45 miles to a San Diego dealer in my BMW X3 M40i as we wanted to get right out of the X3 and into the Tellluride for comparison. She loved the overall look, the interior space, comfort, and the feeling of safety. Our mind is made up; the BMW goes and Telluride SX AWD w/Prestige pkg will be ordered. Good job Kia!

Nice! Sounds like we have a BMW conquest here!

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[aceinthehole]

Did you sense the road composure and what do think. As I said, it is quiet but ripples in the road seem to intrude more than I expected.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Did you sense the road composure and what do think. As I said, it is quiet but ripples in the road seem to intrude more than I expected.

Which vehicle are you driving now? The 20" wheels will give you more "road feel" than the 18" wheels...

 

[Big T]

Did you sense the road composure and what do think. As I said, it is quiet but ripples in the road seem to intrude more than I expected.

My experience yesterday was quite different. I purposely chose rough asphalt with potholes (San Diego has many) and the suspension on the EX performed well at dampening the shock and maintaining control. Now, had I been in my BMW X3, I would have felt everything. Love the comfortable ride and excellent control without float. Looking forward to owning this well engineered SUV.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

My experience yesterday was quite different. I purposely chose rough asphalt with potholes (San Diego has many) and the suspension on the EX performed well at dampening the shock and maintaining control. Now, had I been in my BMW X3, I would have felt everything. Love the comfortable ride and excellent control without float. Looking forward to owning this well engineered SUV.

I'm thinking he may be coming from a luxury sedan with a soft sprung suspension. If that were the case, it would be easy to understand why the ride in the Telluride was harsher...

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[Big T]

I'm thinking he may be coming from a luxury sedan with a soft sprung suspension. If that were the case, it would be easy to understand why the ride in the Telluride was harsher...

Agreed. I came from a Tundra TRD Pro, a plush ride, to the BMW, a very M sport firm ride, to the Telluride. I would say that the Telluride is somewhere in between.

 

[Mondabi2000]

I drove the EX last week, and the SX yesterday on test drives. I enjoyed the feel and handle of both. The upgraded "extras" in the SX are hard to resist, but I'm curious about something. For some reason, I felt that the road noise (cabin noise) was less in the EX model than in the SX. Am I crazy and maybe just making things up after doing so many test drives (also looked at the Palisade)? Do the wheel size differences make a difference in cabin noise? Would love to hear from someone that knows more about such things.

As for the drive, the Telluride won over the Palisade and Atlas hands down. Not just in features, layout, and look, but I felt the responsiveness of the car overall was better than others. I felt like I was driving a car and not an SUV. Handling is exceptional, turns on a dime, and parking is very easy in this thing. The pickup is nice and the automatic engine shut off while stopped is barely noticeable. I also love the wireless charging that's available. And, as a very short person (5'1"), I love how easy it is to get in and out of the vehicle. The dash features are close enough to reach, and the adjustable seats (which were extremely comfortable, by the way) made it so I could feel confident while driving. My husband, 6' tall, sat comfortably in the front seat with a lot of leg room and plenty of head room. I didn't feel crowded by him, and we could even both share the arm rest/storage console area without bumping. The teach features are brilliant, and although I didn't even get to test out all of it, I'm very excited about the features.

The SX provides a few additional tech features that are going to make the decision difficult (and other features). I like the camera that shows my blindspot areas when turning. So helpful! I also like the black wheel option and the upgraded headlights for the SX. The second sun/mood roof is a nice touch, as well. But, if I'm not "crazy" and the EX is a little quieter of a ride, that makes a big difference to me. I'm very sensitive to road noise and sound, so this is a big selling point for me.

Overall, the Telluride is exciting and I'm thrilled to purchase one. Just need to figure out which features are the best for me. The local dealership has been wonderful answering my questions and working with me through the process, too. I'm really looking forward to driving this Kia soon!

 

[Bill614]

I drove the EX last week, and the SX yesterday on test drives. I enjoyed the feel and handle of both. The upgraded "extras" in the SX are hard to resist, but I'm curious about something. For some reason, I felt that the road noise (cabin noise) was less in the EX model than in the SX. Am I crazy and maybe just making things up after doing so many test drives (also looked at the Palisade)? Do the wheel size differences make a difference in cabin noise? Would love to hear from someone that knows more about such things.

As for the drive, the Telluride won over the Palisade and Atlas hands down. Not just in features, layout, and look, but I felt the responsiveness of the car overall was better than others. I felt like I was driving a car and not an SUV. Handling is exceptional, turns on a dime, and parking is very easy in this thing. The pickup is nice and the automatic engine shut off while stopped is barely noticeable. I also love the wireless charging that's available. And, as a very short person (5'1"), I love how easy it is to get in and out of the vehicle. The dash features are close enough to reach, and the adjustable seats (which were extremely comfortable, by the way) made it so I could feel confident while driving. My husband, 6' tall, sat comfortably in the front seat with a lot of leg room and plenty of head room. I didn't feel crowded by him, and we could even both share the arm rest/storage console area without bumping. The teach features are brilliant, and although I didn't even get to test out all of it, I'm very excited about the features.

The SX provides a few additional tech features that are going to make the decision difficult (and other features). I like the camera that shows my blindspot areas when turning. So helpful! I also like the black wheel option and the upgraded headlights for the SX. The second sun/mood roof is a nice touch, as well. But, if I'm not "crazy" and the EX is a little quieter of a ride, that makes a big difference to me. I'm very sensitive to road noise and sound, so this is a big selling point for me.

Overall, the Telluride is exciting and I'm thrilled to purchase one. Just need to figure out which features are the best for me. The local dealership has been wonderful answering my questions and working with me through the process, too. I'm really looking forward to driving this Kia soon!

I agree with you. The EX seems more quiet and rides better than the SX. It could be because the SX has the bigger 20" wheels. The EX has 18" wheels, which tend to have a "softer" ride.

 

[jw_tx21]

I drove the EX last week, and the SX yesterday on test drives. I enjoyed the feel and handle of both. The upgraded "extras" in the SX are hard to resist, but I'm curious about something. For some reason, I felt that the road noise (cabin noise) was less in the EX model than in the SX. Am I crazy and maybe just making things up after doing so many test drives (also looked at the Palisade)? Do the wheel size differences make a difference in cabin noise? Would love to hear from someone that knows more about such things.

As for the drive, the Telluride won over the Palisade and Atlas hands down. Not just in features, layout, and look, but I felt the responsiveness of the car overall was better than others. I felt like I was driving a car and not an SUV. Handling is exceptional, turns on a dime, and parking is very easy in this thing. The pickup is nice and the automatic engine shut off while stopped is barely noticeable. I also love the wireless charging that's available. And, as a very short person (5'1"), I love how easy it is to get in and out of the vehicle. The dash features are close enough to reach, and the adjustable seats (which were extremely comfortable, by the way) made it so I could feel confident while driving. My husband, 6' tall, sat comfortably in the front seat with a lot of leg room and plenty of head room. I didn't feel crowded by him, and we could even both share the arm rest/storage console area without bumping. The teach features are brilliant, and although I didn't even get to test out all of it, I'm very excited about the features.

The SX provides a few additional tech features that are going to make the decision difficult (and other features). I like the camera that shows my blindspot areas when turning. So helpful! I also like the black wheel option and the upgraded headlights for the SX. The second sun/mood roof is a nice touch, as well. But, if I'm not "crazy" and the EX is a little quieter of a ride, that makes a big difference to me. I'm very sensitive to road noise and sound, so this is a big selling point for me.

Overall, the Telluride is exciting and I'm thrilled to purchase one. Just need to figure out which features are the best for me. The local dealership has been wonderful answering my questions and working with me through the process, too. I'm really looking forward to driving this Kia soon!

Sounds like you answered your own question. Unless you really need/want captains chairs in the 2nd row, then get the EX. And then upgrade the headlights (currently only aftermarket solutions - folks are still working on it - see other posts.) EX is a really great value.

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[SC300ES]

Or you can get the SX and turn on the stereo