Engine Type

Powering the Telluride is a 291-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 engine that delivers ample power. It has a smooth-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission. The Telluride comes in four drive modes: Eco, Comfort, Smart, and Sport. All-wheel-drive models have Snow and Lock settings. This SUV gets an EPA-estimated mpg of 20 in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. Is in line with an estimate of V6-powered rivals. The all-wheel drive drops the fuel efficiency to 19/24 mpg.

Driving and Handling

The Telluride is comfortable for a crossover, and its suspension effortlessly absorbs road flaws. The front-wheel drive is standard, and the all-wheel drive is available. The Telluride is decent to be an off-roader, thanks to its 8 inches of ground clearance and the all-wheel-drive Lock setting that intensifies grip by delivering power evenly to all four wheels.

Exterior Features

The exterior is also restrained, with a few touches like the upward kink at the bottom of the B-pillar. The taillights are the most polarizing design element, but they fit well on the Telluride and look sharp lit up at night. The vehicle's size also gives to its eye-catching looks.   

It has a more aggressively styled version of the previously revealed Hyundai Palisade, with its tall and blocky hood and big fenders. Kia says the Telluride was designed with rugged luxury in mind, which explains the SUVs bold and boxy shape. The large hood on the vehicle juts straight ahead rather than angling down toward the vertically stacked headlamps. It appears that it's one of Kia's goals was to give the Telluride more of an off-road feel than the mechanically similar but sleeker Hyundai Palisade that was unveiled at the 2018 LA Auto Show.

Interior Features

The 2020 Telluride seats eight passengers on synthetic leather upholstery. The trims S and SX swap out the second-row bench seat for captain's chairs, which reduces the occupancy to seven. There are power-sliding-and-folding second-row seats come standard too.

Other seating upgrades include genuine leather and premium leather upholstery, heated and ventilated first- and second-row seats, power-adjustable front seats, second-row sunshades, and a heated steering wheel. There's enough room, and there's also well-padded seats which are comfortable in the first two rows. The Telluride has a handsome cabin full of-soft-touch surfaces and quality materials. The Kia SUV has 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats. When folding down the third row opens up 46 cubic feet, and when folding it down the second row unveils a total of 87 cubic feet.

Entertainment

The Telluride features Kia’s UVO infotainment system, which comes 8-inch touch screen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, six USB ports, and a six-speaker sound system. A 10.25-inch navigation system touch screen, a head-up display, a 10-speaker Harman Kardon stereo, wireless phone charging, and another USB port. The touch screen offers crisp graphics and quick response times. There’s also Quiet Mode restricts audio output to the front row, and Driver talk, which projects the driver’s voice through the rear speakers.  

Safety Features and Warranty

The Kia comes with a lot of standard safety features, which include a rearview camera, lane keep assist, a blind spot collision avoidance system, brake assist, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, and rear parking sensors. Lane departure warning, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, a driver attention monitor, and safe exit assist, which warns you when it’s not safe to open your doors if cars or bikes are around. Surround-view parking camera, blind-spot monitoring, automatic high beams, rain-sensing windshield wipers, highway driving assist are available.    

Kia has a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty program. The Kia 10-year/100,000 mile warranty program consists of 10-year/1000,000 mile limited powertrain warranty, 5-year/60,000 mile limited basic warranty, 5-year/100,000 mile limited anti-perforation warranty, and 5-year/60,000 mile roadside assistance plan.