And if that weren’t enough, you can even choose your interior lighting scheme from one of 64 available colors.īesides creature comforts, the Telluride comes with a slew of advanced safety features, including automatic emergency braking. My test SX version included push-button starting, a digital gauge display, a 12.3-inch touch-screen infotainment system with navigation, Apple Car Play and Android Auto smartphone integration, a wireless phone charging pad, heated/ventilated front- and second-row seats, LED headlights, power-folding outside mirrors and a power rear liftgate. There’s even a fair amount of space for luggage or whatnot with the third row in use.īeyond seating, the interior is filled with an impressive list of standard features, even on base models. Folding down those rear seats gets you up to 87 cubic feet of cargo room. Second-row seats offer adult-size comfort, and even the third row is habitable for grownups. In fact, top trim levels like the SX model I drove are nice enough to hold their own against luxury crossovers costing thousands more. Inside, the eight-passenger cabin (capacity drops to seven with the available second-row captain’s chairs) is done up in unexpectedly high-quality materials. Unlike many traditional four-wheel drives, this new Telluride would fit right in at any valet stand. The freshly redesigned exterior ditches the whole “truck” vibe for sleek lines and classy styling. The whole package makes it an excellent road-trip companion. The ride quality is a bit on the firm side, but it’s by no means objectionable. The nicely tuned suspension delivers confident handling you might not expect from a three-row crossover.

Towing capacity is a useful 5,500 pounds, enough to pull a small boat or camping trailer. Front-wheel drive is standard, but my test model came with an available all-wheel-drive system that can handle bad weather and even some light off-roading. For starters, the Telluride’s standard 291 horsepower, 3.8-liter V6 provides plentiful acceleration.

In fact, this midsize crossover is the antithesis of that outdated notion. The Kia Telluride illustrates that’s not so. Common wisdom has long held that you need some burly old-school SUV to tackle winter weather.

Review kia telluride