2020 Kia Telluride Review

Spacious, classy, comfy— and loaded with technology and luxury for less money than you’d expect — the new 2020 Kia Telluride is one tough competitor.

With its combination of cargo space, performance and safety, the new Telluride is an exceptionally well-done new family hauler.

Under the hood there is a 3.8-liter Atkinson-cycle V-6 that makes 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It sends power either to the front wheels or, to all four with a low-speed locking function. It’s rated 20/26/23 mpg city/highway/combined with front-wheel drive and 19/24/21 mpg with AWD.

The Telluride is Kia’s biggest crossover. Several inches longer than the seven-passenger Kia Sorento, its cabin is more spacious. There is room for eight with a second-row bench seat or room for seven with the optional captain’s chairs.

The second-row captain’s chairs fold forward with the touch of a button for easier access to the third row. All rows also get USB charging ports. Cargo room behind the third row of seats is 21 cubic feet. Fold the third row down and you increase space to 46 cubic feet. Fold all rows flat and the Telluride checks in at 87 cubic feet.

Safety equipment included standard on all Telluride trim levels includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane keep assist, automatic lane-centering, blind spot detection with braking and steering intervention, rear cross-traffic alert, and safe exit assistance for the rear seats.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. Features geared towards family life include the Driver Talk feature. Press a button on the touchscreen and the music mutes while activating a microphone to project the driver’s voice to speakers in the back of the ride. There’s also Quiet Mode, which mutes all but the front speakers and turns those ones down in the event the little ones are asleep in the back.

Kia hit it out of the park with the Telluride. That big tiger-nose grille is flanked by LED running lights, and the clean body sides end in a downward swoop to the taillights that’s distinctive and modern. The overall look is attractive, bold and stylish without being over the top.