2020 Kia Telluride SX V6 AWD
New 2020 Telluride SUV is
the largest Kia ever for the United States.
Price: $43,490
The new 2020 Kia Telluride SX V6 AWD SUV promises to draw many with its
upscale, deftly designed, roomy interior, smooth ride, lively
performance and good handling.
This Kia model is only moderately attractive, although features such as
its 20-inch black finished alloy wheels, rear roof spoiler and a
sculpted rear skid plate with integrated twin exhaust tips are signs
that the Telluride is a tough customer.
The Telluride won’t be a stranger to gas stations. The AWD
model delivers only an estimated 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24
on highways, while the front-drive version provides an estimated 20
city and 26 highway. However, you can fill the 18.8-gallon fuel tank
with just 87-octane gasoline, and the engine has a stop/start feature
to save fuel when it is idling excessively.
The Telluride was designed at Kia’s design studio in
California and assembled in Georgia. It’s the largest Kia
ever designed for the United States.
Kia colorfully says the Telluride “is all about big skies,
desert roads, mountain passes, shady forests, smooth highways and long
coastal drives.” It comes with front-wheel drive or active
on—demand all-wheel drive that actively distributes torque
between front and rear wheels depending on road conditions and driver
input. It’s offered in a variety of rear and all-wheel drive
models, starting at $31,600 for the base front-drive LX and ending at
$43,490 for the top-line SX AWD model, which I tested.
Powering all Telluride versions is a smooth 3.8-liter 6-cylinder engine
with 291 horsepower and 262 pound/feet of torque. It works with an
efficient 8-speed automatic transmission with a crisp manual-shift
feature. This SUV provides lively in-town and highway performance
despite weighing a hefty 4,112 to 4,317 pounds, depending on the model.
Up to 5,000 pounds can be towed.
The all-independent suspension does a nice job absorbing bumps, and the
steering is quick with a positive feel. Handling is reassuring, thanks
partly to a vehicle stability management system with electronic
stability control. The brake pedal has a fluid motion to ensue smooth
stops with the anti-lock system.
A driver can select via a console dial four driving modes Eco (for
economy), Smart (judges driving habits), Comfort (for smoothest
operation) and Sport (for steering, engine and transmission adjustments
for enhanced driver performance). Drivers can also select from two
different settings: Snow and AWD Lock. Downhill brake control maintains
a controlled descent on steep roads.
Kia says there’s seating for eight with the small third-row
seat, but there’s really only comfortable room for four in
the first two rows and tight seating for two adults in the split third
row. Of course, you can comfortably put smaller kids back there. Kia
says legroom in front is 44.1 inches and 42.4 inches in the slide/fold
middle seat but only 31.4 inches in the third row. Thankfully, the
split folding third-row seats can be reached via a narrow aisle between
the second-row seats.
The cargo floor is high, and the cargo area is small with the third
seat in its upright position. Cargo volume shrinks to 21 cubic feet
behind the third row from 46 cubic feet behind the second row. But
there’s decent cargo room with the third seat folded out of
the way, and the split second-row captain’s chairs also fold
forward. Standard is a “smart” (hands-free) power
tailgate. The cabin has a good number of storage areas, including wide
ones in front doors. A large storage bin in the front console contains
easily reached cupholders. One nifty feature is grab handles integrated
into the center console that suggest journeys off the beaten path. The
handles contain controls for heating and ventilating front
seats.
Getting in the supportive, comfortable power first- and second-row
seats calls for a rather high step up, but occupants sit high and are
surrounded by a deftly designed interior. It has top-notch materials,
including simulated brushed metal and matte-finished wood. Front seats
have leather trim and are heated and ventilated. There’s also
a heated steering wheel with controls, push button starter, tri-zone
automatic climate control, power tilt-and-sliding sunroof, fixed glass
rear sunroof, AM/FM with a 10-inch touchscreen and plenty of clearly
marked dashboard gauges for those who don’t want to bother
with operating a touchscreen. Hooks keep objects off the floor and away
from feet, and there’s ceiling-mounted second-row climate
control.
There’s also a Harmon/Kardon Surround Sound audio, AM/FM with
a 10-inch touchscreen, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay Smartphone
integration and wireless phone charger.
The number of safety items is formidable. They can remind one of the
coming “driverless cars,” especially the Highway
Driving Assist feature that uses radar systems to interpret lane
markings so the vehicle can control steering, acceleration and braking
to automatically adjust distance from the vehicle detected ahead. HDA
also is designed to recognize speed limits on federal highways and
adjust speeds.
Other items include blind-spot collision avoidance at the rear,
cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, forward-collision avoidance,
lane keeping assist, parking distance warning-reverse, smart cruise
control and a rear occupant alert with ultrasonic sensors to detect
child or pet movement in the second and third row after doors have been
locked—and then issue audible alerts to the driver.
There’s also a safe-exit assist that detects vehicles
approaching from the rear and keeps doors from being opened until the
vehicle has passed. And there’s also a rearview camera,
parking distance warning and surround view and blind-spot view monitor.
There’s also seven air bags.
Options on my test Telluride SX V6 AWD included a head-up display Nappa
leather seat trim, premium cloth headliner and sun visors, heated and
ventilated second-row seats and rain-sensing front windshield wipers.
The Telluride will be sold in limited numbers starting this spring. It
hits the booming market for SUVs and crossovers at the right time.
