Kia takes a shot at the three-row SUV
Telluride emphasizes on-road luxury and off-road capability
The Telluride is Kia’s first large three-row SUV since the Borrego and was unveiled at last week’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The Telluride is the largest sport utility ever from Kia.
It’s also a three-row SUV, one of the hottest segments in the North American marketplace right now.
A little more upscale than we’re used to from Kia (apart from the low-volume K900), the Telluride’s interior will be swaddled in leather and wood, festooned with digital screens and have enough room for a family and their ski equipment.
Power comes from a 3.8-litre V-6, which pumps out 291 horses and 262 poundfeet of torque driving all four wheels through an eightspeed automatic transmission. Considering the elaborate presentation in Detroit — Kia actually built a mini offroad park at the Detroit auto show to illustrate Telluride’s mudder bona-fides — it’s a good thing the new Kia features “terrain” settings (including AWD Lock) so you can venture deeper into the woods.
Kia is taking this off-road theme seriously, with grab handles integrated into the centre console and a Downhill Brake Control system for treacherous descents.
Telluride’s cabin features a 10.25-inch colour touch screen with rear-view monitor and parking guidance, a 630-watt audio system with 10 speakers, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, wireless smartphone charging and six — two for each row — USB ports.
Kia’s Drive Wise suite of safety gadgets, meanwhile, includes forward collision warning, forward collision-avoidance assist with pedestrian detection, blindspot collision-avoidance assist, smart cruise control with stop-and-go and safeexit assist, which will override attempts to deactivate the electronic child-safety lock if it detects an object approaching from the rear.
So if you’re looking for a big SUV with some off-road credibility, then yes, the Telluride may be your entry into the brand. Kia’s emphasis on “adventure” in positioning and style is markedly different than Hyundai’s Palisade.
Kia’s stylistic adventure under former Audi designer Peter Schreyer continues. Expect to see it in Kia showrooms in the spring of 2019.