Bold and beautiful
Kia has been making a design statement with its SUVs and the Telluride is no different. Infact, so strong was the statement that Kia’s biggest ever SUV won the World Car of the Year 2020 award
Ever since the move of Peter Schreyer to head design at Kia Motors way back in 2006 and the debut of the Tiger Nose grille that has been the signature Kia look, the very next year – Kia has been on a journey of delight leading up to the first ever Korean car company winning a World Car Award.
The Telluride itself is a rather large SUV, bigger than anything else that we have in India, has three rows of seats and is powered by a big V6 engine. But it first catches attention for the vertical rectangular orange DRLs that surround each of the head lamp clusters and the biggest ever rendition of the Tiger Nose yet. The side profile is not eye catching except for the blacked out B and C pillars and the big chunky D pillar that adds solidity to the design. The rear is elegant and classy, with the name Telluride spread out across the width between tail lamps with vertical lines. Overall, it is a nice looking SUV in a segment where we have been used to plain and butch looking vehicles.
On the inside it is a rather sombre story. The interiors are not as flashy or contemporary as the exteriors and the engineers at Kia have kept faith with the more traditional elements like the gear shift lever and the analog dials for the instrument panel displays of speed and rpm, although there is a 7in colour LCD screen thrown in between
the two. The infotainment system touchscreen is the same that Hyundai also uses and at 10.25in it is large enough to go well with the large SUV. Seats are comfortable and large and space is not a constraint. Materials used are top notch and the equipment list though not overpowering as in the case of its Hyundai sibling, is quite exhaustive.
Both the Kia and the Hyundai are powered by the same gasoline direct injection V6 engine which at 3.8 litres is the largest in the group and churns out close to 300bhp. This is the only engine available on the Telluride though the Palisade comes with a smaller V6 as well in addition to a 2.2-litre diesel. On both the SUVs the engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox and both SUVs come with an option of an ondemand all wheel drive system. Unlike many of the large SUVs in the US, these SUVs are both front wheel drive.
Start up the Telluride and it feels smooth and refined. In-cabin noise on the move is minimal and the basic drive feel is inclined towards sportiness, both with the suspension set-up as well as the steering. The engine though needs coaxing to display any sportiness and comes into its own only very high up in the rev range. The car handles well enough for its size and body roll is evident at the slightest corner. Overall the Telluride is a welcome change from the big mushy traditional North American trucks.