2021 Kia Telluride

One of the best things we like about the Kia Telluride is the lesser number of trims that are logically stacked. That said, the 2021 Kia Telluride is offered in four different trims that are LX, S, EX, and SX. The price for the base trim with FWD configuration starts at $31,990 and goes up to $44,090 for the top-end SX trim with AWD configuration. The FWD configuration along with the eight-speed automatic transmission is standard. The AWD configuration is optional across the trim lineup and can be had for $2,000 extra over the base price of that trim.

The Kia Telluride right from the base LX trim is decently stacked and gets a bevy of safety features. Few worth mentioning standard features from the list are remote start, keyless entry, 18-inch alloy wheels, synthetic leather upholstery, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear bench seats (8-seater configuration), etc. The standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, etc.

Both EX and SX trim, other than their standard features, offer a few optional packages. The EX trim can be had with Nightfall Edition Package and the Towing Package, the former one costs $1,295, while the latter costs $795. As for the SX trim, you have the package from the EX trim and one additional package, i.e., SX Prestige Package. The SX Prestige Package adds heated and ventilated rear seats, premium leather upholstery, and a rain-sensing windshield wiper.

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The beauty about the Kia Telluride is that even in the base trim it packs in the essential features and still costs under $32,000. Thus we suggest looking no further and going for the base LX trim. Another reason for suggesting this trim is that it also has the majority of safety and driver-assist features, so you won’t have to worry about safety either.

The 2021 Kia Telluride is powered by the same V6 as the last year, and the V6 mated to the 8-speed automatic combination has delivered respectable figures. The 2021 Kia Telluride has an EPA estimated gas mileage of 20 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined. These numbers are for the FWD configuration while going for the AWD configurations sees the numbers dip to 19/24/21 mpg in city/highway/combined, respectively. Irrespective of the drivetrain configuration, you get an 18.8-gallon fuel tank which can return a range of 376 miles in the city and 489 miles on the highway from a tankful of gas.

The Chevrolet Traverse has the lowest gas mileage of 18 mpg in the city and 21 mpg combined. However, Chevrolet shares the crown with Honda Pilot for the highest gas mileage of 27 mpg on the highway. The Honda Pilot also comes with a bigger fuel tank compared to its peers, and that translates into a 500 plus miles range from its 19.5-gallon fuel tank.

The 2021 Kia Telluride is offered in either an eight-seater or a seven-seater configuration. The latter configuration replaces the middle row bench seats with a captain’s chair. Step inside the cabin, and the first thing you notice is how well crafted the cabin is. Luxury vibes from this cabin are in abundance even when the topmost trim doesn’t cross the physiological barrier of fifty grand. The interior is well-built, making use of the tastefully chosen material to ensure an upscale appeal. The overall layout of the dash is ergonomically done, and we especially liked the placement of the heating and ventilation control for the front seats, very well executed and thoughtfully done. 

The overall dash is divided into two halves, the upper half has the infotainment, driver’s display, and air-con, while the lower half has all the controls. Moving on to the seats, you will be once again surprised to see how well the Kia designers have managed to squeeze space in all three rows. We are happy to report that even the third row can be occupied comfortably by adults for short rides. Accessing the third row is also very easy, especially in the models with the captain's chair. That said, the cargo space with all the seats up is a generous 21 cubic feet, which can go up to 87 cubic feet with both the rear rows folded.

The Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade are almost similar in cabin size, but there are two minor diversions. The Palisade has better front legroom compared to the Telluride, while the Telluride has more cargo space compared to the Palisade with all the seats up. Among the peers, the Telluride and the Palisade are the only SUVs that have adult-friendly third-row seats. As for the cargo capacity, the Chevrolet Traverse with 23 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row has the highest cargo space to offer among its peers. Highlights of the interior include:

• Power-adjustable front seats
• Heated front seats
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Keyless entry and push-button start
• Ventilated front seats (available)
• Heated rear seats (available)
• Panoramic sunroof (available)

Infotainment System:

The 2021 Kia Telluride offers two screen sizes for the infotainment system. The base one is an 8-inch unit, while the EX trim and higher get a 10.25-inch touchscreen. Irrespective of the screen size, the infotainment of the Kia Telluride is more or less sorted and easy to navigate. The frequently used features are on the main screen, and there are lesser layers of menus that make it very convenient to navigate.

The standard set of features accompanying the Telluride infotainment system are a six-speaker sound system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, USB charging ports, etc. Climbing to the 10.25-inch screen adds wireless device charging and a few more USB ports. While the top-end trim gets the 10-speaker Harman & Kardon premium sound system. Highlights of the infotainment system include:

• 8-inch or available 10.25-inch touchscreen 
• Six-speaker sound system
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• UVO Link Telematics
• 10-speaker Harman & Kardon premium sound system (available)
• Navigation (available)
• Wireless device charging (available)

The looks of the Kia Telluride carry an all-new and fresh design among the similar-looking midsize SUVs’ burgeoning population. The front end has a massive tiger-nose grille, which is finished in chrome in top trims. Flanking at the sides is a vertically stacked headlight setup that gets a smoked black effect inside. The headlights have been pushed to the extreme ends of the front face and house the LED daytime running light that also doubles up as a turn signal and side reflector all in one unit. The foglights have been placed at the bottom grille, and in the traditional place of fog lights, you get functional air curtains. Also worth noting at the front is the front skid plate for added protection while off-roading and the front air diffuser for better aerodynamics. 

From the sides, Kia hasn’t been adventurous with the design and stuck with the clean yet boxy looks, in our opinion, that’s the best Kia could have done here. Coming to the rear, you get J-shaped upside-down taillights with the reverse lights integrated into them. Overall the rear design is simple and inoffensive. Other than these design elements, you get a sunroof which gets upgraded to a dual-pane panoramic sunroof in the top trim. Base trims ride on 18-inch alloy wheels, while higher trims get 20-inch black alloy wheels. Last but not least, there is an all-new Nightfall Edition Package for this year that gets the alloys and other exterior trims done in a black finish.

Coming to the dimensions, there is no doubt the Chevrolet Traverse is the longest (204.3-inches), widest (78.6-inches), and the tallest (70.7-inches) SUV among all here. The Traverse also has the longest wheelbase of 120.9-inches, a full 6.7-inches longer than the Kia Telluride’s wheelbase. As for the length, the Telluride is smaller than the Traverse by 7.4-inches and is shorter than the Traverse by 1.4-inches. But the Telluride has the highest ground clearance of 8-inches. That said, the Traverse remains the heaviest SUV weighing 4,362 pounds. Highlights of the exterior include:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Halogen headlights
• Sunroof (available)
• Dual-pane panoramic sunroof (available)
• 20-inch alloy wheels (available)
• Surround-view parking camera (available)

The 2021 Kia Telluride has been praised by both the safety-rating agencies, and that was bound to happen. The Kia Telluride underpins a very sturdy and robust structure; it is based on a monocoque shell that uses approximately 59% of advanced high-strength steel. The usage of light-weight aluminum is not found on the Telluride but critical points use high-strength steels, and the Telluride is now 10% more torsionally stiffer than theKia Sorento. These all along with the standard safety features make it one of the safe midsize SUVs.

Let’s now see what the rating agencies have to say about the Kia Telluride and its safety. The NHTSA has given the 2021 Kia Telluride a five out of five-star overall rating, while the IIHS has rated the Telluride with a rating of ‘Good’ in all its six parameters. The base and EX trim’s headlights have been rated with the lowest rating of ‘Poor,’ while the SX trim and EX trim with optional package get the second-lowest rating of ‘Acceptable’. Highlights of the safety features include:

• Rear parking sensors
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane departure warning w/ lane keep assist
• Driver drowsiness monitor
• Automatic emergency braking
• Surround-view parking camera system (available)
• Automatic high-beam headlights (available)

2021 Kia Telluride Vs 2021 Honda Pilot

The Honda Pilot is the biggest threat to the Kia Telluride. The Honda Pilot has been for a little longer than the Kia Telluride, so it has adapted well to our market needs. Both the SUVs offer good practicality and space inside the cabin. But the Pilot feels much more lively and peppier than the Telluride. The Pilot is faster than the Telluride by a margin in both the 0-60 mph and quarter-mile run, and still, the Pilot manages to offer a similar gas mileage in the city and one mpg more on the highway. To conclude, both the SUVs are competent, and buying either one of them will not make you regret your decision.

2021 Kia Telluride Vs 2021 Chevrolet Traverse

The Chevrolet Traverse is a big and bulky SUV that could have easily tamed down the Telluride with its dimensions itself had it not been the Telluride’s clever space management inside the cabin. The result is that the Telluride is more spacious than the Traverse in all three rows and has just two cubic feet smaller boot than the Traverse. The Traverse offers lower gas mileage and has a similar performance level as the Telluride. The Traverse has the pricing advantage though to seduce some buyers. But in Traverse, you will have to compromise on interior fit and finish levels and overall comfort compared to the Telluride. So unless you are on a tight budget and want a big ride, you can skip the Traverse and go for the Telluride.

2021 Kia Telluride Vs 2021 Hyundai Palisade

The Hyundai Palisade and the Kia Telluride are almost similar to each other except for the exterior styling and cabin space distribution. The Telluride offers a more spacious and practical cabin, while the Palisade has a mature ride and handling and faster 0-60 mph and quarter-mile timings under its belt. Exterior design is subjective, so we won’t compare them in this aspect. In short, there is nothing else to differentiate between the two here. That said, both the SUVs are like the same gift wrapped in different packaging, so we will let you take the call as to which one would be your next ride.

The Kia Telluride, right from its launch in the year 2019, has unsettled a lot of segment dominators like the Honda Pilot. That is proof enough for how competent and well-rounded Telluride is. For this year, it is a carryover model, so the pros and cons remain unchanged as last year. Even if we start nitpicking, then except for the low gas mileage, stiff ride, and slower performance, there is hardly anything more we could find not impressive in this SUV. The entry of Telluride has split the market between the Koreans and Japanese, with American SUVs being side-lined altogether. That said, the 2021 Kia Telluride will once again be our most favorite and top-rated SUV in the midsize segment.