What is the Telluride?
Since its debut, the Kia Telluride has been one of Edmunds' favorite midsize three-row SUVs and one of the best sport-utes on sale today. It's comfortable, well appointed, loaded with in-car tech and available with a wide array of driver aids, all for less money than many of its rivals. The Telluride was updated for 2023 with revised exterior styling, an updated interior with larger displays, even more driver aids, and a couple of new trims with enhanced off-road prowess, though this is still no rock crawler. Given all of those changes, we don't expect Kia to make any significant changes for 2024.
The Telluride does just about everything we expect from a three-row SUV and more. There's plenty of space for people and cargo, though the third row isn't quite as big as some rivals' back rows. That said, the interior is a very comfortable place to be. The seats are supportive and well padded, and the Telluride's interior as a whole looks and feels more premium than its price tag would suggest. We were disappointed with the Telluride's fuel economy during our long-term road test, though it was one of our few major complaints.
The Telluride has plenty of tough competition as just about every automaker offers a three-row SUV that's sized and priced close to the Telluride. Some of Edmunds' favorites include the Kia's mechanically related corporate sibling, the Hyundai Palisade. Other strong three-rows include the Honda Pilot and Volkswagen Atlas. If you like the Telluride but want something a hair smaller, check out the Kia Sorento. It offers a lot of what makes the Telluride appealing (including three rows) in a smaller package. Really, though, even without any major changes for 2024, the Telluride outshines most of its rivals.