2022 Kia Telluride | Review & Road Test

For the latest Kia Telluride pricing and information:

The Kia Telluride is one of our favorite newcomers to the crossover segment. This midsize three-row stunner took the automotive world by surprise winning all kinds of awards including our KBB Best New Model when it first hit the scene.

There are some slight tweaks to the exterior. Upfront the grille gets a redesign so slight I can’t even tell.

But really the biggest one you’ll notice is the new KIA logo. I do want to hear what you think of it in the comments.


Otherwise, the Telluride maintains its striking good looks. It's bold and a bit squared off and rugged looking, but incredibly handsome. This crossover has presence and looks like it comes from a far more expensive brand.

Inside the Telluride now gets a larger 10.25-screen standard across all trim levels and a fully automatic temperature control. Select your temperature, hit auto, and let the Telluride do the thinking.


Mostly what you’re going to find new in the Telluride are things you can’t actually see, but you’ll appreciate them when you’re driving.

A whole host of advanced safety features becomes standard across all trim levels.

Those include driver attention warning, blind-spot collision avoidance assistance, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assists, lane-keeping assist and lane following assist.


Those last two comprise a system that to me is one of the best in the industry. It’s smooth and doesn’t feel intrusive when it course corrects. I appreciate that when I’m driving. The system doesn’t feel panicky, which is a very good quality to have.

Driving the Telluride on the whole is a quality experience.

It comes equipped with a 3.8-liter V6 with power (291 hp/262 lb ft torque) that feels more than adequate for the large SUV. Would it be nice to have another option, yes, but if this is all we get for now, so be it.

As for how it drives, it’s got responsive steering, a comfortable feel on the road. The Telluride doesn’t lack in overall drivability. And if you’re hauling around kids and commuting that’s exactly what you want. The Telluride feels like the complete package to me.

Fuel economy numbers are competitive in the segment: (FWD: 20 City/26 Hwy AWD: 19 City/24 Hwy)


As you can see from that previous graphic the Telluride is available in both front- and all-wheel drive. You do take a bit of a hit in gas mileage when you get power at all four corners, but you also get the reassurance of more grip on the road when conditions get tough.

The Telluride isn’t a shrinking violet on the inside. The fit and finishes look like something out of a much more expensive car. Design is minimalist, but things are intuitively placed and it looks pretty sexy in here. You also get generous room for passengers and cargo.

The Telluride punches above its weight class with interior amenities.

On the base model LX you’ll get 18-inch alloy wheels a leather-wrapped steering wheel, smart key with push-button and remote start, navigation-based smart cruise control, that’s new for this model year, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.


There are three trim levels above the LX, with those you’ll get added creature comforts including, second-row captain's chairs, wireless phone charging, power sunroof and roof rails, 20-inch alloy wheels and safe exit assist.


The EX adds leather seats, power liftgate, integrated second row sunshades and 7-USB ports. The top of the line SX adds heated and ventilated front seats a Harmon Kardon 10-speaker audio system, and a surround view monitor and blind spot view monitor.


If you’re cross-shopping other models to look at are plenty including the Ford Explorer, Hyundai Palisade, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and since the Telluride leans to the premium side of things I’ll include the Lincoln Aviator for good measure.


Pricing on the Telluride starts at $32,800 but you can spec it upward of $50,000 if you opt for higher trims and extras. Those prices also don’t include Kia’s $1225 destination charge.

It’s worth mentioning that every single one of those competitors I named have a higher base price than the Telluride.



00:00 2022 Kia Telluride
0:28 Exterior
1:19 Safety Features
1:57 Driving Impressions
3:07 Interior
5:24 Competitors

[moe]

The new logo is the best thing that happened to Kia. The old made it look like a car from the soviet era (like Lada)

[sullivan-pughvideoproducti]

We just bought one. The attention to detail rivals what I’ve seen in the labeled “luxury SUVs.”
Super quiet ride and barely have to press the accelerator. Big fan of the raised touchscreen. The thing is gigantic. Most of these trims you see are going to run you $50k. Not sure how many our out there at that base price but these things are in high demand and there were 3 buyers on the lot all trying to drive off in the same one. These hold their value so much that used models are almost the same as a new model.

[AlexOnBass]

Maybe next year I’ll get one when supply is better and dealers aren’t charging outrageous markups

[larrymcdonald]

We just bought a Telluride SX Prestige with the Nightfall package. It’s everything described here and it drives like a luxury vehicle. My Buddy paid 78k for a Mercedes GLE350 and it has very few options with a 4 cylinder engine. After driving both, the Telluride blows it away imho. It is such a smooth driving vehicle and will even steer itself on highways. Best car buying decision we’ve made yet.

[lionsboxingandmedia]

The new badge looks great, I think it is a modern design that fits the type of quality vehicles KIA produces today.

[TheAdventuresOfLiz]

I love that the safety trims are included already and not an additional add on. im currently in a 2018 soul and on 72+k miles and its still running smoothly and i love it. definitely going to upsize to the Telluride when its time to get a new car

[eliyang]

I love the Telluride and Stinger, but Kia’s dealer network keeps me from buying one. I wish Kia would adopt a direct-to-consumer model like Tesla/Rivian.

[siquanwu]

Lyn is my favourite female car journal/reviewer, the best!

[Demecrys]

Looks like they took advantage of every square foot when it comes to interior space! That third row looks much roomier than I expected. Great job kia.

[audiSfan]

I have a Kia carnival and one of the most ingenious things about that new symbol is that it grabs the eye and most people want to know what does it mean, and so when I tell them that it means "Kia" they are like "oh my goodness I did not know" and they're even more interested in the brand so in a way of marketing is actually genius.

[Parker]

The Kia Telluride is manufactured in West Point, Georgia. A vehicle made in America is a plus for me.

[iamTW]

I like the new logo. I don't typically pay attention to logos but Kia's new logo caught my attention recently. Nice!

[allenmovies]

I wish the mark up on these wasn't so insane. They ARE pretty fantastic though. I hope they offer a hybrid version of it eventually.

[Randy_Savage_ohyeah]

Love the SUV and new Logo. Went to local dealer here in Colorado Springs, CO the other day and were told order only with 4-6 months for deliver and oh by the way they are charging $10-15 above MSRP. No way in hell I'm paying $10-15K over MSRP!

[ejohnson]

Nice review! It’s a miss they didn’t black out the Kia logo front and back!

[jsm]

As good as this car looks, it's still not worth paying the $10k+ markup.

[ksmiles]

You forgot to mention and I say this because I'm very frustrated about it about it because I own one there are
No recovery points in front or rear of thus vehicle.
Kia has been contacted by several people and have not responded to this but the Hyundai palisade does have recovery points in front and rear.
2nd row heating in cooled captain seats

[sneakersonfeet]

Great SUV unfortunately the Mark-ups from the Dealership make it a No for me!

[snakehandler]

I like the big windows especially in the 3rd row where most suvs have an upswept etc beltline that hinders rear visibility

[LionRunner]

I'm very impressed for the interior space and the way it drives. Driving both Telluride & Palisade back to back they both felt identical except for the gear selector. I love the look of the Telluride more. Both are best in value for money. Kia / Hyundai please keep N/A engines. Keep it simple, don't want small turbo engines and make things complicated and potential less life vs a simple N/A engine.