It wasn’t that long ago that Kia was considered an also-ran in the automotive world. After all, Kia didn’t even enter the American market until the 1990s. With the established presence of not only American automakers but also European and Asian companies, it is hard to believe that a company like Kia could have gained any footing at all since then. But they did. They have been making great strides since then. We won’t say that all of their hard work has finally peaked, but it certainly seems to have culminated in the brand new 2020 Kia Telluride.
The all-new 2020 Kia Telluride is an optimal family vehicle. It has the performance that you need, but not too much. It has plenty of interior space, for passengers and cargo. It has the best of the safety and infotainment features you need without having to move up too much in trim levels. In short, if you are looking for an affordable family SUV, you can stop looking. Check out some of these highlights and see if you agree.
Engine
Most of the time in new car shopping, you want to know exactly what the engine options are and which one is best for you. Often, you will see a sport utility vehicle, even one marketed as a family vehicle, have multiple engines. The base engine will be okay, suitable but nothing impressive. The available engines on higher trims will seem like too much power for a family vehicle. You get stuck having to pick between not impressive and not necessary.
This is not the case with the 2020 Kia Telluride. It offers but one engine, and that engine sits perfectly in the acceptable range for a family SUV. It is a 3.8 liter V6 that gets 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. That is plenty enough to get your family safely and efficiently on the highway or around town. It also does so with a combined 23 miles per gallon, which is about average for the class and size.
Even though this is the only engine available, it has plenty of power. It can tow up to 5,000 pounds, even on the base trim level, with additional packages. That is significantly higher than many other comparable SUVs. So, if you are a family that might need to tow some camping gear or beach equipment, or even if you have some business that requires a little extra power without the family, the 2020 Kia Telluride fits quite nicely in any demographic.
Interior
The 2020 Kia Telluride is not claiming to be a luxury vehicle. However, if you go up to the highest trim levels, you can get some luxury features, like a captain’s chairs, leather seats, ambient lighting, and more. But, at its base level, it seems to fit the description of a family vehicle perfectly.
The 2020 Kia Telluride is the largest Kia yet, with seating up to eight. It is also one of the biggest crossover SUVs you will find out there. Not only does it have the seating for up to eight, but it also has more than enough room for luggage or whatever gear you might need to take along with you.
Behind the third row is 21 cubic feet of cargo space. That is among the best in its class, but if you need more, both the third and second rows can be folded down to add more. When the third row is down, the cargo space jumps up to 46 cubic feet. Again, this is among the largest space available on a crossover SUV. When the second row is down, the cargo space skyrockets to 87 cubic feet of space. So you can have a roomy, comfortable ride for eight people, or you can have up to 87 cubic feet of cargo space for yourself. The best part is, you can also have a mixture of somewhere in between. If you have a small group of passengers, you have more room than you probably need for all the stuff going with you. If you have a large group, they can ride comfortably and still have quite a bit of cargo space. And don’t forget that 5,000 pounds worth of camper you can tow behind you.
Only the Chevy Traverse has more interior cargo space than the 2020 Kia Telluride for this class of SUV.
Features
One thing that will invariably set the 2020 Kia Telluride apart from the competition is the amount of safety, infotainment, and convenience features found on the base trim level. Sure, more will be available the higher up you go. But if you are looking for an affordable family SUV, the base 2020 Kia Telluride LX has more than enough of these features.
Among the standard safety features are Forward Collision Warning, which alerts the driver to an impending crash; Lane Keep Assist, which will make sure you are not drifting out of your lane without a turn signal; Blind-Spot Monitor, which lets you know if there is potentially an object in that pesky blind spot, and much more.
Convenience and infotainment features include Adaptive Cruise Control, automatic headlights, BlueTooth connectivity, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, five USB charging ports, and an 8” touchscreen. All of these will be able to keep you and your passengers entertained and connected, no matter how long the drive.
Again, these are just some of the standard features. As you move up trim levels, you get access to a Heads Up Display, an upgraded stereo system, Power Liftgate and a whole lot more. Even still, the features on the base level are plentiful and are right in line with what a family-oriented SUV needs.
The 2020 Kia Telluride is brand new and will look to contend against the Ford Explorer, the Chevrolet Traverse, the GMC Acadia, and the Honda Pilot, among others. What the Telluride has going for it the most is the concept of it being the optimal family SUV. You won’t find a whole lot of engine options or performance in this vehicle. If you are looking for a family vehicle, perhaps that is a good thing. People like to take SUVs like the Ford Explorer and the Jeep Grand Cherokee off-road. That’s fine, there is nothing wrong with that. That is what those SUVs are built for.
Furthermore, the Explorer, Grand Cherokee, Traverse are designed for sportier excursions. They have a ton of available upgrades and packages that allow for the off-road experiences, and that’s saying nothing of aftermarket parts and accessories. That’s not what this vehicle is about.
The 2020 Kia Telluride is in a unique position to introduce itself as a single-minded vehicle. With the abundance of SUVs on the market today, including in the size range of the Telluride, there is something for everyone. And with each SUV comes options, trim levels, and packages. You can make almost any SUV what you need it to be. Or, you can opt for the 2020 Kia Telluride LX and get all you need in a spacious family SUV.
And you can do it for a very low sticker price. The 2020 Kia Telluride has a starting MSRP of $31,690. That is slightly more than the Chevrolet Traverse or its identical cousin the GMC Acadia, but far less than the Ford Explorer and slightly less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee or Honda Pilot. But, you are getting more for your dollar on a base trim level than the average crossover SUV. Also, if you do wish to move up, the highest trim level is only about $10,000 more on the 2020 Kia Telluride. You are looking at about $18,000 more on other similar models.
It isn’t often that a brand new model has the opportunity to jump right into a highly competitive class like this and have an immediate impact. But the 2020 Kia Telluride isn’t just any new model.
