Test drove one last night with my husband. In the passenger seat, I was tossed about the whole ride. The salesperson we had to take with us made it sound like all Kias are a rough ride. Felt like a Jeep or truck. Is that accurate for them or should I test drive somewhere else? I drive a Buick Enclave and it’s super smooth. In the Kia, I felt like I was in my husband’s pickup or niece’s Jeep.
Just wondering if that’s how they are or if it was just a bad road our very short test drive was on/that specific vehicle.
Bela said:
Sounds like they overinflated the tires or something because I’ve heard the opposite.
Idk it’s a mixed bag on here. Half saying they’re known as a rough ride and some saying it’s smooth. I guess what you’re used to riding in also contributes to perception, so can’t really account for that. Lots saying tires/wheels are responsible for a lot of the roughness.
Larger wheels will affect how the vehicle rides; an SUV with 15-16” wheels will be considerably smoother and quieter than one with 18-19”. Also, the higher up the vehicle sits the more you’re going to feel the turns.
As a Kia salesman, I’ve never had a customer complain about a Telluride’s drive. I’d personally go to a different dealer and try a different Telluride. Even the lower trims still seem to drive pretty good, but the higher trims are marginally better.
@Arie
It was a lower trim, just asked my husband. I suggested another dealer too just to see if there was a difference and get a longer ride. Was asking here trying to decide if it was worth the time. I think I’ll give it a go. Our salesperson looked 18 at best, didn’t have much info for my questions so I didn’t have anything to go off of either.
I have a 2022 Hyundai Elantra, and compared to my previous car (a 2020 Nissan Sentra), the ride is definitely stiffer. So I think that Kias and Hyundais might just tend to have stiffer rides.
But I was able to solve the problem by replacing the Elantra’s stock 17" wheels with aftermarket 15" wheels. That allows a tire with a thicker sidewall, which cushions the ride. Now, the Elantra with 15" wheels feels about the same as the Sentra with 17" wheels.
As someone else below said, the tires could have also been over-inflated.
Historically, Kias have been known for stiff rides.
That said, everything I’ve read suggests the Telluride rides quite well. Also backed up by my firsthand experience driving a relative’s Telluride SX. It was very smooth - significantly better than my 2015 Sorento. Not sure if the higher trim Tellurides have better suspension.
Colby said:
Not at all. We have enjoyed our 2022 for 40k miles. Sounds like a pretty awful salesman.
He was honestly. Really young; only been there since September, so I think he knows nothing. We’d driven an hour too don’t like the local dealership that has Kias because a thousand reasons, so we aren’t buying from them, but I’m going to test drive one of theirs tomorrow and see if there’s a difference.
Ellington said:
I haven’t driven many SUVs and owned even fewer. I go from Los Angeles to Vegas at least once a month and it’s the smoothest ride I have ever been in.
We live in Portland and drive to LA every 3mos, with alternating stops in Yosemite, Bay Area, Mt. Shasta, Tahoe, high desert of central Oregon, and agreed. It’s smooth and handles every terrain and climate we’ve put it through (110°, wildfire smoke, snow, and even driving through a snowstorm, high elevations)… best ride. Haven’t stretched the legs of our Sportage PHEV yet, but it’s a solid and smooth ride too.
don’t like the local dealership that has Kias because a thousand reasons, so we aren’t buying from them, but I’m going to test drive one of theirs tomorrow and see if there’s a difference.