I took my first road trip in my new Telluride and honestly, it was the easiest long trip I’ve ever done even with the heavy rain.
The camera in the mirror was incredibly useful (check out the packing pic from my Christmas return), and the highway assist really worked well.
There are mixed reviews all around this forum, but I wanted to share my first experience. I’ve only had the car for a couple of weeks, and I promise I’ll share any negatives I find too. Right now, I’m loving it.
I hope you have the Prestige model with the camera mirror because the view out the rear window can be pretty poor. Enjoy your road trips!
Campbell said:
I hope you have the Prestige model with the camera mirror because the view out the rear window can be pretty poor. Enjoy your road trips!
That feature is really amazing! I have an EV9 with it, and it makes a huge difference.
@Bevan
The new EV9 looks awesome in blue or in classic black. Do you think Kia will ever release it in Wolf Grey? If Kia could keep the GT Line under $60k, I bet they’d sell 100,000 of them every year from the Georgia plant.
@Campbell
They’d probably need a gas engine to hit that price point.
Erie said:
@Campbell
They’d probably need a gas engine to hit that price point.
I could never get an EV at that price, knowing it’ll lose value the moment I drive off the lot. I usually keep my cars for just six months, then sell or trade for a new one. I feel EVs are meant for leasing only.
Campbell said:
I hope you have the Prestige model with the camera mirror because the view out the rear window can be pretty poor. Enjoy your road trips!
Haha! A few weeks back, I had my Telluride filled with birthday balloons. I went to reverse but couldn’t see past them, so I switched to camera view and drove off with no issues.
Campbell said:
I hope you have the Prestige model with the camera mirror because the view out the rear window can be pretty poor. Enjoy your road trips!
I do have it, and I believe that soon, every SUV will come with this feature. It really does change the game in terms of safety.
It blew my mind.
@Dayton
I completely agree. During the day, I still use the regular mirror, but at night or when the back is full of stuff, the camera mirror is fantastic. It gives a much wider view too. Enjoy your new Telluride!
@Campbell
That’s really helpful for me. I’ve been deciding if the Mirror-Camera option is worth it. If you don’t mind sharing, how does it help in night driving? I assume it doesn’t dim automatically.
Brook said:
@Campbell
That’s really helpful for me. I’ve been deciding if the Mirror-Camera option is worth it. If you don’t mind sharing, how does it help in night driving? I assume it doesn’t dim automatically.
I’ve noticed that at night, headlights from other cars can reflect and make it hard to see, just like a tv that’s facing the sun. It’s a similar issue with a regular mirror too.
Brook said:
@Campbell
That’s really helpful for me. I’ve been deciding if the Mirror-Camera option is worth it. If you don’t mind sharing, how does it help in night driving? I assume it doesn’t dim automatically.
I appreciate all the brightness the camera offers for night driving. Being in my early 50s, my eyesight isn’t as sharp as it once was. Plus, I live in a suburban area near St. Augustine and often find myself driving early mornings when it’s quite dark, except for I-95. So for me, the camera brightness is a real advantage for night driving. I don’t use it during the day, and it did take me about two weeks to adjust fully. From now on, I’ll definitely want this feature on all my vehicles. I don’t believe it has auto-dim, so you are correct that it can be an issue in busy traffic with lots of headlights shining.
Brook said:
@Campbell
That’s really helpful for me. I’ve been deciding if the Mirror-Camera option is worth it. If you don’t mind sharing, how does it help in night driving? I assume it doesn’t dim automatically.
Think of how useful a rear view camera is at night while backing up. That’s the same idea here.
While it’s dark at night apart from street lights and headlights, the camera helps you see everything. I don’t think it auto dims, but it has various brightness settings. I usually turn it down at night, so headlights don’t blind me, but even at higher settings, it’s not overwhelming.
I wish I had a photo to show how it looks; I’m not sure how to share a picture in a post, but I’m happy to figure it out if you want to see how it looks in different lighting.
@Dayton
That’s the feature from the Prestige I wish I had on my SX X-Pro. I couldn’t justify spending an extra $3000 for that. We paid more for the X-Pro, which we didn’t originally want but had to settle for what was available.
Maybe in a year or two, I’ll go for a hybrid version if it looks good!
Did packing for this trip make you think about adding a hitch or roof rails? I’m considering adding one to mine but haven’t made a decision yet; I would be in the same boat with the kids’ things.
Emery said:
Did packing for this trip make you think about adding a hitch or roof rails? I’m considering adding one to mine but haven’t made a decision yet; I would be in the same boat with the kids’ things.
So this was our return trip…
We had enough space on the way to visit family, but worried about space on the way back.
I didn’t expect how large a Barbie dream set would be 
.
We have a Honda Odyssey, which we usually take on road trips. I wanted to show off my new car to family and all that, but usually, the van gives plenty of space.
If it were my primary vehicle for travel, I would probably think about a roof box first. But with a hitch, it doesn’t change how the car looks. It’s a tough choice.
I can say that the view is perfect thanks to the camera. I don’t think it’s available on all models though.
The rear view camera really does save the day!
That looks exactly like our trip back to Kansas City from St. Louis, except I had my 7-year-old squashed in the 40 part of the 60/40 rear seat. The camera rear view was amazing, and the HDA 2 working on 70 was a huge help!
@Davin
Driving was so easy! It was pouring rain, yet it was the smoothest, simplest trip I’ve ever taken. For sure.
Dayton said:
@Davin
Driving was so easy! It was pouring rain, yet it was the smoothest, simplest trip I’ve ever taken. For sure.
It’s great to drive when everything works. Our only hiccup was during snowy, slushy rain, when the sensors got iced over. The highway assist had issues, but once I stopped for gas and cleaned them, it worked fine again.
