I know this might not be a popular opinion. The Kia Telluride seems to split people into two groups, those who love it and those who hate it, and I’m kind of in between.
First, I really like the car but also have some frustrations with it. I’m happy with my choice, and I have no regrets.
I love the design, especially the 2022 SX Nightfall. The 2023 model is okay but doesn’t appeal to me as much; design is subjective anyway.
I enjoy how smooth the ride is, the driving position, and the interior quality. Coming from a luxury vehicle, I think it’s pretty good. It aligns well with the vehicle’s slogan ‘command the road.’
On the downside, I dislike that it’s not rugged. FWD unibody SUVs are more like minivans than trucks. As a dad of 2, I went for this rather than a minivan, so it fits my needs, and I have no regrets about that. The MPG is good too.
I think the engine and powertrain could be better, and Kia as a company has a lot to improve in customer service. I got a great price, so I was aware of the potential issues. For instance, the transmission failed at 18k miles; it took the warranty people 10 days to approve the repair after unnecessary testing.
One more thing I can’t stand is the ownership community. A lot of the people who buy them don’t seem to be car enthusiasts and often come off as aggressive when someone disagrees with them.
I thought it might be worthwhile to share these mixed feelings, which seem common in many areas beyond just the Telluride.
“One more thing I can’t stand is the ownership community. A lot of the people who buy them don’t seem to be car enthusiasts and they often use way too many exclamation points… they can be pretty toxic to anyone who disagrees.”
Well, it’s an SUV. Most people buying a solid mid-priced large SUV aren’t doing it for love of cars. But if you’re looking for a die-hard experience, I can share that I’ve managed to get 35 mpg driving my parents’ Telluride…
Not at all. I started on rural roads, hit the highway behind a truck going 75, and hit city traffic for the last 4 miles of my 55-mile trip. I got 35 mpg until I hit the city, bringing my average to 32 for that trip. Just recently, I got 36 mpg over a 45-minute drive, all on rural roads.
I had no idea people disliked the Telluride. I knew they were upset about the crazy markups. But I only ever heard praise for the car from those who actually use it.
Colby said:
I had no idea people disliked the Telluride. I knew they were upset about the crazy markups. But I only ever heard praise for the car from those who actually use it.
Some people really seem to dislike practical vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks. The only reason to be angry would be about the inflated prices.
Colby said:
I had no idea people disliked the Telluride. I knew they were upset about the crazy markups. But I only ever heard praise for the car from those who actually use it.
I think the Telluride looks great, but I haven’t liked everything else about it, especially the past issues. Honestly, Kia’s smartest move was hiring designers from Audi. They just need to get engineers from Toyota on board, then they’d be a success.
Colby said:
I had no idea people disliked the Telluride. I knew they were upset about the crazy markups. But I only ever heard praise for the car from those who actually use it.
It seems a lot of negative views stem from Kia still being thought of as a low-quality brand. Anyone willing to see beyond that seems to have no problem praising the Telluride.
Sure, some people here might dislike the Telluride and its sibling, the Palisade, but you can see that many regular folks aren’t clueless about cars and often choose practical options that provide great value for the price (ignoring the markup, of course). These vehicles are practically what everyone here wants others to buy—minivans in disguise that are nice rides, aside from their driving feel. The only real issue is that it’s the wrong brand making these cars.
