Sacramento,
California -- Unless you've been living in a cave for the past several months,
you likely have been bombarded with magazine, newspaper and television ad
images of the Kia Telluride, the South Korean automaker's all-new venture into
the three-row SUV segment and the largest Kia ever built.
Hype thy name
is Telluride.
But in this
case, the hype is justified. This is an
exceptional effort by Kia, a car company that has been turning in a string of
exceptional efforts of late.
Waxing poetic,
Kia tells us that "the Telluride is all about big skies, desert roads,
mountain passes, shady forests, smooth highways and long coastal
drives." Well, I couldn't agree
more, and here's the thing: This three-row sport-ute drives like a lively
midsize sedan.
The 3.8-liter
V-6 rated at nearly 300 horsepower propels the Telluride forward with
effortless ease. Accelerations from a
standing start are enthusiastic, yet smooth as you run up through the
eight-speed gearbox. Handling and
steering are remarkably easy, so much so that I felt I could zip this SUV
into the tightest of parking lots and spots.
Smooth exterior
styling draws your attention to the sweetly styled front end, featuring an
elongated hood that cuts through the air with quiet grace. The vehicle, seating up to eight, was mapped out at Kia's design studio in Irvine, California.
Inside my 2020
Telluride SX V6 AWD, it was a decidedly luxurious setting, with Nappa leather
seating surfaces, tri-zone climate control, a rear sunroof, second-row Captain Chairs
and a kickin' Harman/Kardon surround-sound audio system.
Interior
comfort and roominess were instantly appreciated, and as I was enjoying the
miles roll by in my week with the Telluride, I kept asking myself: Where was
this vehicle when I was taking those long road trip vacations of my youth? In my dreams, I guess.
I was reluctant
to put even a speck of dirt on the tester's sparkling "Snow White
Pearl" paint job, but auto-reviewing colleagues who did put the Telluride
through its paces off-road reported to me that it was as solid as advertised:
powerful, shock-absorbing and an enthusiastic performer cutting through mud
and streams. There was particularly high
praise for the Telluride's four-wheel independent suspension.
Fuel mileage on
my ride came in at an OK 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the
highway.
The Telluride package is
topped off by state-of-the-art safety/driving-enhancement technology
and Kia's generous warranties. The
bottom line on the tester's sticker was $47,255, a very reasonable number given all that
was in this Telluride.
A three-row SUV
that handles like a dream and is at home as a daily urban driver or weekend
off-road warrior ... What's not to like?
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