Given that Kia unveiled the Telluride three a long time in the past, it has been one of the most desirable three row crossovers on the marketplace, combining capacity, luxurious, design and style, and value in an appealing package that’s just the appropriate measurement for people. The factor that has confined the Telluride most has been its availability in the market place, with Kia declaring an normal of 4 days between shipping and sales at the dealership.
Also, Covid-19 production stoppages and offer chain issues limited the quantity of available cars in the previous two decades. Despite this, the Telluride has continued to be a leading pick by automotive journalists and consumers alike.
Nonetheless, the sector can change quickly and brands need to adapt to retain up. Kia, for its part, has now taken the covers off the refreshed 2023 Telluride, which is a incredibly slight update to its winning deal. Is this facelifted Telluride more than enough to keep it on top of the massive crossover section?
From the exterior, this is evidently a refined change: the front and rear bumpers have been chiseled by Kia’s design crew to seem a lot more upright with far better defined and far more built-in information. For instance, the entrance air ingestion below the grille is now improved incorporated into the facial area of the automobile. The grille itself has also been somewhat squared off on the edges to give a beefier look. The Telluride’s headlights have been entirely updated, dropping the halo influence daytime managing lights and including a more upright linear theme that appears far more modern-day but has sparked a lot of criticism from individuals who cherished the amber halos of the pre-facelift design.
The taillights have been revised as well, appearing a lot more purposeful and continuing the LED pattern into the tailgate although transferring the reverse lamps to the reduced bumper. Some new hues and new wheel kinds have been additional, and the preferred Nightfall edition has been changed by the X-Line trim amount which comes in a styling-only X-Line version and an X-Pro trim that includes smaller sized wheels and much larger all-terrain tires with some other modest mechanical updates to make the X-Pro a bit far more able off-street (just don’t confuse this additional ability with a correct body-on-frame off-roader).
On the within, the prior a lot more conventional dashboard has been replaced by a two-screen setup with 12.3” displays for both the gauge cluster and the infotainment interface. This provides the Telluride in line with other new Kia designs which involve this dual-screen setup, and tends to make the Telluride’s interior feel really a great deal like an Escalade on a finances. Outside of the dash, the seating patterns are more rugged for 2023, but nothing at all else genuinely improvements on the within.
From a powertrain point of view, the Telluride stays unchanged with at 3.8L the natural way aspirated V6 furnishing an sufficient but not too much 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. This motor also nets the Telluride an ordinary gasoline overall economy of 23 miles for every gallon. Nonetheless, this is a single of the regions where the Telluride is definitely commencing to exhibit its age in comparison to the marketplace. The powertrain is neither highly performant nor particularly gas economical, meaning that all those who have the income to ignore speedily elevating gas prices may possibly obtain it underpowered and those people who are a lot more frugal will discover it exceedingly thirsty.
In comparison to opponents who have entered the marketplace given that Telluride initial went on sale, this powertrain just isn’t extremely aggressive. For case in point, Jeep’s new Grand Cherokee L matches the Telluride in terms of luxury and has an arguably extra attractive badge, but offers a 5.7L V8 with 357 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque (albeit with a lower 17mpg common). On the other side of the spectrum, a Toyota Highlander Hybrid might be a little bit less desirable than a Telluride all round, but sees a 35mpg regular gasoline financial system, which starts off to search exceptionally beautiful with gasoline charges spiking.
Also, Telluride could start out seeing extra levels of competition coming from the growing popularity of full-dimensions SUVs, specifically the new Toyota Sequoia which gives a larger sized offer with additional electric power and greater fuel effectiveness for not a great deal additional revenue than a Telluride. Kia does not still have an offering in this phase and I’m confident they will get started to sense this developing level of competition as the Telluride ages.
Last but not least, Kia wants to consider level of competition from inside its company umbrella, as the 2023 Hyundai Palisade has gone through a much extra significant redesign and now options a substantially additional rugged look. Though the Telluride was without doubt the much more attractive auto before the redesign, Hyundai could pull a few prospective buyers over the fence with the latest Palisade.
Inspite of these worries, the Kia Telluride however has a powerful placement in the sector as of now, and it enjoys the continued momentum of its good name. The changes for 2023 do continue to keep the vehicle clean, but can it maintain on to its crown until a complete redesign, which is definitely a very good 2 or 3 decades in the upcoming? We’ll see, but at the very least for me, I consider it is distinct that Kia will need to handle its lackluster powertrain, most likely by including a twin turbo, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid choice, and maximize the Telluride’s size, or at least offer a very long wheelbase edition, if it would like to continue to keep up with shifts in the marketplace. And if Kia will get the forthcoming EV9 substantial electrical crossover correct, we might even see one more alternative in the Kia lineup that could steal again some of people who may be swayed by the present-day and approaching level of competition but favor the benefits of the all-electric powered E-GMP system.