My 2020 KIA Telluride is getting a lot of attention at the gas station. I’ve never been approached by as many men as I have with this vehicle, and I’ve driven some pretty snazzy cars. Dudes of all ages will cross entire parking lots, flag me down as I’m pulling away from the pump or even knock on my window. “How do you like it?” the guy will ask, leaning in familiarly to get a look at the expansive interior. “I love it,” I say. “It drives like a dream, has all the bells and whistles and can fit six people no problem—seven in a pinch.”
We bought this midsize SUV a year ago to meet our needs when wintering in Florida. We wanted a vehicle big enough to handle airport runs for incoming guests with lots of luggage and fit six people so we only needed one driver when going to the beach or dinner. It needed to be comfortable and well appointed for long drives back and forth to Chicago, but not be too finicky if we left it alone for a few months. I didn’t pick it out—my car loving husband and son made the call. All I cared about was that the visibility be good. I like boxy cars. “It’s gotta be the Kia Telluride,” said Liam. Which was a surprise, since my Irish husband has a passion for German imports and in my mind, Kia is a rather humble brand.
Turns out the Telluride, which Kia promotes as “big, bold and boxy” is indeed something special. It won ALL the awards last year—the prestigious “Triple Crown” of SUV honors. It scored high marks in safety, efficiency, engineering, design and value. I can attest to all the above. It has every safety feature you can think of. I say it’s a very “bossy” car because it beeps if a car is in your blindspot, shudders if you change lanes without signaling and throws a complete hissy fit if anything comes near your path when you’re backing up. You can turn those features off, but it’s a pretty big SUV (and I’m a pretty short woman) so I like having all the guidance features turned on. It’s comfortable, it’s high tech, it takes regular fuel, and it’s easy to drive. Also, it looks damn sporty.
We’re leasing, but the sticker price on our Telluride was around $40K. The main feature we didn’t get was the automatic trunk closure, but that package cost an extra $10K which didn’t seem worth it. Also, I’m not sure about the supply now, but last year these SUVs were hard to come by. We were just glad to drive off the lot with the one in stock.
My only criticism is that the Telluride doesn’t make for the best city car. It’s a little unwieldy driving and parking in the tight streets of downtown Chicago. But for suburban living, I give it five stars. Also, I’m meeting such nice people at the gas station.
Style Challengers 