Is the 2023 Kia Telluride Still Top of the Heap?

Since Kia unveiled the Telluride a few many years in the past, it has been one of the most desirable 3 row crossovers on the current market, combining capability, luxury, style, and worth in an attractive package that’s just the appropriate size for family members. The factor that has constrained the Telluride most has been its availability in the marketplace, with Kia saying an regular of 4 days in between shipping and delivery and revenue at the dealership.

On top of that, Covid-19 production stoppages and source chain concerns limited the volume of available cars in the previous two many years. Despite this, the Telluride has continued to be a top decide by automotive journalists and shoppers alike.

Nevertheless, the field can change quickly and suppliers require to adapt to continue to keep up. Kia, for its part, has now taken the covers off the refreshed 2023 Telluride, which is a very slight update to its profitable bundle. Is this facelifted Telluride ample to keep it on top of the big crossover section?

From the outside the house, this is evidently a subtle adjust: the entrance and rear bumpers have been chiseled by Kia’s design workforce to appear more upright with better defined and far more integrated specifics. For illustration, the entrance air intake down below the grille is now much better incorporated into the experience of the automobile. The grille itself has also been slightly squared off on the edges to give a beefier visual appeal. The Telluride’s headlights have been totally up to date, losing the halo result daytime running lights and adding a extra upright linear theme that appears a lot more modern day but has sparked a lot of criticism from folks who cherished the amber halos of the pre-facelift design.

The taillights have been revised as well, appearing additional purposeful and continuing the LED pattern into the tailgate even though shifting the reverse lamps to the lessen bumper. Some new colors and new wheel variations have been extra, and the well-liked Dusk version has been changed by the X-Line trim amount which arrives in a styling-only X-Line variation and an X-Pro trim that features lesser wheels and larger sized all-terrain tires with some other small mechanical updates to make the X-Professional slightly additional able off-highway (just really do not confuse this additional capability with a legitimate overall body-on-frame off-roader).

On the inside, the preceding extra regular dashboard has been replaced by a two-display setup with 12.3” displays for both of those the gauge cluster and the infotainment interface. This provides the Telluride in line with other new Kia products which contain this dual-screen setup, and helps make the Telluride’s interior truly feel incredibly much like an Escalade on a spending plan. Further than the sprint, the seating patterns are extra rugged for 2023, but almost nothing else seriously improvements on the inside of.

From a powertrain point of view, the Telluride stays unchanged with at 3.8L by natural means aspirated V6 offering an ample but not abnormal 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. This motor also nets the Telluride an common fuel economic system of 23 miles for every gallon. Having said that, this is 1 of the regions in which the Telluride is really beginning to present its age in comparison to the market. The powertrain is neither highly performant nor extremely gasoline economical, meaning that individuals who have the cash to dismiss swiftly increasing gas charges may discover it underpowered and those who are more frugal will come across it exceedingly thirsty.

In comparison to rivals who have entered the market because Telluride to start with went on sale, this powertrain just isn’t quite aggressive. For case in point, Jeep’s new Grand Cherokee L matches the Telluride in conditions of luxury and has an arguably far more attractive badge, but offers a 5.7L V8 with 357 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque (albeit with a decrease 17mpg normal). On the other side of the spectrum, a Toyota Highlander Hybrid may be a bit fewer fascinating than a Telluride over-all, but sees a 35mpg regular gas economic climate, which starts off to look really appealing with fuel charges spiking.

In addition, Telluride could get started viewing more level of competition coming from the growing popularity of full-measurement SUVs, especially the new Toyota Sequoia which gives a more substantial deal with far more energy and superior gasoline performance for not a lot a lot more funds than a Telluride. Kia does not nonetheless have an offering in this section and I’m positive they will begin to really feel this growing competitors as the Telluride ages.

At last, Kia requirements to contemplate competitiveness from within its company umbrella, as the 2023 Hyundai Palisade has undergone a much more considerable redesign and now characteristics a a great deal far more rugged appear. Although the Telluride was definitely the far more desirable motor vehicle before the redesign, Hyundai could pull a number of customers above the fence with the most up-to-date Palisade.

Irrespective of these challenges, the Kia Telluride nevertheless has a potent place in the industry as of these days, and it enjoys the continued momentum of its superior standing. The adjustments for 2023 do maintain the car fresh new, but can it keep on to its crown until eventually a total redesign, which is absolutely a fantastic 2 or 3 many years in the upcoming? We’ll see, but at the very least for me, I imagine it is very clear that Kia will need to have to address its lackluster powertrain, potentially by including a twin turbo, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid possibility, and enhance the Telluride’s size, or at least present a prolonged wheelbase model, if it wants to retain up with shifts in the marketplace. And if Kia gets the impending EV9 large electric powered crossover ideal, we may well even see a further selection inside of the Kia lineup that could steal back again some of all those who could be swayed by the latest and approaching competitiveness but desire the gains of the all-electric powered E-GMP platform.