Is the 2023 Kia Telluride Still Top of the Heap?
Because Kia unveiled the Telluride 3 yrs back, it has been one of the most appealing three row crossovers on the marketplace, combining functionality, luxury, fashion, and worth in an beautiful package that’s just the proper sizing for family members. The factor that has minimal the Telluride most has been its availability in the current market, with Kia claiming an average of 4 days among shipping and delivery and product sales at the dealership.
On top of that, Covid-19 production stoppages and offer chain problems limited the volume of available cars in the earlier two a long time. Despite this, the Telluride has ongoing to be a best pick by automotive journalists and buyers alike.
On the other hand, the field can change quickly and manufacturers need to adapt to continue to keep up. Kia, for its part, has now taken the covers off the refreshed 2023 Telluride, which is a really slight update to its profitable bundle. Is this facelifted Telluride ample to keep it on top of the significant crossover phase?
From the outdoors, this is clearly a delicate modify: the entrance and rear bumpers have been chiseled by Kia’s design and style crew to show up extra upright with superior defined and more integrated particulars. For instance, the front air consumption below the grille is now improved integrated into the experience of the auto. The grille by itself has also been somewhat squared off on the edges to give a beefier visual appeal. The Telluride’s headlights have been totally up-to-date, shedding the halo outcome daytime running lights and adding a much more upright linear topic that appears more present day but has sparked a great deal of criticism from men and women who cherished the amber halos of the pre-facelift product.
The taillights have been revised as very well, showing up far more purposeful and continuing the LED sample into the tailgate even though shifting the reverse lamps to the reduced bumper. Some new colors and new wheel styles have been additional, and the well known Nightfall version has been replaced by the X-Line trim stage which arrives in a styling-only X-Line version and an X-Professional trim that involves scaled-down wheels and larger sized all-terrain tires with some other compact mechanical updates to make the X-Professional a little much more able off-road (just really do not confuse this extra capability with a legitimate physique-on-body off-roader).
On the within, the former more regular dashboard has been replaced by a two-monitor set up with 12.3” shows for each the gauge cluster and the infotainment interface. This brings the Telluride in line with other new Kia models which include this dual-screen setup, and tends to make the Telluride’s interior really feel pretty substantially like an Escalade on a price range. Past the dash, the seating styles are a lot more rugged for 2023, but absolutely nothing else genuinely modifications on the within.
From a powertrain standpoint, the Telluride continues to be unchanged with at 3.8L by natural means aspirated V6 furnishing an ample but not extreme 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. This motor also nets the Telluride an ordinary fuel financial state of 23 miles per gallon. Even so, this is a single of the locations wherever the Telluride is seriously beginning to exhibit its age in comparison to the industry. The powertrain is neither highly performant nor particularly fuel economical, meaning that people who have the cash to overlook speedily increasing gas rates could obtain it underpowered and those people who are additional frugal will come across it exceedingly thirsty.
In comparison to competition who have entered the industry considering the fact that Telluride initial went on sale, this powertrain just isn’t extremely competitive. For example, Jeep’s new Grand Cherokee L matches the Telluride in terms of luxurious and has an arguably additional attractive badge, but offers a 5.7L V8 with 357 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque (albeit with a decreased 17mpg regular). On the other side of the spectrum, a Toyota Highlander Hybrid might be marginally considerably less desirable than a Telluride over-all, but sees a 35mpg ordinary gas financial system, which commences to glimpse particularly beautiful with gasoline price ranges spiking.
Furthermore, Telluride could start viewing more levels of competition coming from the growing popularity of full-sizing SUVs, specifically the new Toyota Sequoia which presents a larger sized package with much more energy and better gasoline effectiveness for not a great deal additional income than a Telluride. Kia does not but have an presenting in this section and I’m guaranteed they will begin to really feel this developing competitors as the Telluride ages.
Eventually, Kia wants to take into consideration level of competition from inside of its company umbrella, as the 2023 Hyundai Palisade has gone through a a lot more considerable redesign and now options a significantly more rugged search. When the Telluride was unquestionably the far more beautiful automobile prior to the redesign, Hyundai could pull a several purchasers around the fence with the newest Palisade.
Regardless of these worries, the Kia Telluride however has a robust position in the market place as of currently, and it enjoys the continued momentum of its fantastic track record. The changes for 2023 do hold the vehicle fresh new, but can it maintain on to its crown right until a entire redesign, which is definitely a excellent 2 or 3 several years in the long run? We’ll see, but at the very least for me, I imagine it’s clear that Kia will need to tackle its lackluster powertrain, most likely by including a twin turbo, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid alternative, and increase the Telluride’s dimension, or at the very least give a extended wheelbase edition, if it wants to retain up with shifts in the market. And if Kia gets the impending EV9 huge electric powered crossover right, we may well even see one more possibility within the Kia lineup that could steal back again some of all those who could possibly be swayed by the latest and future competitiveness but desire the advantages of the all-electric E-GMP platform.