Video: 2024 Kia Telluride: Some Work to Do

(upbeat music) Now, while the 2024 Kia Telluride does share a platform, powertrain and general structure with the Hyundai Palisade, which is also part of this comparison test, the two differ significantly when it comes to both presentation and feature packaging, and this creates two distinct groups of buyers. Generally speaking, the Telluride puts more of an emphasis on the adventurous, outdoorsy side, the SUV ownership experience, whereas the Hyundai Palisade is absolutely more focused on luxury, features, and comfort. You mentioned the Hyundai Palisade as we're talking about the Telluride, but one area that this Telluride stood out from the Palisade is in the multimedia system. For myself, I know I really appreciate the wide screens, right, both screens, both the digital cluster, as well as the actual multimedia screen are well over 12 inches a piece, and, of course, call me crazy, I like an actual button. So, there's a lot of duplication between what that multimedia system can do and physical buttons. As a driver, I really appreciate the ability to just hit a button and get to exactly what I'm looking for on that screen. What did you like about it? Redundancy of those buttons I totally agree. I prefer that, especially when it comes to climate controls and the media interface. You know, for me, one of the biggest things was just the style of the interface. There's a lot of neon, kind of signage, looked like with the font and line form. Very interesting, very attractive I think, and kind of subtle. You know, this is kind of a showcase as we're moving into 2024 and 2025 and beyond. How much more complex and everybody want all these automakers wanna cram in, you know, more features, more complexity with the UI, make it bigger, make it more confusing. This is how I would like the UIs to be going forward. Right. So just all the automakers out there, they need to take note that this is your benchmark. Yeah, I agree totally. In typical me fashion, one of the little things that I notice in the interior, pretty much inconsequential. But you know, for me, not really, is the headliner in the Telluride is a micro suede, very cushy, padded thing. I mean, compared this to anything other than the palisade, which has that. But any other, like the Ascent and the Pathfinder, they all have that traditional standard rough fabric that isn't bad, but this definitely elevates it a little bit above. Combine this with some of the stitching inside, some of the interior design, some of the surfacing, you know, especially as Kia and Hyundai are trying to position themselves as, I wouldn't say budget luxury automaker, but they're putting a lot more emphasis on bringing some of the traditional features we see with luxury automakers into a more egalitarian package. And I think it works in both this and the Hyundai, if you found anything like that. Totally agree, and I actually noticed it too. So, maybe we're just on the same wavelength. Sure. I really liked the, you know, the side view camera angles that appeared when you, you know, engaged the turn signal. It appears in the digital gauge cluster and it just allows you to see what's going on along the side of your car. That's fantastic if you're merging, right? It's also really great if you're looking for bikers or if you're trying to parallel park and who knows what's, you know, in the gutter that you're trying to park next to. So, I think it adds, it enhances driver safety and I'm always a big fan of that. It's really all about the details with Hyundai and Kias and they really nailed it in this one. We talked about what we liked. Well now, we gotta talk about what we don't like, right? I'm gonna go first,- Okay. No, please. For me, as a certified child passenger safety technician, which means I know how to install car seats, I had a couple problems with car seat installation in the Telluride. In the third row, it was with the booster seat of all things. It's the easiest seat to do, but the seatbelt buckle fell behind the booster seat. That makes it really hard for kids to grasp it, and booster seats are all about kids buckling in by themselves. So, not great there. In the second row, the inner latch anchor sits kind of close to the seatbelt buckle and I struggled for probably about five minutes to install our convertible car seat. With a latch system, it's supposed to be easier. It's not supposed to be harder. This was harder. How about you, what stood out? Yeah, so I just wanted on a quick note on that. I mean it sounds like it's not enough just to have the functionality of something. There also has to be kind of like or just to have the feature, there has to be functionality, there has to be some ergonomic side to it, 'cause it sounds like that was a real pain. Yes indeed. Yeah, that brings it down. I mean that really can sink it. It's not, yeah. For me, it's way more subjective than it is subjective. I mean this has the same naturally-aspirated V6 and transmission as the Palisade. Like the transmission, no problem with that. I just did find this engine to be, for my own taste, a little bit peaky, I would've liked a little bit more low end torque. Kind of like the Atlas and the Ascent's turbocharge four cylinders. I like those a little bit better in terms of power delivery. You know, I would notice a little bit of the peakiness just driving around by myself. And these are all about sharing, I mean, and loading up people and bags and crap. So, really that's it. I would've just changed this. And it's interesting, because I know Kia has access to good turbocharge four cylinders and I would've liked to see one in this. Maybe in the future. There we go, nice. The Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade, they share a lot of similarities. But the Telluride, it doesn't have the Hyundai's luxury features, it doesn't have the breadth of features, and it's nearly as expensive. The Telluride's mid-pack finish, it's perfectly acceptable. But it is showing that in this class of three-row SUVs, it might not be keeping up.