2023 Kia Telluride Review: More of a Very Good Thing

The Kia Telluride is a perfect midsize SUV. Minor changes to the 2023 Kia Telluride make an already stellar family SUV even better. It’s the best-selling Kia in America and has won awards from us and other publications. Few midsize three-row SUVs can match Telluride’s style, capability, comfort, technology, and ease of use for the money. 

The 2022 Kia Telluride grows a bit, with new features such as a heated steering wheel and new exterior colors, including Sangria. When Kia debuted the 2020 Telluride, it was a revelation: a truck-styled three-row SUV that offered ample space, significant value, and comfort.

The center console gets a bigger armrest and a more bottomless storage bin with more cup holders. Go Google an image of the 2022 Kia Telluride and compare it with the 2023 model above to see if you can spot differences. They’re subtle and near invisibility, but it’s not necessarily bad that the styling is three years old and fresh despite the traditional profile. For 2023, new LED headlights, a standard grille, lower door sills, taillights clear lenses, and some new wheel designs blacked out. 

The Nightfall Edition brought two off-road-styled variants to replace the X Line X Pro SX Prestige X Pro. Although it offers an appearance of true off-road capability, it has the higher ground clearance and is better at getting city-dwelling families to campsites on fire trails. However, it may lack washout underbelly protection and a 4WD low range. It also has more significant wheel travel and drives modes, terrain tires, a bumper design, and approach/departure angles that are slightly different. While you wouldn’t call this an off-road SUV, you can Google an image and compare it.

The Kia Telluride is a perfect midsize SUV. Minor changes to the 2023 Kia Telluride make an already stellar family SUV even better.

The 2019 Kia Telluride was one of our favorite vehicles, and Kia has only made it better in its second year. The company has upgraded some features for the 2020 model year, including giving the interior more technology and adding new safety features. A couple of previously available options are now standard equipment on all models, including a panoramic sunroof and heated/cooled seats in the first row (which was previously only offered on higher trim levels).

When you step inside your Telluride, you immediately notice how much space there is: both rows have ample room for passengers; three adults can easily fit in each row comfortably; even my 6-foot-3 frame had plenty of headroom while sitting behind me in the third row – which I would never do!

When it comes to midsize three-row SUVs, few can match Telluride’s combination of style, capability, comfort, and technology.

The Telluride is a top seller among Kia models in America, and many publications have named it their favorite SUV. It’s no surprise why: The 2019 Kia Telluride has won awards from us and many others for its combination of style, capability, comfort, and technology, all at an affordable price point.

It packs a lot into its class, with generous room and standard features.

The Telluride is a perfect thing. It offers more room than its competitors, including the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot, with standard features like a power tailgate and power rear seats (a $1,200 option on most other vehicles in this class). The third-row seats are super easy to fold down, too.

You’ll be pleased with the interior design, which feels spacious and airy compared to other vehicles in its class. There’s plenty of storage space for all your stuff—and then some. Plus, if you want extra room for your gear when you head off-road or take along bikes or motorcycles on road trips (trust us), roof rails are available as an accessory at no charge (but only if they come with a roof rack).

The 2022 Kia Telluride grows a bit, with new features such as a heated steering wheel and new exterior colors, including Sangria. 

It also meant that any changes to the 2020 Telluride would require significant re-engineering efforts by Kia engineers and designers—a process that took almost two years. So when it came time for another refresh of this model in 2022, only minor changes were made (and many customers will never notice them). But if you’re looking for something new with your next purchase, read on: we’ve got everything you need here!

The center console gets a bigger armrest and a more bottomless storage bin with more cup holders. Go Google an image of the 2022 Kia Telluride, compare it with the 2023 model above, and see if you can spot the differences. They’re subtle to the point of near invisibility, but that’s okay; the Telluride’s styling is only three years old and still looks fresh despite its traditional profile. For 2023, there are new headlights (LEDs are now standard), a new grille, new lower door sills, taillights with clear lenses, and some new wheel designs, and that’s it. 

The center console gets a bigger armrest and a more bottomless storage bin with more cup holders. Go Google an image of the 2022 Kia Telluride, compare it with the 2023 model above, and see if you can spot the differences. They’re subtle to the point of near invisibility, but that’s okay; the Telluride’s styling is only three years old and still looks fresh despite its traditional profile. For 2023, there are new headlights (LEDs are now standard), a new grille, new lower door sills, taillights with clear lenses, and some new wheel designs, and that’s it. The blacked-out Nightfall Edition is gone, but two new off-road-styled variants replace it: X-Line and X-Pro.

Kia also added an optional wireless smartphone charger mounted just behind the shifter, which is easier to access from the driver’s seat.

It’s a clever addition, but it has limitations: You can only charge one device at a time, and you have to leave your phone on the charger for about 10 minutes before disconnecting (or risk damaging your phone).

If you intend to go off-road in your Telluride, don’t. It will last longer. Kia provided an off-road loop for the SX-Prestige X-Pro that included deep gullies and banked mounds, but all-terrain tires and slightly higher ground clearance do not make an off-road SUV. Kia maintains that the X-Pro is better at getting city-dwelling families to campsites on fire trails that may have the odd washout. Still, without any underbody protection, low-range 4WD, more significant wheel travel, or even an off-road drive mode, the big Telluride isn’t much better at going through the dirt than any other crossover. It’ll do it, but this is more of a family station wagon or minivan replacement than an actual rock climber. Stick to gravel roads, stay off two tracks, and the Telluride will serve you just fine.

You can do this.

You can do this! You can do this! You are a strong, independent woman who doesn’t need anyone to give her permission or tell her how to live her life. You are beautiful, and no one has ever been mean enough to make you feel otherwise. You have two eyes, one nose, and two ears each; you’re covered in hair (or not!) from head to toe—so what? They’re all good things—you never know when someone might want those hairs for their collection! And if they don’t want them anymore, then maybe they’ll trade with you instead of letting them go to waste like that. 

Conclusion

The Kia Telluride is a perfect midsize SUV. Minor changes to the 2023 Kia Telluride make an already stellar family SUV even better. It packs a lot into its class, with generous room and standard features. The 2022 Kia Telluride grows a bit, with new features such as a heated steering wheel and new exterior colors, including Sangria. When Kia debuted the 2020 Telluride, it was a revelation: a truck-styled three-row SUV that offered ample space, immense value, comfort, and a healthy dose of flair.