Tested: 2023 Kia Telluride Continues on Top
Being the best puts a target on your back. The Kia Telluride has been our top mid-size SUV since it debuted for 2020, bar none. The three-row ute has received three straight 10Best awards and has never lost a comparo, vanquishing challengers such as the Mazda CX-9 and the Toyota Highlander and even its corporate counterpart, the Hyundai Palisade. Instead of letting its champion grow complacent, Kia has continued to refine the Telluride for 2023, making it handsomer, enhancing its equipment, and toughening it up.
Range Rover, Er, Kia Telluride
There’s little fundamentally different about the updated Telluride. Its 291-hp V-6, eight-speed automatic, and other mechanical bits remain the same. Its reshaped grille adds three-dimensional mesh trim, its front bumper has a boxier design, and its revised LED headlights have dual vertical elements. Gone are the TELLURIDE lettering on the hood and—sadly—the distinctive amber headlight accents. But that’s about it. The facelift is subtle; then again, this canvas already looked pretty good to our eyes.
The Telluride’s vaunted value proposition does take a hit for 2023, with prices rising between $1700 to $2900, but its $37,025 base price for a front-wheel-drive LX model is still a heck of a deal. The upcharge for the new model year is mostly offset by newly available content ranging from a digital rearview mirror and a digital key (via keycard or smartphone app) to expanded driver-assistance tech that allows the Kia to automatically change lanes upon the driver’s prompt. Also new are the X-Line and X-Pro trims, both of which feature standard all-wheel drive, slightly greater approach and departure angles, and an extra smidge of ground clearance (8.4 versus 8.0 inches) compared with lesser models. The Xs also have standard roof rails, making it easier to secure items on top.
Kia pushes the X-Pro’s capabilities further in a few key areas. It has 18-inch wheels and Continental TerrainContact all-terrain tires versus the X-Line’s 20-inchers with all-seasons. The X-Pro also gets revised traction-control software that Kia says improves its off-road performance. Additionally, a more powerful cooling fan increases the X-Pro’s maximum towing capacity by 500 pounds to 5500.
X-Line and X-Pro Get Tough
The X-Line get-up is offered on the EX and SX trim levels. It costs $2195 on the EX and $1395 on the SX, with starting prices of $46,820 and $50,220, respectively. There’s also a top-trim SX-Prestige version for $53,120. The Telluride’s driving demeanor is the same regardless, and we continue to be impressed with this SUV’s accurate steering, compliant ride, and taut body control. Its handling traits won’t have you searching out back roads just for the fun of it, but its cohesive nature makes it feel a cut above its peers.
