Kia refers to the Telluride midsize 3-row SUV internally as the "Selluride." Spokespeople for the automaker say nearly 94,000 of them rolled into American driveways in 2021, and the 2022 Telluride sells faster than any other Kia model. In response to this success, Kia is increasing Telluride production at its West Point, Georgia, assembly plant to 120,000 units.
This bump in capacity comes at the same time as the refreshed 2023 Kia Telluride is arriving in showrooms. If it still looks the same to you, that's not a surprise. Kia knows better than to mess with success. Nevertheless, the company makes several meaningful updates to the 2023 Telluride.
Update highlights include:
Kia offers the 2023 Telluride in LX, S, EX, SX, and SX Prestige trim levels. The X-Line package is available with EX, SX, and SX Prestige trim, and the X-Pro package is exclusive to the SX and SX Prestige. Prices range from $37,025 for a base LX with front-wheel drive (FWD) to $54,120 for the SX Prestige with all-wheel drive (AWD) and the X-Pro Package. The prices include the $1,335 destination charge.
Previously, JD Power reviewed the 2021 Kia Telluride Nightfall Edition, which the new X-Line Package replaces. This review focuses on the Telluride's updates for 2023 and how they potentially impact its overall appeal to consumers.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
The Kia Telluride competes in the Upper Midsize SUV market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the JD Power 2022 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, 49 percent of new Kia Telluride buyers are female (vs. 48 percent for the segment), and the median age of a new Telluride buyer is 47 years (vs. 52).
As part of the APEAL Study, owners rated the Telluride in 10 primary categories. Listed below in descending order, you'll find their preferences, from their most favorite thing about the vehicle to their least favorite:
In the 2022 APEAL Study, the Telluride ranks second out of 15 Upper Midsize SUV models.
In the sections that follow, our independent expert analyzes two different examples of the 2023 Telluride SX Prestige. The first test vehicle had the new X-Line package, extra-cost Wolf Gray paint, extra-cost Terracotta premium leather, and carpeted floor mats. It had a sticker price of $54,120, including the destination charge. The second test vehicle had the new X-Pro package, extra-cost Midnight Lake Blue paint, extra-cost Terracotta premium leather, and carpeted floor mats. The price of that one came to $55,120, including destination.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Telluride owners tell JD Power that their favorite thing about the SUV is the exterior styling, and Kia certainly knows that. So the changes for 2023 are minor, amounting to new front and rear bumper styling, revised headlights and taillights, updated grille inserts, and fresh aluminum wheel designs. Three new paint colors are also available, including Jungle Green, Dawning Red, and Midnight Lake Blue.
Similarly, aside from a new steering wheel, the interior is much the same as before. However, Kia now offers revised trim and updated colors such as Gray and Navy, Terracotta, and Sage Green. Both SX Prestige test vehicles had premium Nappa leather in Terracotta and a simulated suede headliner, giving the cabins a rich, upscale appearance.
Kia also pairs a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with an available 12.3-inch digital instrument panel under a curved piece of 24-inch glass, employing the same approach as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. It adds a high-tech look and feel to the cabin.
The infotainment system's screen is larger than before. The technology includes navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Kia Connect connected services, including access to a new Wi-Fi hotspot. Over-the-air updates keep the infotainment system current, and the system is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant technology. A 10-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system is available, and both test vehicles had it.
The new infotainment system and its Kia Connect technology worked flawlessly during the evaluation. Using my standard set of commands, the system responded quickly and accurately to a variety of directives. However, you cannot adjust the climate control using voice commands.
In addition to its new infotainment system, the 2023 Telluride has more standard driving-assistance features and several new ADAS.
Let's go over what's standard for the 2023 model year:
Kia's renamed Highway Drive Assist 1.5 system is also standard on the 2023 Telluride. It pairs the adaptive cruise control with the lane-centering assistance to create a semi-autonomous driving-assistance technology that works as long as you keep your hands on the steering wheel.
New for 2023, Highway Drive Assist 2.0 adds a lane-change assistance function to the system. It comes with SX and SX Prestige trim, along with the following:
Additionally, standard safety features include a driver monitoring system, automatic high-beam headlights, and a rear-seat reminder system with ultrasonic sensors that can detect movement in the Telluride for up to 24 hours after you've locked and left the SUV.
Options include a head-up display with more sophisticated graphics, richer detail, and a viewing area now measuring 10 inches across. A camera-based rearview mirror is also available, providing an unobstructed view behind the SUV even when you load it to the roof with cargo.
The test vehicles had all of this technology, which worked exceptionally well. Smooth, accurate, and refined in operation, Highway Drive Assist 2.0 is easy to trust and is rarely a source of irritation. When you change lanes to pass slower vehicles, or a slower car ahead is no longer an obstacle, the Telluride takes a leisurely approach to resuming the pre-set speed, but otherwise, I have no complaints.
In addition, I sampled the forward-collision warning system, which successfully grabbed my attention without startling me.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
To give the 2023 Telluride some added off-road capability, Kia introduces the X-Line and X-Pro packages. Both raise the suspension nearly half an inch, increasing maximum ground clearance to 8.4 inches while improving the approach, breakover, and departure angles. A new Downhill Brake Control system is also available for the Telluride, and Kia says it has revised the traction control system for improved off-road performance.
Choose the X-Line package, and the Telluride gets a set of black 20-inch wheels with all-season tires. Upgrade to the X-Pro package and Kia swaps those out for black 18-inch wheels and all-terrain tires with a taller sidewall and more aggressive tread. Improved cooling helps the X-Pro tow a maximum of 5,500 pounds—a new high for the Telluride.
Otherwise, the 2023 Telluride's hardware is unchanged from the previous year. It has a 291-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 engine, an 8-speed automatic transmission, and FWD or AWD. Driving modes include Eco, Comfort, Smart, Sport, and Snow. Tellurides with AWD also have a Lock mode that Kia says evenly splits the engine power to the front and rear axles at lower speeds.
Kia arranged a lead-and-follow off-roading session in the Texas Hill Country. The course was challenging enough to showcase the Telluride X-Pro's capabilities. If you encountered some of the same terrain and obstacles while driving through a remote area by yourself, you'd be tempted to turn around and return from whence you came. Overall, the Telluride impressed me, considering its status as a midsize 3-row crossover SUV.
On the roads between San Antonio and Austin, the Telluride remains the same smooth operator it's always been. The SUV does a good job of communicating with the driver while providing a softer, smoother ride than you might expect. This is particularly true with the X-Pro's 245/60 all-terrain tires, though they produce a little more noise on the highway and can feel a little less assured when pitching the Telly into a turn.
As for fuel economy, the EPA says a 2023 Kia Telluride with AWD should get 21 mpg in combined city/highway driving. That squares with my time in the X-Pro, which included half an hour of four-wheeling followed by a 45-mile haul on highways back to San Antonio. Earlier in the day, the Telluride AWD X-Line averaged 24.1 mpg in mostly highway driving.
Wisely, with the updated 2023 Telluride, Kia didn't try to fix what didn't need to be fixed. This SUV still looks great, offers plenty of room for people and cargo, comes across as stylish and upscale at a reasonable price, and is enjoyable to drive in various settings.
Highlights of the test vehicles included supple leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front and second-row seats, and a third-row seat that is easy to access and reasonably comfortable for adults on shorter trips. While too much hard plastic is inside the higher Telluride trims, the SUV exudes a sense of quality construction and reflects a thoughtful approach to details.
Furthermore, the technology is accessible and user-friendly to anyone familiar with a smartphone or tablet computer. Kia laid out the controls logically, though the metallic finish on some of them can make them difficult to read on bright, sunny days.
Kia equips the Telluride with plenty of storage space, and the available "smart" power liftgate automatically opens when it senses the key fob in proximity to the rear of the vehicle. This means you can keep both feet on terra firma when your arms are full. But this also means the tailgate can open when you're not expecting it. That may be why the feature gets a new automatic closing function for 2023.
Cargo volume remains the same as before, measuring 21 cubic feet behind the third-row seat. Fold it down and the Telluride offers 46 cubic feet behind the second-row seats. Maximum cargo space amounts to 87 cubic feet behind the front seats.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
In 2022, the Telluride's corporate cousin, the Hyundai Palisade, was the only Upper Midsize SUV to outrank the Kia in overall vehicle appeal. Kia's changes for 2023 could help the Telluride vault past the Palisade for top honors, but we'll need to wait until June 2023, when the next APEAL Study results are available.
In the meantime, the 2023 Kia Telluride is an excellent choice in a 3-row, family-sized crossover SUV. I think so, and based on JD Power data, verified owners think so, too. And, since Kia is increasing production of this popular model, it could be easier to get one in 2023.
Christian Wardlaw is a veteran digital automotive journalist with nearly 30 years of experience in test-driving vehicles. He has held editorial leadership roles with Edmunds, JD Power, the New York Daily News, and others. In addition to JDPower.com, his work has appeared in numerous new- and used-car buying guides, newspapers, and automotive industry trade journals, including Autotrader, Capital One Auto Navigator, CarGurus, Kelley Blue Book, WardsAuto, and more.
Following a refresh for the 2026 model year, the 2027 Jeep Grand Cherokee lineup brings back two familiar variants, the go-anywhere Trailhawk and the premium-yet-capable Overland, offering buyers ...See More
Read the Full Article
Chrysler, the company that launched the modern minivan segment in 1984, is giving its popular 2027 Chrysler Pacifica a nose job and introducing a special edition commemorating America’s 250th ...See More
Read the Full Article
An all-new GMC Sierra 1500 debuts for the 2027 model year, featuring next-generation V8 engines, a premium interior with wide digital displays, and class-exclusive luxury and technology features on ...See More
Read the Full Article
With the 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee, Ram aims to revive the domestic muscle truck segment by offering a trio of Hemi V8 engines, including the 777-horsepower Rumble Bee SRT.
Read the Full Article