4 WORST And 8 BEST Things About The 2023 Kia Telluride (SX-Prestige XPro)

Kia Telluride or Hyundai Palisade...or Honda Pilot?
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0:00 - Intro

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BAD:

0:36 - No hybrid

The only engine available, and it’s been this way since the beginning, is the 3.8 n/a V6

It’s a perfectly fine engine - it makes 291 hp and 262 lbft and goes 0-60 in about 7 seconds
However, it also only gets about 21 mpg combined
Which isn’t awful, but it’s certainly not best in class
And that’s because we’re still using a fairly large V6, not a turbo 4 cylinder or a hybrid

1:29 - Price

It’s got all the luxuries and features from the SX-Prestige trim
Plus the addition of the XPro offroad treatment
AND you’ve got another $500 for the Midnight lake blue paint, which is pretty neat
And another $300 for the Terracotta interior

So all-in-all it’s just over 55 grand as tested…and it’s a lot of car, but that’s A LOT of money

2:16 - XPro

However, when you really boil it down, it’s more of an appearance package
There are a few things you get like the wheels and A/T tires
You get another .4 inches of clearance
But there isn’t even an offroad mode on your drive selector…which just seems strange
You can lock your torque distribution, but Honda is going to offer more in their Trailsport

2:54 - Phone integration

And it’s the fact that, despite the amazing suite of tech and features you get in this thing, you still have WIRED Car Play and Android Auto

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GOOD:

3:17 - Looks

This is the first refresh since the debut in 2019. The Telluride looked great then and it looks…pretty similar now

It’s not a new generation so as far as a mid-cycle refresh I’d say it’s a nice update

4:18 - Tech

One of the big places that they updated the Telluride for 2023 is in the technology
Now can get totally digital cluster like the Palisade
Which means you get dual 12.3 in screens here
The only ding is the WIRED car play we mentioned earlier
But you now get a Digital rear view mirror
You;ve got a nice HUD
You can use your phone as a key - can text people the key
The Wireless charger now charges twice as fast with added cooling
Your 360 cameras are amazing and can do the spin thing that BMW Audi and MB do
And you’ve got your usual Hyundai/Kia staples like Quiet mode, Passenger talk, Sounds of nature

And of course now you get HDAS 2.0 - which is one of the best “autopilot” systems in the game…although it’s not totally hands-free.


5:15 - Interior

And then in addition to all the great tech features, they’re all wrapped in a really nice interior

You’ve got nice contrasting accents like fake wood, brushed silver plastic, etc
I mean it’s not Audi level but it’s a Kia and it’s still nice
You;ve got a great updated design with the dual massive screens
You get a decent Harmon Kardon sound system
But you also have some genuine luxury-tier comforts like
Heated and cooled seats up front
Heated and cooled 2nd row - this and Palisade exclusive
Heated steering wheel
And it’s all integrated into a nice, tactile, and familiar button system

Plus the seats are nice with stitching and XPro stitched in…and to top it off you have a double sunroof design


6:03 - Second Row

I have to admit, though, one of the places I’m most impressed is the second row

Your second row gets rear seats get shades
The back of front seats have hangers, chargers, and pockets
The rear seats themselves slide and recline - you have so much room back here
Your second row is heated and cooled - amazing
You’ve got two buttons to get the 2nd row out the way
And then it’s really easy to get into the third row
Rear seats get climate zone and vents
And you have your own dedicated sunroof wrapped in a nice suede headliner


6:41 - Towing

The normal max towing capacity for a Telluride is 5000 lbs
HOWEVER, with the XPro you get added cooling AND a self-leveling rear suspension
So towing improves to 5500

7:04 - Drive

And then talking about what it’s like behind the wheel
It’s perfectly fine - it’s not super impressive or special, but it’s fine

8:36 - Cargo space

The third row drops manually, whereas it dos that automatically in the palisade
But you do have buttons to drop the 2nd row from the trunk here…but they wont come back up
You’ve got some underfloor storage here as well
AND you have a power tailgate with two buttons

9:06 - Third Row

And I’m happy to say, here in the third row of the Telluride, I could sit comfortably at 6’1”
It’s a decent size, you could have the second row scoot up if you need more room
You’ve got cupholders, vents, chargers, and some storage back here

9:42 - Odds & Ends

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11:44 - Outro