Kia Telluride vs. the Rest: Midsize 3-Row SUV Comparison Shootout

The Kia Telluride is a truly fantastic three-row SUV. Its rugged design and luxurious interior make it stand out in a large field of competitors and, for these reasons and many more, the Kia is our highest-rated three-row midsize SUV with a score of 8.4 out of 10.

But the Telluride isn't the only game in town. The new Toyota Grand Highlander, Honda Pilot and Volkswagen Atlas have their own individual strengths, but the question is whether or not any of them are well-rounded enough to beat the Kia in this highly competitive segment.

A more focused ratings system

Every car we rate goes through the same process, including instrumented testing and a fuel economy evaluation loop. A score is given out of 10 possible points based on seven total categories. For this test, we’ve distilled the process down to four sections we think are most relevant. We’ll be checking out interior and comfort, technology and safety, cargo space and overall value.

While the Volkswagen Atlas isn’t a new model, it recently underwent a big refresh that brought updated technology and some other interior improvements. Toyota’s Grand Highlander fixes many of the issues we have with the standard Highlander, namely passenger and cargo space. And the Honda Pilot is now in a new generation, though it retains much of the same recipe from before.