Used 2020 Kia Telluride Consumer Reviews
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Nice SUV with way too many problems
Grant Harrison, 07/19/2020
2020 Kia Telluride EX 4dr SUV AWD (3.8L 6cyl 8A)
90 of 95 people found this review helpful
We really like the Telluride, however, ours has been riddled with problems since the second month of ownership (build date is 01/2020). I won’t get into the details of all the issues as a simple google search or look at Telluride forums mirrors most of the problems we have. All speaks to the dismal quality, it all looks nice but underneath it’s junk. Our number one issue is a driveline vibration that is not always apparent making it very difficult to repair. We’ve had new torque converter, driveshafts, hubs, and even tire to no avail. Also, dealer service absolutely sucks. I really miss owning a Toyota.
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Best Car I Have Ever Owned....Period
Smo77, 12/23/2019
2020 Kia Telluride S 4dr SUV AWD (3.8L 6cyl 8A)
221 of 236 people found this review helpful
I have owned my Kia Telluride S-Trim for about 6 months now and have put on 11K miles. The Telluride is easily the nicest driving and best vehicle I have ever owned. I still look forward to getting behind the wheel every day. The drive is just that enjoyable. For one, it's amazingly quiet for a vehicle that is propelled by a 6 cyl., 291hp engine. Not to say that I can't hear the rev of the engine upon acceleration or the hum of the pistons firing while cruising along at highway speeds, but it is all just background noise and just adds to the enjoyable experience. Even the wind is cut down to the point that I can't hear it with the radio set to a fairly quiet level. In addition, the car somehow absorbs much of the road so that when I do feel a small imperfection while moving along, it is easily the exception and not the rule. I think much of the ride is also complimented by the tight steering and just the feel of the steering wheel itself. Whoever designed the wheel did a wonderful job creating ergonomically correct contours wrapped in "leather." Combined, they give the driver a wonderfully luxurious feel that really is not easily surpassed. It's a great ride. I chose the S-trim for several different reasons. One, the 20" wheels are stunning at this level. In my opinion, they are better than the EX or the blackened SX trims. In addition, the S-trim comes with captains chairs in the second row, a feature that seems more upscale to me in an SUV than the basic bench seat that is standard on the EX. The standard suite of technology that comes on all Tellurides is very impressive, and all of it works very well, but not perfectly. The lane keep assist is great for those people who can handle the subtle shifts left or right when the vehicle gets a little too close to a yellow or white line. For me, however, I had to turn it off. Thank you, Kia, for giving me that option. In addition, the Idle Stop/Go feature, that is supposed to save gas, is great for those drivers who can adapt to the engine turning off then back on only moments later. For me, I gave it about 5 months and 10K miles, I just couldn't get used to it. There are certain parameters that need to be met for it to activate, too many to list, however, it does still seem to be so random that I found myself asking why did it activate (or not) at certain times and not others. In addition, in the heat of the summer, when the Idle Stop/Go was activated, the A/C turned very warm. Not a great thing if you are in traffic on a super hot day. I wish the default setting was off, not on, but that is a government thing....not Kia thing. The forward collision warning system is great too, but a little too sensitive. I have experienced a number of occasions when it chimed thinking that I was about to hit a car in front of me, when, at least to me, there was no danger. It is a fairly large SUV with 2 fairly large blind spots on either side, so the blind spot warning system is fantastic and has definitely warned me from making a potentially big mistake. And lastly, the automatic cruise control is unbelievably precise in both staying true to the lane and keeping a good distance from the car in front. It does tend to hit the brake a little rough, and I have noticed that it tends to hug the left side of the road a bit close, but it has never failed to stay in the lane, even around S-curves. It's very impressive. The only other knock against it at this trim level is that once the car comes to a complete stop, the driver needs to press a button on the wheel or the accelerator lightly, for it to engage again. Another standard advanced technology system are the different driving modes: Eco, Smart, Comfort, and Sport. With the exception of Sport mode, I have driven several thousand miles in each of them, and have settled on Comfort mode...at least for now. The difference in fuel economy is negligible, and, well, to be honest, if I was concerned about fuel economy I wouldn't have bought a medium/large SUV. With that said, currently I'm getting a combined 23mpg. That's overall and according to the computer and using the different driving modes. Your mileage will vary. A few last thoughts. The cabin has a great comfort to it. I find the seats very comfortable on long drives and the infotainment system is super easy to figure out and use while driving. It's definitely one of the better systems available today. Getting into the 3rd row is easily done with the pull of a lever. There's not a ton of room back there, but my 5'7" wife and son have sat back there several times without complaint, although the 2nd row was moved up a bit to accommodate them, but this was done easily and without sacrificing comfort to those sitting in the 2nd row.
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2020 Kia Telluride for sale near you
3 of 71 listings
- LX 4dr SUVMSRP: $12,00014 mi away
- EX 4dr SUVMSRP: $29,99813 mi away
- S 4dr SUVMSRP: $24,99813 mi away
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WOW, WOW, WOW, What a Great vehicle!
Khaleel, 04/13/2019
updated 11/14/2019
2020 Kia Telluride EX 4dr SUV AWD (3.8L 6cyl 8A)
362 of 389 people found this review helpful
I got this Telluride 3 days ago and I am blown away by it. Kia has done a fantastic job in designing and engineering this vehicle. We test drove a Lexus RX350 before deciding on this. I am more happy with this than would have been with the RX350. The RX had a better interior but overall the Telluride is much nicer in ride, handling, smoothness, space and features. The RX350 looks like it had too much plastic surgery. We also have a 2018 Toyota Highlander LE AWD that does not have all the bells and whistles but is a fairly decent vehicle. If you compare the Telluride to the Highlander, the Telluride just blows away the Highlander in every aspect. This is coming from a person who has owned 8 Toyotas in the last 30 years. We had a 2016 Sorento before this and were completely satisfied with the quality and performance. I was impressed with the Telluride when it came out as a concept in 2016 and was following it since then. I was a little sad that they redesigned the front grille but they did a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make this an awesome vehicle. This is a true luxury car for thousands less than the competition. It is a wake up call for the competitors. I don't think there is a better value proposition on the market in this segment. The only minor thing I found was the EX version does not have homelink. It is not a big deal but for a car costing $40K, that should come standard. Overall, a fantastic vehicle! UPDATE After 7 months: I wrote my first review after having it only for three days. Now that we have had the vehicle for 7 months, I am going to give an update. The vehicle performs very well, ride is very smooth, comfortable and quiet. Interior is very spacious, It’s easy to get in and get out. There’s a lot of headroom. The.. The electronics and the navigation work very well together. There are no bugs. Currently I have a lease and this is one car that I really want to buy. We took it to long trips and it did not feel tiring, I would say this is better than a lot of other luxury vehicles. I rented a Range Rover sport for a few days when I went out of town, the Telluride was a lot better. I believe this can stand on its own against any other luxury SUV in its class. A lot of people still do not know about the Telluride.
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Its like a dessert ... something to be enjoyed.
Hunter, 07/31/2019
2020 Kia Telluride EX 4dr SUV (3.8L 6cyl 8A)
180 of 193 people found this review helpful
For me, specs, cargo space, features, etc. do not matter if the vehicle does not drive well....so let's start there. The Telluride is a smooth, enjoyable ride. I've had my Telluride for 6+ weeks and every time I drive it, I feel relaxed. This is true whether I'm driving in comfort mode or zipping through traffic in sport mode. For those who have been critical of the Telluride's acceleration, two things....first, its a 3 row SUV and it does not come with a hemi engine. What were you expecting? … second, switch the driving mode to "sport" and there is plenty of acceleration (no, its still not a hemi....but you get much better gas mileage ;) ). There are times I like to zip around and the sport mode sufficiently allows me that guilty pleasure. Speaking of acceleration, a co-worker has a supped up Dodge Durango with hemi engine. She offered to race me one day. I said "no thanks," but she still wanted to show off so she kicked in the hemi and took off. I called her and said "I think you just burned a gallon of gas over that half mile." She said "my car ate yours for lunch." I told her "keep your lunch. My car is more like a dessert." I truly believe that … the Telluride is something to be enjoyed. So, anyway, if you want power and incredible acceleration, go get a Dodge with a hemi engine. If you want something that is a pleasure to drive...try the Telluride. I like the responsiveness of the steering and the turning radius of the Telluride. Comfort is also important. My teenage kids went with me to test drive the Telluride. They were first to notice that the leather seats in the EX felt noticeably more comfortable, and more supportive, than the pleather seats in the LX and S models. After they mentioned this, I spent a little more time in both types of seats to get a feel for them … and I also noticed that the leather seats were more supportive and comfortable. (note: I did not try an SX model with prestige package, so I cannot compare the leather seats in my EX to the napa leather seats in SX prestige). My parents have driven my Telluride and I took an opportunity to sit in the second row to test it out. The second row was comfortable and the ride quality was just as good in the second row as in the first row … which was excellent. Features....As many reviewers have noted, the Telluride offers a lot of features for the price...as compared with other vehicles in the midsize SUV segment (and even as compared with some midsize SUVs costing quite a bit more). My favorite feature is the ventilated front seats. I live in Florida and its summer … so that's an awesome feature. The infotainment system is fairly easy to use … and its nice to have both a touchscreen and buttons. The safety features are super nice. The blind spot detection is my favorite safety feature. In cruise control, the Telluride will drive itself. I tried this feature on a mostly empty highway and the Telluride executed an S curve without me touching the steering wheel. Admittedly, this freaked me out a bit and I do like to have control of the steering wheel while driving … but its still cool that the Telluride lane keeping control while in cruise control is this advanced. Turning on adaptive cruise control works as well....my car slowed down and sped up, as needed, without me touching a pedal while using adaptive cruise control. Speaking of features, the intercom feature is fun....not necessary, but fun. The AC works well in all rows and there are plenty of USB ports for everyone to use a gadget during the ride. Gas mileage has been good. I think the on-board computer somewhat exaggerates gas mileage so I tracked it myself over the last 4 fill-ups. In the first two of those fill-ups that involved mostly city driving, I recorded 24.5 and 22.1 mpg. In the two most recent fill-ups that involved mostly highway driving, I recorded 27.5 and 25.9 mpg. I believe the lower numbers in both sets of mpg reflect my use of sport mode a little more often than comfort mode during those tanks. As mentioned above, you don't get the acceleration of a Dodge with hemi engine … but you're also not burning a gallon of gas every time you kick in the hemi engine. I'm happy with the gas mileage thus far.
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Suburban NY Mom/ RN Driver
MomRN, 04/21/2019
updated 11/02/2020
2020 Kia Telluride EX 4dr SUV AWD (3.8L 6cyl 8A)
265 of 285 people found this review helpful
I purchased the Telluride EX in dark moss with grey interior with the towing package after a "chance" visit to a Kia dealership with my husband who had to convince me to go to see it (I never thought I would buy a Kia). I have about 1000 miles on it so far and I am so impressed with the car's value, quality and handling. For comparison, we considered Subaru, Honda, Jeep, Hyundai, Volvo, and Nissans. We thought the Telluride handled better than any of them hands down, and within a half hour I found myself picking colors and trims! For trim packages I considered the SX but opted for the EX AWD because I wanted the bench seat layout & 18 inch wheels. As a nurse, I need to get to work in the snow so I needed the AWD. 95% Of the time we will never use the third row, but with the last row of seats folded down we will use the cargo space a lot. We also didn't want a second row sun-roof since it is never used because it interferes with visibility (glare) on the screens that keep my teens occupied. I also wanted to have the heated/ cooled seats, and heated steering wheel which the EX had. Pros: Gas mileage- we just drove from NY to MD & back and averaged 31 mpg on the hwy! Safety features are incredible; with the lane assist and cruise control settings the car can practically drive itself. The dark moss with grey is stunning (I was lucky to find this color as hear it is hard to get). Interior design is beautiful & easy to figure out. The Interior legroom in the second row is tremendous & the kids are more than comfortable. Cons: I am a short driver at 5'2" and I find it a bit difficult to get into a comfortable seat position. The highest seat position still feels low, and the arm rests are too far away to use at all which can be annoying on long drives. The lumbar support does not raise up or down on the EX so it's too high for my frame and presses on the thoracic part of the back rather than lumbar. I was not able to test drive and EX (the dealer only had an S in stock when we went), so I didn't realize this would be an issue. Also, the stitching on the steering wheel is sharp to the touch which is irritating. The EX did not come with a Homelink rear-view mirror which I didn't think about because I just expected it would have that. I am just getting that aftermarket though so no big deal. With these minor complaints, the car itself surpasses our expectations. At a price of about 7-10k less than some of the competitors would have been with the same options and better warranties, this was a great investment! Update 11/2020, have owned for 19 months now, and have 18k miles on it. The car itself has been great and the only thing I have done is oil changes. I seem to have been lucky to purchase the car for what I did at the time since it is going for over MSRP now. My only real issue is not with the car but with the UVO app which after the first year you must pay $30/ month for. It is slow, barely connects, and is the only way to use the installed remote start feature. When I inquired with KIA about why the app does not work well I was told that the app and car operate on Verizon and unless I have Verizon (I do not), there would be slow downs and glitches (?????). Using remote start, when you open the app after about 30 seconds of spinning wheels, it may or may not take you to the screen to turn the car on. You then have to "lock" the already locked doors which can take upwards of 5 minutes. Then select start, which can also take as long. By the time the car starts you are ready to get into it. This is "if" it connects to the car. Living in the NY metro area, cell phone coverage is not the problem as they make it out to be. I also refuse to pay $30/ month for a function I have already paid for when I purchased the car. I have an appointment to have a "real" remote start installed in about 2 weeks. Very disappointing. My only other issue is that the wireless phone charging is too narrow to fit a good-sized phone. Most newer phones are on the larger size and they are too long to lay flat in the spot built for it.
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