2023 Kia Telluride Review

The Kia Telluride is quite simply the best three-row SUV you can buy today. Since its debut in 2020, the Telluride has impressed us enough to award it an Edmunds Top Rated award every year since. In particular, the Telluride rises above the rest of the class with a smooth ride quality, luxurious interior, and a third row of seats that can accommodate adult-size passengers. On top of all that, you get a lot of features for the money as well as a generous warranty.

Kia is also making a few updates to the 2023 Telluride, most notably introducing two new subtrim levels to the Telluride lineup: the X-Line and the X-Pro. Think of these more like option packages that can be added to a few of the existing trim levels to make them more rugged. The X-Line is offered on the EX, SX and SX Prestige, while the X-Pro is only offered on the SX and SX Prestige.

The X-Line features a slightly higher ride height and a reworked traction control system to better help the Telluride make its way over rough terrain. It also gains some exterior styling tweaks that include a distinctive grille, body-color door handles, bridge-type roof rails and 20-inch wheels. The lifted stance gives the Telluride X-Line about 8.4 inches of ground clearance, 0.4 inch more than the regular Telluride. That improves approach and departure angles very slightly, but at least gets in the conversation with the similarly outdoorsy Subaru Ascent (8.7 inches). The X-Pro's all-terrain tires are what gives it most of its added capability, and they are wrapped around 18-inch black-painted wheels. Additionally, the X-Pro adds a 110-volt power inverter in the cargo area and increases the Telluride's tow rating 500 pounds to a maximum of 5,500 pounds thanks to a more powerful electric fan for greater engine cooling.

Beyond the two new trims, the rest of the Telluride lineup gets a new set of displays, one for the instrument panel and another for the infotainment display, both measuring 12.3 inches and lined up side by side atop an updated dashboard. The updated infotainment display comes standard, while the larger instrument panel display is limited to SX models and above. Kia has also updated some of the driver assistance systems on the Telluride, making intelligent speed warning (a system that alerts the driver to changing speed limits and slows the car if necessary) standard and offering a front collision avoidance system that works at intersections and can track oncoming traffic as an optional extra. There's also an upgraded Highway Drive Assist system that can make automatic lane changes if the driver taps the turn signal while the system is activated, once again standard on the SX and above. Wrapping everything up is revised front and rear styling.

These changes only add to this SUV's appeal and help it continue to be an excellent choice for a three-row midsize SUV. Other possible models to consider include the popular Honda Pilot, the Hyundai Palisade (it's related to the Telluride) and roomy Volkswagen Atlas. Check out our test team's Expert Rating below for a full report on the Telluride's comfort, utility and more.

What's it like to live with?

We added a 2020 Telluride SX V6 AWD to the Edmunds long-term test fleet, where we lived with the vehicle for a full year to get the full ownership experience. While many test vehicles show their weaknesses, the Telluride reinforced our admiration. Note that while we tested a 2020 Telluride, most of our observations also apply to the 2023 model. Read our Telluride's 20,000-mile long-term test for more real-world impressions.

The 2023 Kia Telluride is available in five trim levels: LX, S, EX, SX and SX Prestige. There are also X-Line versions of the EX, SX and SX Prestige, along with X-Pro versions of the SX and SX-Prestige. Each trim comes standard with a 3.8-liter V6 (291 horsepower, 262 lb-ft of torque) paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is available, except for the SX Prestige that comes with standard AWD. Highlighted features include: