Is Kia Telluride Reliable?
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The Kia Telluride was designed as a family SUV. With great space, nice designs, amazing features, and long warranty coverage to keep you and your car safe from expenses, there are many reasons to buy a Kia Telluride. But is Kia Telluride reliable?
The answer is simple: Yes, Kia Telluride is a very reliable car. Kia Telluride has high reliability and safety ratings; they also maintain impressive reliability standards, as seen in Kia cars. The Kia Telluride is not cheaply made, and you should expect a high standard of durability from them.
It is important to note that the Kia Telluride comes with a cheaper maintenance cost. The engines are solid, have great ride quality, and have impressive handling. If you need a family SUV that is versatile and will last long with great performance, then you should consider the Kia Telluride.
Here's all about Kia Telluride and why they are considered reliable.
Table of Contents
How Reliable is the Kia Telluride?
Kia Telluride is a very reliable model. The level of reliability of the Kia Telluride varies for all production years. However, on an overall scale, you are getting the best reliability from these cars.
According to JD Power, the 2022 Kia Telluride has an 85/100 reliability score. US News awards the 2022 Kia Telluride a safety score of 8.8/10.
The 2022 Kia Telluride earns the IIHS top safety pick award, plus a five rating for overall safety. The Kia Telluride is the no.1 choice amongst Midsize SUVs, winning the 2022 Best 3-row family SUV award with a score of 8.6/10.
Assurances are that with a Kia Telluride, you will get great value for your money. The three-row SUV is fitted with a V6 engine, a high-quality cabin, enough space for passengers, and ample cargo space for your luggage. There is a user-friendly infotainment system and enough safety features to get you by daily.
Although some drivers believe Kia should invest more to create more space in the third row and upgrade the horsepower and torque of the car. For now, you have a 291hp to rely on, which is enough to cruise you through town.
The Kia Telluride falls short when it comes to gas mileage, but the AWD and FWD drive systems make them suitable on snow and for off-road driving.
The car has a solid build quality, but if you want to use your Kia Telluride strictly for off-road driving, you should aim for higher trim levels like the Telluride X-Pro.
The ground clearance, wheel size, and tire choice make Kia Telluride a good off-road SUV. It is important to cite that you will get a 5,000-pound towing capacity from the Kia Telluride, higher trims like the X-Pro will give you a 5,500-pound rating.
Why Kia Tellurides are Considered Reliable
1. Design and Space
If there’s one reason why you must buy a Kia Telluride, it is its design and form. This goes beyond the space and the overall aesthetics employed in the car. The Kia Telluride adopts a three-row SUV format with the ability to carry seven passengers. The seat designs are fitted to allow enough space down to the third row.
The design of the Kia Telluride varies according to different years, but irrespective of the variations, it remains an award-winning model.
You get standard Syntex seating materials that ensure durability and comfort, 21/87/46 cubic ft. cargo space, and 41.4/42.4/31.4 legroom. There are integrations for smart charging, heated and ventilated seats, and a heads-on display; Kia takes infotainment seriously as well as user experience.
While Kia aims to build the Kia Telluride as the go-to model for users who need to take a ride with friends and family, they found it essential to sustain safety and security and ensure an amazing drive experience.
The car is bold, with radiator grilles, 20-inch alloy wheels, and solid engineering principles. You can also build/personalize your Kia Telluride to match your taste.
2. Build Quality and Durability
The build quality of Kia Telluride goes beyond how strong they are built, but the type of features and components fitted in these cars to make them handle whatever is thrown at them.
For instance, the 2022 Kia Telluride comes with an on-demand AWD system coupled with a Torque vectoring cornering control that offers added control for off-road rides. Moreover, the car has an outstanding reliability score that impacts its durability.
As an added advantage, Kia fits the car with a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty, the best warranty coverage for cars in its class.
On an overall scale, with an average of 145 problems per 100 cars, Kia has the highest dependability score for car brands in 2022. This high-level dependability applies to all Kia cars.
There is no specific data on what to expect from the maintenance routine of Kia Telluride, but Kia cars have a 0.2 chance of minor repairs and a 10% chance of major repairs. This covers the Kia Telluride.
3. Safety and Technology
The Kia Telluride is one of the safest midsize SUVs you will ever drive. Kia Telluride earns the five-star NHTSA safety rating for its 2021 and 2022 models, while the 2022 Kia Telluride earns the IIHS Top safety pick award.
The car offers great passenger protection across the front driver side, passenger side, rear, roof strength, seats, and head restraints. This includes superior support for front crash prevention for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian cases. However, there is a need for improvement in the headlights.
There are variations in the headlights across the available trim levels. The better one features a led projector and high beam assist. However, both lights do not pass the average score.
Here's a rundown of the safety features of Kia Telluride.
- Blind-Spot View Monitor
- Safe Exit Assist
- Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Avoidance
- Highway driving assist
- Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist
- 360 ° Surround View Monitor
There’s a latch system for child safety, advanced airbags, an antilock braking system, hill-start assist control, and electronic stability control to prevent rollbacks and aid your ride through low-traction situations.
4. Engine Performance
Kia Telluride is not underpowered, but we cannot describe its engine as one of those powerful engines with a great burst of speed. The Kia Telluride is fitted with a 3.8L V6 engine that delivers up to 291hp and 262lb-ft torque. This might not be the best speed for cars in its class, but enough to get you going.
The engine performance is smooth, with great handling and impressive all-round performance. You get great acceleration, strong passing power, minimal fuel economy, and up to 5,000 pounds of towing capacity. The 2023 upgrade comes with a 5500lb towing capacity.
Kia fits the Telluride with suspensions that ensure ride comfortability. This includes maintaining composure and stability through bumps and corners. You get quick throttle response, an eight-speed transmission for smooth gear transition, and support for FWD or AWD, whichever your choice may be.
The only setback the Kia Telluride has is that it doesn’t have a “great” fuel economy. The fuel economy for the FWD Kia telluride is 20/26 mpg for city and highway, and the AWD returns 19/24 mpg for city/highway.
5. Repair and Maintenance Cost
It is cheap to repair and maintain a Kia Telluride. The Kia Telluride has an estimated repair and maintenance cost of $8,069 for ten years of service. This is better than the average cost for most SUVs.
Generally, Kia cars have an estimated annual cost of $474, cheaper than the $652 average cost for all models. You also have minimal chances of visiting the repair shop with a Kia than with most cars.
Kia Telluride Reliability: PROS
- Large Cargo Space
- Enough Passenger Space and Legroom
- Great Designs
- Superb Safety Support and Technology
- Good For offroad driving
- Durable/High-Quality Materials
- Low Maintenance cost
Kia Telluride Reliability: CONS
- Fuel Economy needs improvement
- Engine needs an upgrade
- No Hybrid Version yet
Verdict
If you haven’t seen any reason why you should consider the Kia Telluride, then consider that Kia is the most reliable car brand, and the Telluride is one of its most successful products.
The Kia Telluride is one of the most popular Kia cars, with multiple awards to its name. If you do not have a problem with the headlights, you can consider it a good buy.
- See how the Kia Telluride compares to the Honda Pilot
