2022 Kia Telluride

2022 is a carry-over year of the first-generation Telluride (before the 2023 refresh), and every trim uses the same 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 at 291 hp. With no optional engine, the volume trim's output is also the range maximum.

As is typical of a naturally aspirated V6, peak torque comes high in the rev range (5,200 rpm), behind turbocharged rivals that peak much lower.

Instrumented tests of this same first-generation powertrain range from 7.1 to 7.5 seconds. That is adequate for a three-row family SUV and mid-pack against turbo rivals.

The naturally aspirated V6 delivers power smoothly and without lag, with linear throttle response. It needs revs for real thrust, though, and gets vocal near redline or when fully loaded.

The 8-speed torque-converter automatic shifts smoothly and picks gears sensibly, with no CVT drone or hunting. Kickdowns for passing can be a beat slow.

The 5,000-lb rating applies across the range and matches class leaders for a unibody three-row. The 5,500-lb X-Line/X-Pro rating did not arrive until 2023.

Active On-Demand AWD with a center lock and a Snow mode is optional on every trim. That is good for a crossover, but there is no low range, and the extra terrain modes and AWD-standard X-Line/X-Pro trims only came in 2023.

The 2022 Telluride is pavement-oriented. Roughly 8.0 in of ground clearance and an AWD lock handle dirt roads and snow, but it has no all-terrain tires, skid plates, lockers or off-road trim (the X-Pro came in 2023).

Every trim gets the same naturally aspirated 3.8L V6 and 8-speed automatic. There is no turbo, hybrid, PHEV or EV option.

The AWD V6 that most buyers choose is rated 21 MPG combined. That is typical for a naturally aspirated three-row and well behind hybrid rivals.

City economy is modest: this is a heavy three-row with no hybrid assist in stop-and-go driving.

The 8-speed automatic helps on the highway, but 24 MPG with AWD is still modest for the class.

The large 18.8-gallon tank partly offsets the thirsty V6 and gives respectable touring range.

At 21 MPG combined, the AWD Telluride's EPA annual fuel cost is among the higher figures for a mid-size SUV, even on regular fuel.

The 3.8L V6 runs on 87-octane regular with no premium recommendation and nothing to charge. That is the simplest, cheapest fuel requirement.

NHTSA rates the 2022 Telluride 5 stars overall in both FWD and AWD form; the 4-star frontal and rollover sub-ratings are typical for a tall three-row SUV.

The 2022 Telluride earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick (not TSP+, and only with specific headlights) with Good results in small overlap driver and passenger, moderate overlap, original side, roof and head restraints; the later updated side test returned Marginal.

Every 2022 trim gets forward collision-avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane keeping and lane following, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance, Safe Exit Assist, driver attention warning and Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go; for 2022 Highway Driving Assist was extended to the LX and S. Surround-view and Blind-Spot View Monitor remain top-trim only.

IIHS rated the standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist Superior in both vehicle-to-vehicle and (daytime) pedestrian evaluations; no nighttime pedestrian result was published for this model year.

Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic systems actively intervene rather than only warn, are standard from the LX, and are joined by Safe Exit Assist; SX adds the Blind-Spot View Monitor camera. No trailer-aware coverage.

Lane Keeping Assist and Lane Following Assist (centering) are standard on every trim and are generally smooth on marked highways, though they hunt on faded lines.

Full-speed Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go is standard, now combined with Highway Driving Assist and navigation-based curve slowing on every trim for 2022; smooth and well integrated but hands-on, with no HDA2 lane-change assist yet.

No hands-free highway driving is offered on any 2022 Telluride trim; Highway Driving Assist requires hands on the wheel.

No 2022 Telluride headlight earns Good: the LED projectors with high-beam assist on upper trims rate Acceptable (glare noted), and the base halogen reflectors rate Poor.

The upright, boxy body with large side glass and a near-vertical tailgate gives good sightlines for a three-row; surround-view and Blind-Spot View Monitor on the SX fill remaining gaps, though lower trims get only a rear camera.

IIHS rates the LATCH hardware Acceptable, with three positions carrying full LATCH and two more with tether anchors; the wide rear doors and roomy second/third rows help fit multiple seats.

2022 is a carry-over year of the first-generation Telluride, a year before the 2023 refresh. The volume EX keeps the 60/40 second-row bench, which seats eight.

The upright roofline leaves generous front headroom. Per the item guidance this is the no-sunroof figure; the sunroof on the EX costs 1.4 in.

Front legroom of 41.4 in is adequate but in the lower third of the SUV band. Most of the wheelbase goes to rows two and three.

On the volume EX's single front sunroof, second-row headroom stays at the full 40.2 in, the top of the SUV band.

Second-row legroom of 42.4 in is above the top of the SUV band, and few mid-size three-row SUVs match it.

With 31.4 in of legroom and 38.1 in of headroom, the third row fits teens and average adults on shorter trips. One-touch slide-and-fold second-row seats make getting in easy, and the third row gets its own USB ports and vents.

46.0 cu ft behind row two is mid-pack. The 21.0 cu ft behind the third row is a real strength when every seat is in use.

87.0 cu ft is solid for a mid-size three-row SUV, and the nearly flat load floor and square opening make it usable.

Storage is competitive: a deep console with a pass-through tray, big door bins, an underfloor bin behind the third row and USB ports in every row. The 115V inverter is reserved for upper trims.

Reviewers widely praise the front seats for long-trip support, and the volume EX has power, ventilated front seats with lumbar. The SX-P adds Nappa leather plus heated and ventilated second-row seats.

A well-damped, absorbent ride is a Telluride signature, and the SX adds self-leveling rear suspension. It sits near the top of the mainstream three-row class.

Quiet for a mainstream three-row SUV. The V6 gets audible when worked hard, and there is some wind noise around the large mirrors.

New for 2022, automatic climate control is standard on every trim, with tri-zone control and vents for all rows. Heated front seats arrive from S and ventilated ones from the volume EX; the SX-P adds a heated wheel and heated/ventilated second-row seats.

The LX FWD is the entry point of the pre-refresh 2022 Telluride. At this price it undercuts most three-row rivals while still including a 291-hp V6 and a full driver-assist suite.

Telluride volume concentrates in the EX/SX band, and most buyers choose AWD, so the EX AWD is used as the representative configuration. The MSRP was retrieved from Kia; picking the EX AWD as the volume trim is a judgement call.

The naturally aspirated 3.8L V6 and conventional 8-speed automatic carry no turbo or hybrid hardware, and Kia's long warranty absorbs most early repairs. Published estimates diverge, so this uses a mid-point between CarEdge's figure and broader data for mid-size three-row SUVs.

The Telluride holds its value well for a Kia, and the 2022 model year launched at a lower MSRP than the refreshed 2023, which helps its retention percentage. Pressure on residuals comes from the 2023 facelift and the 2027 second-generation redesign.

Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty covers the 2022 Telluride and beats the mainstream norm of 3 years/36,000 miles.

Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage is the segment benchmark, though it drops to 5 years/60,000 miles for second owners.

Kia includes no complimentary scheduled maintenance in the US, unlike Hyundai's 3-year/36,000-mile plan on the sibling Palisade or ToyotaCare on the Highlander. The Telluride does get 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance and a UVO/Kia Connect trial, which puts it in the roadside-only band.

$41,725 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (55% retained, or about $22,949) leaves about $18,776 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,200 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $22,976 in total.

Both main sources put the 2022 Telluride at about average. J.D. Power gives it 79/100 ('Average') for Quality & Reliability, and Consumer Reports rates it about average for its model year. Owners mostly report problems with in-car electronics and the drivetrain. That places it in the middle of the band, below the class reliability leaders.

Kia has been one of the stronger mass-market brands in J.D. Power's Initial Quality and Vehicle Dependability studies, and it sits in the upper-middle of Consumer Reports' brand rankings. It is not consistently top-5, and the Hyundai/Kia group carries a heavy recall load, so it lands in the upper part of the mid-pack band.

Seven NHTSA campaigns cover the 2022 model year. Three of them carry fire risk and a park-outside advisory: two on the front power-seat motor (the second because the first fix fell short) and one on the 4-pin tow-hitch harness. The rest cover a driveshaft engagement roll-away risk, two separate blank-instrument-cluster recalls specific to 2022, and an incorrect spare tire. Repeated fire and safety-system campaigns put it in the framework's 'major or repeated recalls' band.

The 2022 Telluride uses the naturally aspirated 3.8L Lambda II V6 (291 hp) with Kia's in-house 8-speed automatic. The combination is shared with the Palisade and has no systemic failure pattern like the Theta II four-cylinders had. The driveshaft recall is an assembly defect, not a wear issue. Some oil-consumption and shift-quality complaints keep it from the top of the band.

Reviewers widely praise the cabin as near-luxury for the price, and the upper trims get Nappa leather. The volume EX/S trims use more hard plastic low in the cabin, and this pre-refresh car has the smaller analog-plus-7-inch gauge cluster. It scores high in the competitive band rather than as class-leading.

Assembly at Kia Georgia (West Point) is generally solid, but 2022 has some build-quality warning signs. Two recalls trace to faulty cluster circuit boards (one from excess adhesive), one to a wrong spare tire fitted at the factory, and one to driveshaft engagement at assembly. That places it in the middle of the 'generally solid with scattered complaints' band.

Kia has roughly 750–775 US dealers, which gives practical nationwide coverage. Its service satisfaction is about the mass-market average, and the network is thinner than Toyota's, Ford's or Chevrolet's.

The Telluride is a high-volume three-row SUV whose powertrain is shared with the Palisade, so parts are plentiful and reasonably priced. Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty also protects original owners. Aftermarket support is good but thinner than for domestic SUVs.

For 2022 Kia made the 10.25-in navigation touchscreen standard on LX and S, so the volume trim also has the maximum available size.

The widescreen UVO system is quick and logically laid out, and it keeps physical volume/tuning knobs and climate buttons. Its graphics now look dated next to the 2023 12.3-in unit.

With the 8-in screen gone, every 2022 trim uses the 10.25-in navigation unit, which supports only wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. No trim offers wireless projection.

Embedded navigation is now standard on all trims, and it feeds Navigation-Based Smart Cruise Control-Curve. Voice recognition is the older command-style engine.

The volume EX has the base 6-speaker system. The 10-speaker Harman Kardon system is a good SX-and-up upgrade but not a class benchmark.

The pre-refresh Telluride uses analog gauges with a TFT center display: a 4.2-in screen on lower trims and a 7-in LCD on SX. There is no full-digital cluster until 2023.

2022 has no over-the-air software updates. Map updates on this unit come through the Navigation Updater over USB/SD, and nothing adds features.

UVO link telematics with the navigation unit covers remote start with climate, lock/unlock, find-my-car and diagnostics. There is no phone-as-key.

USB ports reach all three rows, including second-row seatback ports, and wireless charging is standard from S, so the volume EX has it. The ports are USB-A, not USB-C, and the 115V outlet is upper-trim only.

Smart key with push-button start is broadly available, remote start works through UVO, and the EX gets a smart power liftgate. No phone-as-key is offered.

A rear camera is standard, along with rear parking sensors on most trims. Surround View Monitor and Blind-Spot View Monitor are SX only, so the volume EX lacks them.

A head-up display with turn-by-turn directions exists but only on the top SX Prestige package. The volume EX cannot get one.

Wide rear doors, a roomy second row with one-touch slide-and-fold access to row three, and 21 cu ft behind the third row make daily family duty easy. Optional captain's chairs add a walk-through aisle.

Forward collision avoidance, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic avoidance, lane-following assist and Highway Driving Assist are standard on every 2022 trim. Rear-occupant alert and Safe Exit Assist are standard as well, and IIHS rated the Telluride a Top Safety Pick.

Every row has room, vents, and USB ports. The EX adds ventilated front seats, and 21 cu ft of luggage space remains with all seats occupied. The Driver Talk intercom and Quiet Mode help on long trips.

A smooth V6 and 8-speed, a comfortable ride and good outward visibility make it relaxing in traffic. Its size and 4,300+ lb weight are always apparent.

At 21-23 MPG combined on regular fuel, a non-hybrid V6 three-row is an expensive daily commuter, though it sits about mid-pack among gas three-rows.

A 196.9-in body and 38.8-ft turning circle are manageable thanks to the square shape and big windows. On the volume EX, though, the surround camera is unavailable.

A 5,000-lb tow rating and 87 cu ft of cargo handle light-to-moderate duty such as a small camper or utility trailer. It is a crossover, not a work truck.

This is a unibody family crossover with an upscale interior and no fleet-duty record. The V6 has a decent record, but it is not built for hard use.

Standard roof rails, a tow hitch option, cargo tie-downs and an upper-trim 115V outlet are the extent of its work provisions. There is no real upfit ecosystem.

Comfortable seats, a quiet and well-damped ride and Highway Driving Assist on every 2022 trim make it a strong mile-eater. An 18.8-gal tank gives about 395-430 miles of range on the combined rating.

Available AWD with a center-lock mode, about 8 in of ground clearance and a 5,000-lb tow rating handle gravel roads and campers. The rugged X-Line/X-Pro trims did not arrive until 2023.

The second and third rows fold nearly flat to 87 cu ft, and there is an underfloor bin, standard roof rails and an available hitch. It is a strong all-rounder for families with bulky gear.

It is tuned for calm: secure and composed with less float than a Pilot or Ascent, but it rolls in quick transitions and grip is modest. Confident, not engaging.

The steering is accurate and consistently weighted, so the SUV is easy to place, but it is numb. The extra effort in Sport mode is artificial.

Four-wheel discs give adequate, fade-free stops with a firm pedal. Distances are class-average for a 4,300-4,500 lb three-row SUV.

The naturally aspirated 3.8L V6 and conventional 8-speed are smooth and linear, with no turbo lag or CVT droning. Kickdown is a beat slow, and the engine needs revs for brisk passing.

The cabin is hushed at a steady cruise with no driveline vibration, but the V6 sounds coarse near the top of its rev range under load.

A 38.8-ft turning diameter is mid-pack in the 34-42 ft SUV band for a 114.2-in wheelbase.

A tall, commanding seat, a big square greenhouse with excellent sightlines, wide doors and physical HVAC/audio controls make it easy to live with. 2022 keeps a conventional gear lever.

It is satisfying in a solid, premium-feeling way, but numb steering, comfort-first damping and a V6 that needs revs keep it from being engaging.

For 2022 Kia made a 10.25-inch navigation screen, automatic climate control and Highway Driving Assist standard on the LX and S. Combined with the standard 291-hp V6, LED lighting and the Drive Wise suite (blind-spot and forward collision avoidance), the $34,725 LX out-equips base Pilot, Explorer and Highlander models. Heated/ventilated seats, the power liftgate and the 360 camera are still reserved for the EX and above.

At sticker price the 2022 Telluride was the three-row content-per-dollar benchmark: a near-luxury SX cabin at about $46,500, a usable third row, a V6 and a 10-year powertrain warranty. The real drag was the transaction price, since widespread dealer markups of $3,700 to $10,000 erased much of that advantage for many buyers.

There are four trims (LX, S, EX, SX), each in FWD or AWD, plus the SX Prestige, EX Premium, Nightfall and Towing packages and a choice of 7 or 8 seats. That covers a sensible price spread, but the lineup is narrower than after the 2023 refresh: there are no X-Line/X-Pro variants and only one engine.

US sales rose from 93,705 units in 2021 to 99,564 in 2022 even though chip shortages capped supply. Demand outran production, and the Telluride was a top-tier mid-size three-row seller that edged out its Palisade sibling.

The Telluride is Kia's halo mainstream product, and the 2022 model year was the first to wear the new Kia logo and grille. As a brand, Kia still trailed Toyota and Honda in default-choice status and brand-wide residual values.

During the 2022 model year the Telluride routinely sold above MSRP. Market adjustments of $3,700 to $10,000 or more were common, and buyers had little room to negotiate. Some dealers offset part of the markup with a factory incentive, but the buyer usually came out above sticker.

2022 was the third year of a generation that launched for 2020, with only minor badge and grille updates. The 2023 mid-cycle refresh, unveiled in April 2022, brought new styling and dual 12.3-in screens, so a 2022 buyer was purchasing just ahead of a facelift.

This was the most decorated mainstream three-row SUV of its era: 2020 World Car of the Year, North American Utility Vehicle of the Year, MotorTrend SUV of the Year and repeated Car and Driver 10Best Trucks and SUVs selections. It was still a frequent comparison-test winner in 2022.