2024 Kia Telluride

The 2024 Telluride is a carry-over year of the 2023-refreshed first generation, with the sole 3.8L Lambda II GDI V6 at 291 hp on every trim — the volume trim and range maximum are the same figure.

Peak torque of 262 lb-ft arrives high in the rev range, typical of a naturally aspirated V6 and behind turbocharged and hybrid three-row rivals.

Instrumented tests of the AWD V6 cluster around 7.0–7.3 s; adequate for a three-row family SUV but mid-pack against turbo and hybrid rivals.

The naturally aspirated V6 is smooth and lag-free with linear throttle response, but must be revved to deliver and sounds strained near redline or fully loaded.

The 8-speed torque-converter automatic shifts smoothly and sensibly without CVT drone, though it can be slow to kick down for a quick pass.

Properly equipped the X-Pro is rated at 5,500 lbs, the rest of the range 5,000 lbs — strong for a unibody three-row but short of body-on-frame alternatives.

AWD is offered on every trim and standard on X-Line/X-Pro, with a center-coupling lock and Snow/Mud/Sand terrain modes — sophisticated for a unibody crossover, but no low range.

X-Line/X-Pro add 0.4 in of ground clearance (8.4 in) and the X-Pro gets all-terrain tires, making it credible on light trails, but there are no lockers, low range or skid plates.

A single 3.8L V6 with an 8-speed automatic is the only powertrain across the range — no turbo option, hybrid, PHEV or EV.

The volume AWD Telluride is rated 20 MPG combined by the EPA for 2024 — thirsty next to turbo-four and hybrid three-row rivals.

City economy is the naturally aspirated V6's weakest figure, with no hybrid assist in stop-and-go driving.

The 8-speed automatic helps on the highway, but 24 MPG AWD still trails efficient three-row rivals.

A large 18.8-gallon tank partly offsets the thirsty V6, giving reasonable touring range.

EPA's annual fuel cost estimate for the AWD model is among the highest in the mid-size three-row class, though it runs on regular.

The 3.8L V6 runs on regular unleaded with no premium recommendation and no charging to arrange — the simplest, cheapest fuel requirement.

The 2024 Telluride, a carry-over year of the first generation following the 2023 facelift, holds NHTSA's top 5-star overall rating; frontal and rollover sub-ratings are 4 stars.

The 2024 Telluride earned IIHS Top Safety Pick+ under the tougher 2024 criteria, with Good ratings in every crashworthiness test including the updated moderate overlap (rear-passenger dummy) and updated side tests — a result many three-row rivals failed to achieve that year.

Kia Drive Wise is essentially complete from the base LX: forward collision-avoidance with pedestrian/cyclist detection, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance, lane keeping and lane following, driver attention warning, Safe Exit Assist, Rear Occupant Alert and Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go. Only the 360-degree camera, Blind-Spot View Monitor and Highway Driving Assist 2 are trim-gated.

Standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist earned a Good rating in IIHS's pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation (which includes nighttime scenarios), a requirement for the 2024 TSP+ it won; the legacy vehicle-to-vehicle result is Superior.

Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic systems actively brake/steer rather than merely warn and are standard from the LX, Safe Exit Assist guards rear doors against passing traffic, and upper trims add the Blind-Spot View Monitor camera in the cluster. No trailer-aware blind-spot coverage keeps it short of the top of the band.

Lane Keeping Assist and Lane Following Assist are standard on every trim and reviewers describe the centering as smooth and well-judged on marked highways, though it can wander on faded lines and in construction zones.

Full-speed Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go is standard on every trim, Highway Driving Assist adds lane centering with navigation-based speed adjustment, and HDA2 on SX-level trims adds assisted lane changes. Behavior is smooth but it remains a hands-on system.

No hands-free highway driving system is offered on any 2024 Telluride trim; HDA2 requires hands on the wheel.

IIHS rates the 2024 Telluride's LED projector headlights Good, and with High Beam Assist available across trims the rating is not limited to the top trims — a required element of its TSP+.

The upright, boxy body with large side glass, a near-vertical tailgate and a flat hood makes the Telluride easy to see out of and place for its size; upper trims add Surround View Monitor and Blind-Spot View Monitor, though base trims get only a rear camera.

IIHS rates the LATCH hardware Good, with complete attachment hardware in three rear seating positions; wide rear doors and tether anchors in the third row make carrying multiple child seats practical.

2024 is a carry-over year of the first-generation Telluride (2020–2026, refreshed for 2023). Maximum capacity is 8 with the second-row bench, 7 with the captain's chairs fitted to most trims.

The upright roofline gives generous front headroom; the sunroof fitted from EX up costs 1.4 in. The non-sunroof figure is used, per the prompt.

Kia's standard front legroom figure of 41.4 in is adequate but sits in the lower third of the SUV band; Kia also publishes a 44.1 in 'maximum' figure, but the standard figure is used for comparability.

Second-row headroom of 40.2 in without the dual sunroof tops the SUV band; even the dual-sunroof figure of 38.8 in stays above the segment median.

At 42.4 in, second-row legroom exceeds the top of the SUV band. That is limousine-like space for a mid-size three-row, and the sliding second row can share some of it with the third row.

With 31.4 in of legroom and 38.1 in of headroom, the third row suits teens and average adults on short trips, and the one-touch slide-and-fold second row makes access easy. The low cushion forces a knees-up posture, and roomier-third-row rivals like the Grand Highlander and Traverse beat it for adult long-haul use.

46.0 cu ft behind the second row is mid-pack for a three-row SUV, but the 21.0 cu ft behind the third row is strong for everyday seven- or eight-up use.

87.0 cu ft with both rear rows folded is a solid figure for the class. Rivals like the Traverse and Grand Highlander offer about 10 cu ft more.

Everyday storage is competitive: a deep center console with a pass-through tray, large door bins, an underfloor bin behind the third row, USB ports in every row, and a 115V outlet on upper trims. There is no standout innovation that would earn the top band.

Reviewers praise the front seats for long-haul support, with power adjustment and lumbar from mid trims and Nappa leather on SX Prestige, and the second row is comfortable with slide and recline. Only the low third-row cushion keeps it out of the highest band.

A well-damped, absorbent ride soaks up broken pavement without the float of softer rivals, and self-leveling rear suspension comes on upper and tow-oriented trims. X-Pro models on all-terrain tires ride slightly busier.

Quiet for a mainstream three-row: highway wind and road noise are well suppressed, though the 3.8L V6 gets loud under hard acceleration and the cabin is not luxury-brand silent.

Comfort equipment is rich: tri-zone automatic climate with vents in all three rows, heated front seats from the S, ventilated fronts from the EX, and heated and ventilated second-row seats plus a heated wheel at the top. A few items are gated to SX Prestige.

The 2024 LX FWD is the entry point; 2024 is a carry-over year after the 2023 facelift, with Kia noting only a ~$100 base-price increase.

Telluride volume concentrates in the EX/SX band with a high AWD take-rate, so the EX AWD is the representative configuration.

Edmunds' 2024 True Cost to Own puts AWD Telluride trims at $5,882 maintenance plus $668 repairs over 5 years/75,000 miles; CarEdge's lower $2,796 estimate suggests the Edmunds figure is conservative, but Edmunds is the more consistent class benchmark.

Telluride is among the strongest-residual three-row SUVs, outholding Pilot and Explorer; the 2024 model was still retaining ~77.5% after roughly two years. Projections disagree, so the midpoint is used.

Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty applies to the 2024 Telluride and beats the 3 yr/36,000 mi mainstream norm.

Segment-benchmark 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage for the original owner, stepping down to 5/60 for later owners.

Kia includes no complimentary scheduled maintenance in the US, unlike sibling Hyundai (3 yr/36k on Palisade) or ToyotaCare on Highlander. It does include an unusually long 5 yr/60,000 mi roadside assistance term and a Kia Connect trial, which lands in the 'basic roadside only' band.

$45,185 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (55% retained, or about $24,852) leaves about $20,333 in depreciation. Add the projected $6,550 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $26,883 in total.

Sources split sharply for the 2024 model year: J.D. Power rates its Quality & Reliability 86/100 ('Great'), while Consumer Reports rates the 2024 Telluride less reliable than the average same-year vehicle. Mixed signals place it in the middle of the average band, below the Highlander/Pilot-class benchmarks and under the later 2025–2026 carryover years.

Kia has been a consistent upper-mid finisher — strong J.D. Power IQS showings and above-average VDS placements, with CR brand rankings in the upper-middle rather than top-5 every year. A heavy Hyundai/Kia group recall load keeps it out of the top band.

The 2024 Telluride carries five NHTSA recalls, headlined by the front power-seat slide-motor fire campaign (~462,869 2020–2024 vehicles, park-outside advisory) whose June 2024 bracket fix failed and had to be re-recalled in July 2026 with a fuse assembly. Repeated fire-risk campaigns on this exact model year, plus a rollaway recall and a ~200k-unit belt-molding detachment recall, land it in the 'major or repeated recalls' band.

The naturally aspirated 3.8L Lambda II V6 (291 hp) with Kia's 8-speed automatic is a well-proven combination shared with the Palisade and Carnival, free of the Theta II engine failures; none of the 2024 recalls are powertrain-related. Held short of the high 80s by marginal oil-consumption and shift-quality complaints.

The Telluride's cabin is widely praised as near-luxury for the money, especially SX trims with quilted leather and the 2023 refresh's dual 12.3-inch screens; volume EX/S trims use more hard plastic in low-touch zones, so it sits at the top of the competitive band.

Kia Georgia assembly is generally solid and J.D. Power quality scores are strong, but the 2024 model year specifically drew owner reports of exterior trim and window moldings detaching — serious enough to prompt a door belt-molding recall — which drops it to mid-band.

Kia's roughly 775 US dealers give dense nationwide coverage, but service-satisfaction scores are around industry average and dealers' inconsistent installation of the 2024 recall fix (the cause of the re-recall) is a mark against service execution.

A high-volume mainstream three-row with a widely shared V6 means plentiful, reasonably priced parts and below-average repair costs; the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty (original owner) further limits exposure for a 2024 car still largely in coverage.

Since the 2023 refresh, a 12.3-inch navigation touchscreen has been standard from the base LX, so the volume trim and the maximum available screen are the same size.

The large, quick screen keeps physical volume and tuning knobs and shortcut keys, and reviewers find it easy to live with. Two things hold it back: the refresh's touch-capacitive bar that switches between climate and audio functions, and software a generation behind Kia's newer ccNC system.

Because every 2024 Telluride ships with the 12.3-inch navigation unit, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wired-only on every trim. Wired projection is standard across the range, but wireless is not offered at all.

Native navigation with Kia Connect live services is standard on every trim, which is genuinely useful. Voice control is the older command-style engine, so most owners default to phone projection.

The Harman Kardon premium system is a clean, solid upgrade but not a class benchmark, and it is reserved for SX and above. The volume LX/S/EX trims get an unremarkable 6-speaker system.

The crisp 12.3-inch full-digital cluster, which also shows the Blind-Spot View Monitor feed, is part of the dual panoramic display on SX and up. Lower trims pair analog gauges with a 4.2-inch information screen, so full digital is upper-trim only.

Kia Connect supports over-the-air navigation and map updates, but this generation lacks the whole-vehicle OTA updates Kia offers on its newer platforms.

The Kia Connect app covers remote start with climate, lock/unlock, vehicle finder and diagnostics, and Digital Key 2 adds phone-as-key from the SX. Remote services become subscription-gated after the complimentary period.

USB-C charging reaches all three rows, wireless phone charging arrives at the S trim, and a 110/115V household outlet is offered on X-Pro and SX Prestige trims. That is a strong family loadout.

Smart-key proximity entry, push-button start and remote start are broadly available, the smart power liftgate with auto close arrives at the EX, and Digital Key 2 phone-as-key comes from the SX. That is nearly the full keyless set, but phone-as-key is limited to upper trims.

A rear camera and rear parking sensors are standard. Surround View Monitor and Blind-Spot View Monitor come on SX and up, and Remote Smart Parking Assist on SX Prestige, so the volume EX misses the 360-degree view.

A large head-up display is offered, but only on the top SX Prestige trims, so volume-trim buyers can't get one.

Family logistics are the Telluride's core strength: wide rear door openings, a reasonable step-in height, 42.4 in of second-row legroom, a one-touch slide-and-fold second row for third-row access, and 21.0 cu ft behind the third row for a stroller with every seat in use.

Safety credentials are strong on the trims families buy. Highway Driving Assist, forward collision avoidance, blind-spot monitoring, and rear occupant alert are standard from the LX, NHTSA rates it 5 stars overall, and IIHS crashworthiness is top-tier. Only the 4-star frontal and rollover sub-scores keep it below the very top.

Excellent for multi-hour trips with every row filled: tri-zone climate with vents in all three rows, USB-C in every row, a driver-talk intercom, a comfortable second row, and 46.0 cu ft of luggage space with five aboard. There are no factory rear entertainment screens.

Undemanding in traffic: the naturally aspirated V6 and 8-speed automatic pull away smoothly, visibility and the driving position are excellent, and standard Highway Driving Assist reduces stop-and-go fatigue. Sheer size is the main daily cost.

This is the Telluride's weakest use case. 20 MPG combined on the AWD volume configuration trails hybrid three-row rivals by a wide margin, and 2024 offers no hybrid. Regular fuel and cheap consumables only partly offset about $3,350/yr in fuel.

A 196.9 in long, 78.3 in wide body with a 38.8 ft turning diameter makes tight urban parking deliberate work, and the surround-view camera that would help most is reserved for SX and up. Good glass area and standard rear sensors keep it manageable.

Light-to-moderate work duty: a 5,000 lb tow rating (5,500 lb on X-Pro) and 87.0 cu ft of enclosed cargo handle small trailers and materials. It is still a unibody family SUV with no bed and a V6 that must rev to deliver peak torque.

The 3.8L V6 and 8-speed are a proven pairing backed by Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. But the interior is carpeted and suburban-spec with no work trim, and recall history is notable.

Work provisions are basic: cargo tie-downs, roof rails on most trims, an available tow hitch, and a 110V outlet on X-Pro and SX Prestige. There is no bed, no upfit ecosystem, and a carpeted load floor.

A strong long-distance cruiser: supportive seats, a quiet cabin, a compliant ride, and standard Highway Driving Assist (HDA 2 from SX). About 376 miles of AWD range means more fuel stops than hybrid rivals.

Well beyond pavement-bound: available AWD with a center lock and terrain modes, 8.0–8.4 in of ground clearance, roof rails, 5,000–5,500 lb towing, and X-Line/X-Pro trims with all-terrain tires and a 110V outlet. It is still a unibody road-biased SUV, not a 4Runner.

Very flexible: a 60/40 third row that folds flat, a folding second row for 87.0 cu ft, an underfloor bin, roof rails, and an available hitch. Segment leaders offer about 10 cu ft more maximum volume.

The chassis is tuned for calm, composed behavior: good body control for a 4,300–4,600 lb three-row, with less float than many rivals, but noticeable roll and modest all-season grip. It feels secure rather than engaging.

The electric steering is accurate, consistently weighted and easy to place, but it transmits essentially no road feel, and the added heft in Sport mode is artificial.

A 162 ft stop from 70 mph is short for a heavy three-row SUV and beats rivals' typical 170–180 ft, with a firm, linear pedal and no regenerative braking to blend on this gas-only model. Fade resistance under towing is average, not exceptional.

The naturally aspirated 3.8L V6 and conventional 8-speed automatic make one of the class's smoothest combinations, with linear, lag-free tip-in and unobtrusive shifts. Kickdown can be a beat slow, and peak torque arrives high in the rev range.

The V6 is near-silent at a steady highway cruise with no vibration through the controls, but it turns coarse and strained when worked hard near the top of the rev range.

On a 114.2 in wheelbase, the Telluride's 38.8 ft curb-to-curb turning diameter is mid-pack in the 34–42 ft SUV band.

The driving position is a highlight: a tall, commanding seat, a big square greenhouse with good sightlines, wide-opening doors, and physical climate and volume knobs retained after the 2023 refresh. Power seat adjustment on mid and upper trims suits a wide range of drivers.

The Telluride satisfies by feeling solid, quiet and premium for its price, but numb steering, comfort-first damping and a V6 that must be revved make it pleasant rather than fun.

Following the 2023 refresh, the $37,585 LX carries dual 12.3-inch displays, a 291-hp V6, eight seats, tri-zone climate, LED lighting and the full Kia Drive Wise suite including Highway Driving Assist — more entry-level content than a base Pilot, Explorer or Highlander. Heated/ventilated seats, power liftgate and 360 camera still require EX or above.

Strong content-per-dollar across the range: a loaded SX-Prestige X-Pro tops out around $54.8K with near-luxury cabin finish, adult-usable third row and a 10-yr/100k-mi powertrain warranty. Held from the top of the band by a thirsty V6-only lineup as the hybrid Grand Highlander arrived for 2024.

Fourteen price points from LX FWD to SX-Prestige X-Pro AWD, with FWD/AWD, X-Line and X-Pro rugged variants, and seven- or eight-seat layouts — wide and well spaced. Capped by a single powertrain.

Calendar-2024 sales hit a record 115,504, up ~4% on 2023's 110,765, keeping it among the top mid-size three-row sellers even as competitors refreshed; Explorer and Highlander/Grand Highlander still outsell it in absolute terms.

Telluride is Kia's halo mainstream product and is cross-shopped against luxury three-rows, with residuals well above the Kia average. Kia as a brand still trails Toyota and Honda on default-choice status.

Inventory normalized through 2024 and the dealer markups of 2021–2023 faded, but demand kept discounting modest: typical offers were reduced-rate financing (3.9–5.5% APR) and ~$1,000 cash on select trims rather than deep cuts.

2024 is the fifth model year of the first generation (2020) but only one year after the 2023 mid-cycle facelift, so styling and cabin tech were current; the platform and V6 date to launch, and the next generation followed for 2027.

Car and Driver 10Best Trucks and SUVs for the fifth consecutive year in 2024 and an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for 2024, on top of the 2020 World Car of the Year and NACTOY utility award; still a frequent comparison-test winner in its class.