It's tough out there, if you've got luxury taste with a mainstream budget and can't compromise on three rows of seats . The 2024 Kia Telluride might not be the first family hauler you think of when it comes to bridging that gap, but behind the divisive looks there's a whole lot of SUV to like. 2024 Telluride ownership kicks off at $36,190 (plus $1,365 destination) for the LX trim, rising to $53,385 for the SX Prestige X-Pro before options.
Within that span there's something for just about everyone, whether space for eight is your primary goal, or you prefer off-road styling and seats that wouldn't be out of place in a Lexus or Audi. That's an ambitious proposal, though elsewhere the Telluride feels oddly reticent to follow where the rest of Kia's line-up is headed. Never mind the absence of electrification, there's not even a turbocharger here to help deliver the frugality most mainstream SUV buyers expect these days.
Style is subjective, but I suspect only Kia's designers would call the Telluride "handsome." There's something of the axolotl about its fascia, with that grille pulled wide into a rictus grin, and the bulbous headlamps pushed to the very edges. At the rear, the arching taillamp clusters add some visual interest, while the 18-inch black alloy wheels — shod in all-terrain tires — unique to this X-Pro trim look good against the black trim that replaces other Tellurides' chrome.
There's between 8 and 8.4-inches of ground clearance, trim depending, and while a Te.