Millennial Mom’s Review: 2022 Kia Telluride

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You know that satisfied feeling when you’ve finished a 1,000-piece puzzle (or a really difficult 48-piece lenticular puzzle )?

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Well, I enjoyed the 2022 Kia Telluride , and it reminded me of puzzles. There are a bunch of different features and options that fit together to make it almost as satisfying as the end result of a puzzle, almost.

I often compare three-row SUVs to minivans, and if the minivan is the completed puzzle, the Telluride is the same puzzle, missing two pieces (in this case, cargo space and sliding doors). When it comes to the actual puzzle, you’ve likely searched everywhere for those pieces (under the couch, in the empty puzzle box, under your butt), but it’s gone.

So, what do you do? You’ve got a couple options — call the puzzle company and complain and hope they send a new one (I assume Kia isn’t going to send a new Carnival because you aren’t happy with the Telluride’s 601L of trunk space) or move on with your life, even if it means creating a makeshift puzzle piece (yes, I have done it) — or in the case of the Telluride, find/make that extra trunk space.

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Seating and cargo space

This tested Telluride had a second-row bench seat, as opposed to the usual testers with two captain’s chairs. From the average car tester’s standpoint, I can see how the leather captain’s chairs would be more appealing — it’s a bit more luxurious than a bench seat.

However, I prefer the bench seat in a vehicle (long story short: all of my kids like to be in the second row and no one wants to be alone in the third row, yet). A mid-size two-row SUV doesn’t usually comfortably fit three car seats side-by-side, but this bigger three-row does.

And in having all three kids in the second-row, I have the option of using this three-row the way many families might intend: as a two-row SUV with an optional third row, if needed. Since I don’t need the third row’s seats up (and they’re super easy to fold down), I’m given access to 1,304L — similar to the Carnival’s 1,139L — of cargo space that I would usually sacrifice to that extra seat. 

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The drive

As someone on the shorter end of the spectrum, it’s not always easy to get comfortable in bigger vehicles, but this driver’s seat is easily adjusted and comfy in all the right ways. The Telluride is a fairly smooth and quiet ride. The more time I spent in it, the more I loved it. I found myself looking for reasons to get out of the house.

Fortunately, I found a reason.

If you’re a parent, then I can almost guarantee that at some point, you’ve done something outrageously ridiculous to please a child, or at the very least, to avoid a meltdown that would otherwise occur if said child wasn’t pleased. This time, it was in search of a very specific puzzle .

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And now you’re probably thinking, “Wow, you have nothing better to do,” or maybe you’re wondering, “Are you crazy, with these gas prices?!” 

And both thoughts would be justified; this isn’t even a hybrid. The average fuel consumption for this three-row SUV is pretty steep — it guzzles an average of 11.3 L/100 km, 12.7 city, 9.7 highway — in other words, at $1.40 at the gas station, a full tank of fuel is almost $100.

Thankfully there was no traffic going west to Kitchener, and the Telluride glided down the highway. My only issue was the constant beeping to warn you a car is approaching the blind spot, which I should have disabled. I can’t imagine trying to switch lanes in traffic or even in congested city driving with that constant annoyance. It’s fairly easy to park, thanks to a good back-up camera, but it’s definitely not a small SUV: it has a width of just under two metres, and needs a generous parking space to avoid the doors bumping the cars beside you. 

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Infotainment and features

The most annoying thing in the Telluride is something that I thought I’d get used to after driving a few Kias/Hyundais, but alas, I have not. To change the radio station (or track or whatever you’re listening to) from the steering wheel, there’s an up/down option, which I and other Driving contributors find confusing. 

If I want to go forward to the next song, what makes the most sense? Should I flick up because that entails a higher number, or flick down since a list is generally shown as first to last? I’m definitely over-thinking this, but it should definitely just be right and left. 

Standard across all trims are a wireless charger, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, USB charging ports in all three rows, as well as heated steering wheel and front seats (ventilated front seats in the SX and up, heated second row seats in the SX Limited and up). 

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One excellent safety feature is the child safety rear door locks. Most vehicles have a small button on the rear doors that locks the doors from the inside, meaning the doors can only be opened from the outside. Kia’s safety lock is a button placed right beside the driver’s window controls; it allows the driver to lock the doors from the inside, and then quickly open it in the same way. 

Final thoughts 

Dare I say the Telluride could be the SUV that changes my minivan-loving mind? I might not go that far, but I will say that this is the closest I’ve ever come to thinking about trading in my minivan for an SUV, but it’s still missing the final puzzle piece: sliding doors. 

The Telluride is fun to drive and easy to maneuver, it’s comfortable, and provides eight seats in the EX and SX trims. The main drawback of this vehicle is the price. The tested SX trim, with the $250 Glacial White Pearl paint, rings in at $53,740. The base EX trim starts at $46,995, while the top SX Limited Nightsky ( Justin Pritchard reviewed  the last model year) starts at 56,995, and I’m not willing to give up my puzzle piece for that price.

If you’re interested in how the Telluride compares to some of its competition, Driving ’s Clayton Seams and Brian Harper also recently put it up against the Hyundai Palisade . Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for a Kia showdown, where Stephanie Wallcraft and I compare this three-row to Kia’s new minivan, the Carnival.