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2020 Telluride

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2020 Telluride

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It took a trip to Southern California for me to get a chance to drive the all-new 2020 Kia Telluride. It seemed like quite a distance but was well worth getting out of the freezing Utah weather to experience the ride in 60-plus temperatures for four days.

A group of us were headed to the warmer climates of SoCal to attend the annual National Association of Musical Merchants show in Anaheim, so it only seemed fitting to reach out to James Bell of Kia and see if one might be available during our stay.

The new Telluride is one of the most popular selling SUVs on the market right now — a fact I came face-to-face with last week while visiting a Kia dealership and seeing 25-plus vehicle Monroneys stuck to the wall with purchasers’ names on them waiting for their Telluride to arrive.

Deanne and I were able to drive the Telluride for a short 20 minutes out in Colorado Springs last fall and were very impressed. But with the popularity of the new SUV, we have not been able to get one out to Utah for a full week. It only seemed logical that it would be easier to get one in California.

The three-row SUV proved to be the perfect ride for four adults — okay, three adults and my 15-year-old nice Casey, and our seven bags of luggage required for the trip. We found that lowering part of the rear seat allowed just the right amount of space for the luggage and proved to be a lifesaver, as Casey purchased and brought home a guitar from the NAMM Show.

I was immediately very impressed with the new Telluride, as my phone connected more quickly than any previous Bluetooth connection I have tried. My son JaCoby, who acted as navigator for our journey through the octopus commonly called the California freeways, also was able to quickly connect through Apple CarPlay.

The technology in the Telluride also allowed my phone to continue playing music over the Bluetooth signal, and JaCoby still had control of the navigation screen through CarPlay. A great feature, as we really didn’t want to have to listen to his music while he navigated. This is part of the new technology package on the Kia that allows for two phones to work simultaneously — a really cool feature.

Along with this awesome Bluetooth tech were six USB ports, with the ones for the rear seat occupants located in the sides of the front seat for easier access at the higher point more near where their devices were located. My sister Marcia and her daughter Casey thought it was brilliant, as their shorter cables seemed extra-long.

So after our initial “getting hooked-up minute” in the Telluride and making sure we were set to survive, we headed out from LAX southwest toward Anaheim. The new SUV is equipped with a very nice 3.8-liter V-6 that is coupled to an eight-speed transmission and produces a strong 291 horsepower and 262 foot-pounds of torque. I found it more than able to handle the lower elevations and busy freeways we encountered along the way.

The new Telluride comes with more bells and whistles than any previous Kia to date. Those included blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and lane following assist, and a great full-color heads up display.

I just had to put this all to the test on our way south, and by engaging the cruise control the Kia pretty much took over all of the driving for me. The lane trace worked so well at keeping the Telluride centered in the lane, combined with the adaptive cruise control, that the hectic freeway encounter was made as easy as a Sunday morning, with the technology doing all the heavy lifting.

The technology helped us on more than one occasion during out four-day stint with the Kia, even in a parking lot if you can believe it. On the first day of the NAMM show, we had made our way to the Anaheim convention center and parked the Telluride. It refused to lock and kept beeping at us for some reason. As we came to find out, Casey had left her window open. (We were all enjoying the 65 degree weather on the way in with windows down and the sunroof open!)

It most likely saved us from having our stuff relocated to another vehicle while we were in the all-day show! There were also numerous times that, after shifting into reverse, the Kia would warn us there was cross traffic approaching that none of us could see. And with the huge amount of traffic in SoCal, it was very handy to have that extra set of “eyes” with us at all times.

Inside the SX version of the Telluride, it comes loaded with all kinds of options, including that addition of Nappa leather seat trim that was oh so comfortable. The seats were also heated and cooled up front, along with a heated steering wheel. Marci and Casey were also able to enjoy heated rear seats when the temps at night dipped into the 40s.

A huge 10-inch touchscreen gets front and center attention. The infotainment system — mostly used by us as a navigation system — proved to be the most important part of the vehicle much of the time. An all-around view proved to be priceless when backing or even pulling forward into tight parking spots.

Tri-zone temperature also proved to be a needed option, keeping everyone happy no matter white time of day we were traveling about.

The new Kia Telluride proved to be more than I had expected, and after four days I could see why folks are lined up to get a chance to buy one. They handle much “smaller” than I would have expected from a large three-row vehicle and will prove to keep Mom very excited to get out in the Telluride every day!

Base price: $43,490

Price as driven: $46,860