2025 Kia Telluride Review: The Family SUV That Makes Every Other Brand Sweat

Let me paint you a picture. It's a Saturday morning, and you're loading up for a road trip — two kids, a restless dog, four overstuffed bags, and a cooler that's somehow growing. You need a vehicle that handles all of that without making you feel like you're driving a moving truck. For years, the answer to that problem was usually a Toyota Highlander or a Honda Pilot. Safe choices. Reliable. But a little… boring.

Then the Kia Telluride showed up and changed the entire conversation.

Since its debut, the Telluride has won awards, topped comparison tests, and genuinely shocked the automotive world by making "affordable" and "premium-feeling" mean the same thing. Now in 2025, it's better than ever — and if you haven't seriously considered it, this review might make you change your plans.

        "The 2025 Kia Telluride doesn't just compete with the Highlander — it makes Toyota's bestselling SUV look like it's been coasting for the last five years."
      

First Look: A Design That Commands Attention

Pull up to any parking lot in a Telluride, and people notice. That's not an exaggeration — it's genuinely one of the best-looking three-row SUVs on the market, and 2025 doesn't mess with a winning formula.

The boxy, upright stance reads as confident without being aggressive. The vertical LED headlights (a Telluride signature since day one) are instantly recognizable, and the wide front grille gives it a face that looks like it means business. Available in 11 exterior colors for 2025, including new shades like Glacial White Pearl and Ebony Black, you can make it your own without spending a dime on custom work.

Trim levels run from the entry LX all the way up to the fully loaded SX Prestige X-Pro, which adds rugged off-road styling cues like steel-look skid plates and blacked-out trim. It's the kind of truck-adjacent aesthetic that buyers in the compact luxury space are increasingly demanding — and Kia delivers it without the truck-price markup.

Under the Hood: Power That's Actually Enjoyable to Use

Every 2025 Telluride comes with the same engine: a 3.8-liter V6 producing 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, but all-wheel drive is available on every trim — a smart move for families in snow-prone regions.

In everyday driving, the Telluride is smooth, refined, and unhurried in a good way. Acceleration from a stoplight feels confident without being dramatic. Highway passing is effortless, which matters a lot when you're loaded with passengers and luggage. And with a towing capacity of up to 5,500 pounds, it'll pull a medium-sized boat or a loaded utility trailer without breaking a sweat.

Fuel economy comes in at around 19 city / 24 highway for AWD models — not class-leading, but perfectly acceptable for an SUV this size. If fuel efficiency is your top priority, you might look at the hybrid options from competitors. But if you want a powerful, capable, genuinely enjoyable V6 in a family hauler, the Telluride's engine is one of the best available at this price point.

How Does It Compare to the Toyota Highlander?

The Highlander offers a 265-hp V6 (or a hybrid variant) and similar real-world performance — but it starts at a higher base price and offers a less engaging driving experience. Most head-to-head tests give the Telluride the win for outright feel and features-per-dollar. If you're cross-shopping, the Telluride almost always comes out ahead unless you specifically want the Highlander Hybrid's fuel economy advantage.

Inside the Cabin: Where "Affordable" Stops Feeling Affordable

This is where the Telluride genuinely earns its reputation. Step inside and the vibe isn't "value SUV" — it's closer to a midrange luxury cabin that happened to not charge luxury prices.

Soft-touch materials cover the surfaces where your hands actually rest. The panoramic sunroof (standard on SX and above) fills the cabin with light. The infotainment screen is a clean, crisp display that responds quickly and doesn't bury basic functions under endless menus. And the optional Bose premium audio system — 12 speakers of genuinely good sound — makes long drives feel more like concert hall sessions.

The second row is wide enough that three adults can sit shoulder-to-shoulder without feeling punished. The third row is where things get real for a family hauler: the Telluride offers more third-row legroom than virtually any other three-row SUV under $60,000. Adults — not just kids — can actually sit back there for a full road trip. That's not something you can say about the Highlander or the Mazda CX-90.

Cargo behind third row: 21 cubic feet — solid for a loaded family weekend
Cargo with third row folded: 46 cubic feet — enough for a furniture run
Cargo with all rows down: 87 cubic feet — maximum flexibility

The Slide-Flex second-row seating system (available on higher trims) lets you slide the row forward or backward independently to optimize legroom front-to-back. It's the kind of thoughtful, real-world feature that families actually use and remember.

Technology & Driver Assistance: Seriously Impressive for the Price

Every 2025 Telluride — even the base LX — comes with a suite of driver assistance features that would have been optional extras on a luxury brand just five years ago:

Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian and cyclist detection
Lane Keeping Assist and Lane Following Assist
Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go (in heavy traffic, it brings you to a full stop and re-accelerates automatically)
Driver Attention Warning — alerts you if your driving patterns suggest fatigue
Blind-Spot Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert

Higher trims add features like a head-up display, 360-degree surround-view monitor, remote smart parking assist, and Highway Driving Assist — a semi-autonomous feature that handles both steering and speed on the freeway within lanes.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across all trims. The 8-inch touchscreen on base models is responsive and well-organized; the available 10.25-inch screen on upper trims is even better. Over-the-air updates mean the system improves over time without a dealership visit.

Safety: A Reason to Feel Good About the Purchase

The 2025 Telluride earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS — the organization's highest designation — and achieved five-star overall crash test ratings from NHTSA in the previous generation. Kia's engineering focus on structural integrity shows in every test result.

For parents specifically, the Telluride includes rear occupant alert (it checks the back seat when you exit the car — a feature that has genuinely saved lives), and the available Rear Seat Entertainment system keeps younger passengers occupied on longer journeys without driver distraction.

Trim Levels and Pricing: What You Get at Each Level

The 2025 Telluride is offered in five trims: LX, S, EX, SX, and SX Prestige. The X-Line and X-Pro adventure packages are available on SX and SX Prestige trims for buyers who want off-road styling and enhanced capability.

LX (~$36,490): Excellent value. Includes all safety tech, cloth seating, 8-inch touchscreen, and three-row capability.
S (~$38,990): Adds heated front seats and a few comfort upgrades.
EX (~$42,490): The sweet spot. Leather seating, panoramic sunroof, 10.25-inch screen, and wireless charging.
SX (~$46,990): Premium audio, ventilated front seats, head-up display, and Slide-Flex seating.
SX Prestige (~$51,490): Top-of-the-line everything. Nappa leather, 12-way power driver's seat, all available tech.

For most families, the EX trim hits the best balance of features and price. The SX is worth considering if you spend a lot of highway miles and will actually use the Smart Cruise and lane assistance daily.

The Honest Verdict: Who Should Buy the 2025 Kia Telluride?

If you need a three-row SUV, can spend between $36,000 and $52,000, and care about getting maximum quality for your money — the Telluride should be your first test drive, not your fallback option.

It's genuinely better than the Toyota Highlander in most real-world family scenarios. It outpoints the Mazda CX-90 for value. It beats the Hyundai Palisade (its platform sibling) in third-row space and resale value perception. The interior quality rivals vehicles costing $10,000 more, the driving experience is smooth without being numbing, and the safety tech is comprehensive without being intrusive.

It's not perfect — the base engine's fuel economy could be better, and a hybrid option would make the choice easier for eco-conscious buyers. But as a complete family package at its price point, nothing in 2025 consistently beats it.

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