After being initially previewed at 2018 New York Fashion Week in September, Kia has unveiled its largest product yet in the form of the 2020 Kia Telluride. Positioned above the Sorento SUV and sharing a lot with the new Hyundai Palisade, the Telluride replaces the Mohave, albeit much more luxurious.
Featuring a 216kW/355Nm 3.8-litre petrol V6 and an eight-speed automatic transmission, there are no current plans for right-hand drive production and as such, the Telluride will not be making it to Australia for the foreseeable future. Made in the US, its North America focus is obvious, though it will also be sold in markets like Russia, South Korea and South America.
“Large, bold, capable and comfortable, the midsize Telluride SUV opens the door to exploring in a whole new way.” said the company.
“the Telluride is all about big skies, desert roads, mountain passes, shady forests, smooth highways, and long coastal drives. In short, the Telluride offers potential for exploration and adventure every time it’s on the road.”
Designed in the company’s Californian design centre, the 2020 Kia Telluride is bold like no Kia product before it. Obviously aimed at North American buyers with its use of chrome and huge size, the Telluride features a huge iteration of the company’s corporate ‘tiger nose’ grille, slim headlights and a huge Telluride badge above the grille.
The body of the Telluride is also clearly aimed at North America – its boxy style should mean that its interior is roomy offering seating for up to eight passengers, with available captain’s chairs in the middle row. The body itself is more conservative than its Palisade cousin however – the use of side chrome is kept to a minimum, unlike the wilder looking Hyundai. The rear of the Telluride uses LED tailights that are tall and sleek, and the rear – like the front – features a huge Telluride badge.
It’s the interior of the Telluride that marks a departure for Kia, however. Using a huge 10.25-inch centre infotainment screen, the Telluride’s interior shares much with the new K900 luxury sedan. Three centre airvents gives a clue as to its size, while massive centre console grab handles add a more masculine feel to the cabin. The quality appears to be high with a stitched dashboard, wood dashboard trim and soft materials almost everywhere.
Available technology for the 2020 Kia Telluride has also been improved with active safety technology including autonomous emergency braking in both forward and reverse, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, blind spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, driver attention alert, speed sign recognition, automatic high beam headlights and lane departure warning with lane keep assist.
Kia Motors Australia has confirmed to local media that the 2020 Kia Telluride is a left-hand drive only proposition and won’t be making it locally for the foreseeable future.
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