Kia vs Highlander
Kia Telluride vs Toyota Highlander: Three-row SUVs aren’t boring. They’re evolving so quickly that each time we sign up things has changed. Mainstream brands still introduce new three-row SUVs that are real rivals to what premium brands are selling. Take the new 2020 Toyota Highlander and 2020 Kia Telluride, at their most elevated trim levels both could undoubtedly wear Lexus or Genesis identification in both appearance and civilities.
Kia Telluride

Now, we do need to mention that these two SUVs have just about the identical people-hauling mission as well as minivans. But the Telluride and Highlander’s luxury bent and also style give them more flair than minivans offer.
Toyota Highlander

The Matchup
You’ve definitely heard the name Highlander previously, yet maybe you’ve missed us yelling from the housetops about the new Telluride. Introduced last year as a 2020 model, it is the brand’s largest SUV and also offers bold styling, space, and an extended list of ordinary and optional features.
The Highlander has been playing this game longer, but it’s also new for 2020. The fourth-age Highlander does the change to Toyota‘s measured stage, called TNGA, and highlights a more—ahem—one of a kind outside structure than any Highlander before it. On condition that even the old, outgoing Highlander was the best-selling three-row SUV in 2019, this new model has big shoes to fill.
On the Road
While some automakers now equip its three-row SUVs with turbocharged four-cylinder engines, Toyota and Kia have curst naturally-aspirated V-6s. The Telluride’s could be a 3.8-liter V-6 with 291 horsepower, while the Highlanders could be a 3.5-liter V-6 with 295 horsepower. Comparable specs aside, the Highlander’s crisper movements made them feel that it felt progressively responsive.
However, the info is incredibly similar, with the Telluride just 0.2-second slower in our 30-to-50-mph passing test, and 0.7-seconds quicker within the 50-to-70-mph metric. The Toyota gets off the road slightly better, with a 60-mph time of 6.7 seconds to the Telluride’s 7.1, but the Telluride gains on that from there, pulling equal at the quarter-mile, which both hit in 15.3 seconds.
To 100 mph, the Telluride is ahead by a second and continues pulling further ahead from that point. In our rolling-start, 5-to-60-mph test, which could be a better gauge of the sensation of quickness in normal driving, the 2 are near equals, with the Kia at 7.1 seconds and therefore the Toyota 7.2. The short version: there isn’t any compelling reason to choose one amongst these over the opposite for reasons of acceleration.
Other Details: On The Road
Both of those SUVs impressed us with their driving dynamics, except for different reasons. We appreciate the Telluride’s quiet and also refined demeanor, it’s the plush ride quality and hushed cabin of a real luxury SUV. The Highlander, on the opposite hand, is sportier as well as more responsive. There’s more driver commitment as you drive it into corners. it’s direct steering and also a firm foot lever. But each could learn some lessons from the opposite because the softer Kia would like tighter body control when cornering and therefore the less-refined Toyota could stand to be quieter when cruising at highway speeds. (Our sound-level estimation at a 70-mph voyage indicated 67 decibels for the Kia and a significantly stronger 69 for the Toyota.)
When you are cruising along at thruway speeds, the Highlander returns preferred mileage over the Telluride. Additionally to scoring higher in EPA testing, Toyota delivered a powerful 28 mpg in our steady-state 75-mph highway fuel-economy test. The Telluride figured out how to coordinate its EPA interstate rating in our test, conveying 24 mpg at 75 mph. must you want even more fuel economy, the Highlander offers an excellent more efficient hybrid model, while the Telluride doesn’t.
The Inside View
The Kia features a boxy as well as classic SUV shape. There’s some Volvo and Land Rover inside the plan and it’s more satisfying to our eyes than is the Highlander. But that upright shape has the additional benefit of giving the Telluride’s interior a sense of spaciousness; it is the one we’d pick for an extended road trip.
Kia Telluride


The Telluride has more head- and legroom in both the second and third rows, and, like during a big house, its large windows and tall ceiling exaggerate the sensation of airiness. Sitting inside the Highlander sounds like entering a cramped cottage in comparison: the roofline is lower and therefore the windows are narrower, creating a comparatively claustrophobic feel and making it harder to climb into the third row of seats.
Toyota Highlander



We’d much well be a fifth, sixth, or seventh passenger within the Wayback of the Telluride than the Highlander. The Kia offers a fairly comfortable seating position even for adults, while the Toyota forces your knees into your chest. Comfort within the second-row captain’s chairs is about even in these two models, and both offer chairs with a large range of adjustability including seatback recline and slide. (Both SUVs also are available with a second-row bench seat in situ of captain’s chairs that ups passenger capacity to eight.) The Telluride with no surprise also holds the advantage in cargo limit, with 21 cubic feet behind its third line to the Highlander’s 16 cubic feet.
The Driver Features
But what about you, the driver? Once more, we give the gesture to the Kia here as a result of its pleasingly basic yet rich-looking dashboard. Climate controls are logical and simple to use and therefore the large touchscreen infotainment system features a crisp display and logically arranged controls and menus. The Highlander could be a match for the Kia in terms of materials quality—both SUVs have high-quality plastics, leather trim, as well as even carpets—but the Toyota could be a bit busier, with several contrasting shapes, colors, and textures. It’s a comparably huge touchscreen due to the Kia, yet its menu structure could be more confounding and it isn’t as clear in its graphical introduction. Still, both have interiors that will be received within the premium segment.
Look at the below table for detailed specification wise comparison:
Features | Toyota Highlander Platinum AWD | Kia Telluride SX AWD |
VEHICLE TYPE | front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door wagon | front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door wagon |
ENGINE TYPE | DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block, and heads, direct fuel injection | DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block, and heads, direct fuel injection |
Displacement | 211 in3, 3456 cm3 | 231 cu in, 3778 cc |
Power | 295 hp @ 6600 rpm | 291 hp @ 6000 rpm |
Torque | 263 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm | 262 lb-ft @ 5200 rpm |
TRANSMISSION | 8-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic |
CHASSIS | Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink Brakes (F/R): 13.3-in vented disc/13.3-in disc Tires: Goodyear Eagle Touring, 235/55R-20 102V M+S | Suspension (F/R): struts/multilink Brakes (F/R): 13.4-in vented disc/12.0-in disc Tires: Michelin Primacy Tour A/S, 245/50R-20 102V M+S |
DIMENSIONS | Wheelbase: 112.2 in Length: 194.9 in Width: 76.0 in Height: 68.1 in Passenger volume: 132 ft3 Cargo volume: 16 ft3 Curb weight: 4504 lb | Wheelbase: 114.2 in Length: 196.9 in Width: 78.3 in Height: 69.3 in Passenger volume: 155 cu ft Cargo volume: 21 cu ft Curb weight: 4440 lb |
FUEL ECONOMY | 75-mph highway driving: 28 mpg Highway range: 500 miles | 75-mph highway driving: 24 mpg Highway range: 450 miles |
EPA FUEL ECONOMY | Combined/city/highway: 23/20/27 mpg | Combined/city/highway: 21/19/24 mpg |
The Bottom Line
Thus, Kia Telluride vs Toyota Highlander: Fully loaded three-row SUVs just like the Highlander Platinum as well as Telluride SX require more cash. If that triggers an arrhythmia, more basic versions are often had within the low range additionally. During this test, the Telluride, with an as-tested encompasses a price advantage of thousands over the Highlander, despite being even as well equipped. Still, So, Toyota offers a rather sportier driving experience than the Kia. But the Kia could be a clear winner. it’s and feels premium, it goes about its business unobtrusively and with the grace befitting a dearer vehicle, and it costs thousands but its newest and strongest competitor. Kia Telluride vs Toyota Highlander.
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