Kia Telluride: Which Should You Buy, 2023 or 2024?
Most significant changes: There are a few minor changes to the Kia Telluride for 2024. Amber LED daytime running lights — a signature feature through 2022 — make a comeback, and the more aggressive X-Line and X-Pro packages now include gloss-black exterior trim accents rather than dark chrome.
The Kia Telluride carries over virtually unchanged for the 2024 model year after a freshening for 2023, and it continues to be a good value in the competition among mid-size, three-row family SUVs. The Telluride made its debut for 2020 as an all-new model along with the Hyundai Palisade SUV that shares its corporate platform. The SUV’s trucklike style, spacious interior, safety and media tech, and features for the price were a hit off the line with shoppers. The Telluride also was Cars.com’s Best Family Car of 2022.
Related: The Darkening: 2024 Kia Telluride Gets Available Darker Trim and Modest Price Increase
2024 Trim Levels
The 2024 Telluride continues to offer five trim levels with escalating features and price, starting with the base LX, stepping up to the S and EX, and topping out with the SX and SX-Prestige models. Each level tends to be a self-continued feature bundle with few options. There are, however, two “off-road” variants: the X-Line (for the EX and SX trim levels) and the more serious X-Pro (for the SX and SX-Prestige). These variants add modestly improved soft-roading capability and give the Telluride a more rugged exterior appearance with black accents and wheels.
Powertrain Specs and MPG
All versions of the 2024 Telluride are powered by a carryover 3.8-liter V-6 engine putting out 291 horsepower and 262 pounds-feet of torque. It’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the Telluride is offered with front- or all-wheel drive. Certain variants are rated to tow up to 5,500 pounds when properly equipped, though most versions max out at 5,000 pounds. The Telluride is EPA-rated for 22 mpg combined with FWD and 20 mpg combined with AWD.
Tech Features and Options
For 2024, there are no notable tech features newly available. All Tellurides have a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (though not wireless), and satellite radio. A Wi-Fi hot spot and five USB ports also are standard.
Tech available with higher trim levels includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, video rearview mirror, 360-degree camera system, the ability to use your phone as a key and Harmon Kardon premium audio.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features and Options
There are no notable safety and driver-assistance features newly available for the 2024 model year. As it was for 2023, the 2024 Telluride has a forward collision avoidance system with pedestrian and bicyclist detection and turning collision avoidance. Also standard are blind spot monitoring, lane departure steering assist, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, rear cross-traffic alert and LED headlights.
Safety and driver-assistance features available with higher trim levels include an evasive steering assist and forward collision avoidance for intersection crossing and lane changing. Also available are reverse automatic braking and a novel system that displays video of the blind spot area in the digital instrument display when a turn signal is activated. The Telluride also offers Kia’s latest-generation Highway Driving Assist 2, a Level 2 driver-assistance system that combines adaptive cruise control, lane-centering steering, GPS data and route information for advanced driving aid on limited-access highways.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has not yet posted the 2024 Telluride’s ratings, but the nearly identical 2023 model earned the highest Top Safety Pick+ award with a clean sweep of the highest ratings of good for crashworthiness and headlights and the top rating of superior for its standard front crash avoidance technology in both day and night conditions. You can see Cars.com’s most recent Telluride child-seat evaluation here.
Pricing for 2024
The 2024 Kia Telluride is on sale now at prices just $100 higher across the board (after substantial price increases for 2023). Below are the 2024 prices by trim level for FWD models; AWD adds $2,000 (unchanged for 2024) for all trim levels except the SX-Prestige, which includes AWD standard. All prices listed include a mandatory $1,365 destination charge that also is unchanged from 2023.
- LX: $37,355
- S: $39,225
- EX: $42,955
- SX: $47,155
- SX-Prestige: $52,055
Which Should You Buy?
Go with the 2024 for a newer model year at nearly the same price — and also just because you’re more likely to find one. The nearly identical 2023 model might be discounted, but good luck finding one; as this is written, there are just 169 new 2023 Tellurides listed for sale nationwide on Cars.com versus 5,535 of the 2024 model.
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