Like Japanese transplant Honda, Kia has done its homework. The interior is made for long, comfortable American road trips. The center console sports a deep trough, perfect for holding phones, keys or French fry boxes. The seats are comfortable, the control knobs right where they should be. I turned to Mrs. Payne to ask if she had found her favorite things \u2014 seat heaters, easy-touch overhead lights, USB charger \u2014 but she was way ahead of me and ready to ride.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The back two rows are just as accommodating\u00a0even for ex-basketball centers like me. Detroit competitor Chevy Traverse is made in Middle America and knows how to accommodate big, middle-American families with a third row that\u2019s a livable place to be with cup holders, food holders, good legroom\u00a0and panoramic roof for sunlight.<\/p>\n
The made-in-Georgia Telluride doesn\u2019t forget third-row passengers,\u00a0either. Back-seaters get their own USB ports. And like the Traverse and another one of my class favorites, the Honda Pilot, the Kia allows third-row access with the simple push of a button. There are no\u00a0multiple-step heaves to get into the back seat. Even little kids can do it.<\/p>\n
Once back there, the second-row captains\u00a0chairs (to keep peace between the kiddies) don\u2019t just flop on your feet \u2014 they are slidable. The result is you can adjust first- and second-row seats to make everyone comfortable. In fact, I could not only sit behind myself in the second row \u2014 I could sit behind myself sitting behind myself in the third row!<\/p>\n
This attention to detail is followed in every corner of the cabin \u2014 including thoughtful ideas like a front chime that alerts you if you left a child or pet in the back seat, and a microphone so you can talk to kids in the third row ZIP\u00a0code.<\/p>\n
Then there are standard features no $30,000\u00a0vehicle these days should do without.<\/p>\n
Tops on my list is adaptive cruise-control,\u00a0an important assistant for oft-distracted families on long road trips. Set adaptive-cruise and the big ute will keep its distance from vehicles ahead of you if you get distracted by \u2014 ahem \u2014 those second-row, fighting siblings. Kia matches segment pioneers like Honda and Toyota by making\u00a0adaptive cruise-control standard and shames others \u2014 looking at you, Traverse \u2014 that don\u2019t make it available until you\u2019ve shelled out more than $45,000.<\/p>\n
Telluride is one of the best values in the segment. For example, an all-wheel-drive S trim with 20-inch wheels and leather can be had for under $40,000.<\/p>\n
And then the Kia goes a step further by wrapping value in a premium wrapper.<\/p>\n
Its Asian competitors Honda and Toyota and Hyundai look like mainstream competitors (perhaps, in part, because they have luxury brands above them). But the Telluride looks like it belongs in the luxury class with Acura, Lexus\u00a0and Genesis.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been to Cadillac charm school, one of the most distinctive designs in the industry. Check out those vertical headlights pushed to the corners and highlighted by an orange LED signature. The inverted\u00a0L-shaped taillights use bold red LED bulbs and might as well be taken right off the XT6.<\/p>\n
Cadillac\u00a0is worth dwelling on to hammer home one of my hobbyhorses: the narrowing gap between mainstream and luxury. My Kia tester looks like the XT6 and Range Rover had a baby. Its front-wheel drive-based, all-wheel drive system is similar to Caddy,\u00a0as is its 291-horse, 3.8-liter engine (the Caddy\u2019s 3.6-liter V-6 makes 310 horses).<\/p>\n
All glammed up, the Telluride rides out the door at $45,000. The XT6 starts at $53,000.<\/p>\n
Badge matters, no doubt. But with the $20,000\u00a0you save by going Kia, you could buy a terrific, used Cadillac ATS.<\/p>\n
Telluride is not the only mainstream manufacturer to push upscale in the three-row space. The Mazda CX-9 is the best-looking three-row ute in autodom \u2014 mainstream or luxe \u2014 and has the dance moves of a 4,200-pound Miata. If handling is your thing, get the Mazda. The Telluride\u2019s V-6 is plenty powerful, but the\u00a0tranny is lackluster and it won\u2019t inspire you in the twisties.<\/p>\n
The upcoming\u00a0rear-wheel drive-based (just like a Bimmer!) Ford Explorer will shame many luxury models with its tech-smarts \u2014 think of the one-button, self-park feature. But for best all-around game, the Telluride is Blake Griffin on wheels \u2014 big, smooth\u00a0and multi-talented.<\/p>\n
Come to think of it, Griffin was once a Kia spokesman. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if he was picking one up this spring.<\/p>\n
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