Regular readers should be getting a sense of deja vu right now. Gray Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line V6? Hey, Mike---didn't you review this vehicle two months ago?
This vehicle, no. Its exact double---license number three digits apart and VIN number one digit apart---yes. And that's not supposed to happen, but here's my story:
Grandbaby number three was arriving in Georgia, so, with the help of Page One Automotive, which does prep and delivery for Kia and many other manufacturers' press fleets here in Northern California, I reached out to their affiliate Prestige Auto in Atlanta, which just happened to have this vehicle waiting for me when I landed.
I call it a bonus. I was only able to put 229 miles on the Telluride I had in California---mostly in city street and urban freeway traffic. But the Georgia Telluride saw 299 miles of some pretty significant highway cruising, from Atlanta 85 miles east to where our daughter and son-in-law live, plus the 20 or so miles between their house and the hospital, plus an afternoon side trip my wife and I took to nearby Athens, Georgia (home of the B-52s, R.E.M. and a City Hall with a double-barreled cannon parked outside).
Let's just recap some basics about the Telluride, "recap" here meaning "copy and paste the tech stuff from the earlier review": Under the hood, the 291-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 engine continues, as does an eight-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 60 happens in 6.8 seconds---more than respectable for the Telluride's size and weight. The EPA city/highway fuel economy average is 21 mpg.
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In California and that mix of city streets and urban freeways, I saw 22.5 mpg. In Georgia, mostly driving between 45 and 65 with few instances of stop-and-go, my average was 25.
Part of the reason my wife and I were there was to look after the two other grandchildren, ages five and three. That meant car seats, and folding down the third row, my son-in-law was able to secure car seats in the second-row captain's chairs with ease.
And the kids were fascinated by the separate sunroof over the second row.
The front seats are endlessly comfortable and a great place from which to soak up miles of highway.
Here comes some more copy and paste, given that this vehicle is identically-equipped to the one from two months ago: The base price of the 2023 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line V6 AWD is $53,120 including destination. And virtually everything comes standard, including a complete suite of active safety features, dual panoramic 12.3-inch displays, navigation, a surround view monitor and blind spot view monitor, a head-up display, a Harman/Kardon premium audio system with a three-month free trial of SiriusXM Satellite Radio, smart key with remote start, a digital rear-view mirror, wireless phone charger, Nappa leather seat trim, heated and ventilated front and second row seats, a heated steering wheel, dual sunroofs, a smart power liftgate, rear privacy glass, 20-inch black alloy wheels, tow mode and a self-leveling rear suspension.
The only extra-cost options on our test vehicle were the Wolf Gray paint ($495), the terracotta interior color package ($295) and carpeted floor mats ($210), so the as-tested price of the 2023 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line V6 AWD is $54,120.
I'm thrilled to have had a second shot behind the seat of the 2023 Kia Telluride this quickly after the first. It was exactly the right vehicle at the right moment in the right place. As well as one of the finest mid-size SUVs out there and a bargain for the feature content that comes with it.
(Thanks again to the folks at Kia, Page One Automotive, Prestige Auto and the lovely people of Georgia)
