Up Close With the 2023 Kia Telluride
We’ve always liked the Kia Telluride a lot. The 2022 model is our Best Family Car of 2022, so changing it was risky business for Kia. The feature upgrades are of course welcome, but the styling changes seem to be controversial. We got our first look at the updated Telluride at the 2022 New York International Auto Show where it debuted.
Related: More 2022 New York Auto Show Coverage
I might be the one person who’s good with this change because the redesign has done away with the square yellow running lights that have encircled the headlights since its debut. I always thought it made the front of a Telluride look like the rear of a Ford Explorer Sport, and I don’t consider that a good thing. The vertical LED headlights are now accompanied by more conventional and unobtrusive running lights.
The redesigned dashboard is also sure to satisfy people who prefer an integrated display over the floating-tablet look. In the new X-Pro trim level (the only 2023 at the show), the panoramic touchscreen/instrument panel is still a distinct unit, but it doesn’t float above the dash as much as the older touchscreen — which is also guilty of having too much unnecessary frame around the display.
I’m less impressed with the X-Pro and new X-Line (in absentia) than I am with the features added for 2023. Their claims to fame seem to be a ground clearance increase of 10 mm, which is roughly 0.4 inch. This also improves approach and departure angles. That and some traction control changes with the X-Pro’s 18-inch wheels and all-terrain tires isn’t much for off-roading. This is a vehicle that was never a serious off-roader, though it made its debut with TV commercials showing it driving through a river and romping around a farm. Are more serious off-road upgrades too much to ask?
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