Video: 2025 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Pro: Show or Go?

(upbeat music) The meat of the off-road improvements start with 10 millimeters more of ground clearance, which is about... There, roughly? (Brian chuckling) It's about 4/10 of an inch. Brings you up to 8.4 inches of ground clearance, which does give you better approach in departure angles, but not that much better. Also, exclusive to the X-Pro are these all-terrain tires and 18-inch wheels, which are a little bit more off-road ready. And the X-Pro and lesser X-Line also get upgraded traction control. The X-Pro also has a Tow Mode with revised powertrain performance to make towing easier, and it upgrades the towing capacity to 5,500 pounds from 5,000, and none of that has anything to do with how good it is off-road. And that's pretty much it. There's no added underbody protection, no unique powertrain or other powertrain upgrades, no dedicated off-road driving mode. Really, the Telluride X-Pro is about as rugged as this shirt makes me outdoorsy. It's just not there. There are competitors like the Honda Passport TrailSport or Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro, for example, that do have a bit more off-road equipment, but really everything in this segment is more show than go, so that's okay. The Telluride X-Pro is still a very good three-row SUV. I do have two issues with it, one that's general to the Telluride and one that's specific to the X-Pro. My first complaint is about the Telluride in general, and that's the lack of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The Telluride is arguably Kia's flagship vehicle. Certainly, it's flagship gas-powered vehicle, and to only have a USB-A port to do that sort of smartphone mirroring is kind of annoying, especially when other older Kias already have that wireless connectivity. Also, my phone is an iPhone 16, which means I don't have a standard USB-A cable. And it took me this many cables before I found one that actually worked, and that's just annoying. My other complaint is specific to the X-Pro, and that's the driving experience feels a little bit worse. The all-terrain tires feel mushier on pavement, and normally with an off-road trim, you get some sort of trade-off in increased ride comfort. And here, there just isn't that, so it really makes the driving experience slightly worse. Not egregiously, but slightly. In fairness to the Telluride, we were impressed by its off-road prowess when it first debuted. In the sense that it didn't break on an extremely easy course, one where we've seen other similar SUVs succumb to damage. Adding ground clearance and better tires should help, but only slightly. The lack of underbody protection means your margin of error is very slim. If you're looking for a dedicated off-road vehicle, the Telluride X-Pro isn't it. But if you like the looks, want the increased towing capacity, it's still a very good three-row SUV. Personally, I think it drives a little worse, and I'd probably skip the X-Pro and save a few thousand dollars. For my full review of the 2025 Kia Telluride X-Pro, head to cars.com/news. (upbeat music)