12 Best Family Cars: 2020 Kia Telluride

Full suite of standard safety systems
Bold attitude, refined manners
Spacious interior with seating for 7 or 8
Long list of features and premium amenities
Excellent value
Pricing starts at $31,890 (plus $1,170 destination) | Price yours

The Kia Telluride has been a home run for the brand. As in, they knocked it out of the park. Kia’s biggest 3-row SUV to date has been on a tear since the moment it was introduced in last year, racking up stellar sales figures and winning the biggest awards in the industry, including the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) and the Best New Model for the 2020 Kelley Blue Book Best Buy Awards.

It’s easy to see the Telluride’s mass appeal, especially among active families. The 2020 Kia Telluride’s winning formula includes a long list of standard features and the latest safety systems. It also boasts excellent practicality and an adventurous attitude, all at a price that won’t squander the kids’ college fund.

Safety, safety, safety – standard

As a parent, you know that the most precious cargo is your children. And the more ways to protect them, the better. The Telluride not only offers some of the most advanced safety systems available but includes them as standard.

All Kia Telluride models come with Kia’s Drive Wise. This is a bundle of systems like automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. It also includes lane-keeping assist and another system that monitors the driver’s attention level. This is on top of a roster of airbags, parking sensors, stability control systems, and even the Safe Exit Assist feature that warns if a passenger opens a door while and a vehicle is approaching from behind.

You’d pay extra for these kinds of features on some luxury vehicles, yet they are standard on even a base, sub-$32,000 Telluride.

Accommodating interior, handsome exterior

The 2020 Telluride comes with seating for eight passengers or can be designed for seven if you opt for second-row captain’s seats. Cargo space is among the best in its class and flexible enough to hold sports gear, a week’s worth of groceries, and everything in between.

Up front, Mom and Dad enjoy comfortable seats (with optional heat and ventilation), a commanding view, and the kind of technology that helps rather than hinders. Think a standard 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration, or an optional 10.25-inch screen.

One particularly helpful feature is the live the Blind Spot View Monitor, which displays live video of vehicles in your blind spot in the digital instrument cluster. Another is the Driver Talk that amplifies your conversation – ok, commands – to those in the second and third rows. We also like the premium Harman/Kardon audio system, because what parent doesn’t want to let loose a little after the stress of dealing with the school drop-off line?

On the outside, the made-in-America Kia Telluride projects a tough but handsome image. The Telluride has an upright stance and confident presence.

Impressive ride quality and incredible value

The Telluride has strong and confident driving manners thanks to a V6 engine that makes 291 horsepower. Front-wheel drive is standard, and Kia offers a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system for confident traction and capability on slick roads or dusty trails.

Whichever road you choose, we found the Telluride a well-mannered partner that returned a smooth and quiet ride.

Finally, there’s the Telluride’s value proposition. Its sub-$32,000 starting price is certainly alluring, but as we noted in our Best Buy Award article, “perhaps paradoxically, it actually becomes more impressive as you climb trims.”

Even a loaded, leather-lined Telluride that could be mistaken for a luxury SUV still only hits the mid-$40,000 mark. Between its security, features, confident manners and value proposition, it’s little wonder that Kia’s Telluride is a winning vehicle for families.