When an SUV has a name like Telluride, how can someone not be excited? Initially, when people said they were traveling to this region of Colorado, they said, “To Hell You Ride,” giving the town it’s infamous name. 

So, of course, with this name, you would assume that your Telluride is capable of anything, but this may not exactly be the case. The Kia Telluride isn’t living up to its name, especially with the 2021 Kia Sorento coming soon.

You Need To Pass On the Kia Telluride 

The Telluride certainly looks excellent as Kia’s largest SUV option. Its sleek design and ability to fit up to eight passengers certainly draws us in. However, how capable is this luxury SUV compared to the Kia Sorrento, which seats seven passengers? 

The Kia Sorento is currently being called the Mini Telluride, which is cute, but its redesign will feature a larger cabin with more space between each row of seats for passenger comfort. 

The Kia Telluride is 196.9” long and 68.9” tall while the 2020 Sorento is 189” long and 66.3” tall. This isn’t much a difference, especially when the 2021 Sorento is promised to be larger. 

Power And Fuel Economy 

The Kia Telluride starts around $30k, making it pricier than the 2020 Kia Sorentio, which starts around $26k. For that price, you may gain a little more power, but you won’t be saving on fuel economy. 

Unfortunately, the Kia Telluride only gets 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. The 2020 Kia Sorento isn’t much better on gas and only gets 22 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. 

However, the 2021 Kia Sorento will be a hybrid! The exact fuel efficiency specs haven’t been released, but we can speculate a severe increase in mpg. 

The Kia Telluride 3.8-L V6 engine is pretty impressive, with the ability to produce 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft torque to tow a maximum compacity of 5,000 lb. 

But, the 2021 Sorento is almost equal in power. The Hybrid electric engine will produce 277 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Currently, the 2020 model can haul up to 5,000lb as well, so we don’t expect to see the 2021 version to be weaker. 

Sure, the Telluride has more power, but it also weights 4around 4,300 pounds. The 2020 Sorento weighs around 4,100lb, and the new model is shaving off 176 pounds, so the reduction in weight may balance out for a faster acceleration. 

Both the Sorento and Telluride are equipped with luxurious interior materials and advanced tech features such as wireless chargers and massive leather seats. Both provide enhanced safety features such as forward-collision warnings and automatic braking too. 

The only advantage that the Telluride has over the Kia Sorento is the fact that it’s available now. So, sure, if you want a luxury Kia now, go for it. 

Otherwise, we think it’s worth the wait for the 2021 Hybrid Kia Sorento. It will have virtually the same capabilities, only with improved comfort and fuel efficiency. We don’t consider it to be a Mini Telluride. Instead, the Telluride is a new Sorento want to be.