The 2021 Telluride Isn’t the Only Kia SUV Consumer Reports Recommends
There are a decent number of Kia SUVs in the lineup this year, and out of all them, there are three that are noteworthy. The most popular one is the Kia Telluride, which many aren’t surprised to see rated so highly.
Consumer Reports is certainly one that recommends the Telluride this year, but it’s not the only SUV from Kia’s lineup that they liked. Which other ones did they recommend, and are there any that didn’t quite perform up to snuff?
Why did Consumer Reports recommend the Kia Telluride?
Consumer Reports gave the Telluride one of the best ratings of any vehicle. It got a 97 score out of a possible 100 points. All of this is due to the way it handles on the road, its rear seat comfort, lack of noise in the cabin, and its five out of five predicted reliability rating as well as having the perfect owner satisfaction score.
Its fuel economy rating is average, but still impressive nonetheless. You can expect to get 14 mpg on city roads, and 30 mpg on the highway, which actually isn’t too bad for a midsize three-row SUV. These figures come from a 3.8-liter V6 engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration time for the Telluride was 7.2 seconds for a 0 to 60 mph run.
When it comes to cargo space, the Telluride isn’t half bad. It offers 21 cubic feet of space behind the third-row of seats. If you fold down the middle and back-row seats, you can get up to 87 cubic feet of possible storage space. That’s not as much as some of the others in the same class, however.
What other Kia SUVs did Consumer Reports recommend?
RELATED: The 2021 Kia Sorento Offers Something the Telluride Doesn’t
Out of all the Kia SUVs in this year’s lineup, you’ll find two more recommendations from Consumer Reports. One of them is the Kia Sorento, which is another midsized three-row SUV. It didn’t score quite as well as the Kia Telluride, but it did fairly well anyway.
With a score of 77 out of 100, the Sorento offers great handling and fairly decent fuel economy. When driving in the city, you can expect around 17 mpg. But, when you’re traveling on the highway, it increases to 34 mpg. As far as acceleration goes, CR managed to get a 6.5 second time for a 0 to 60 mph run. Predicted reliability wasn’t so great with this model, though, with a score of three out of five.
The other recommended SUV was the Kia Sportage, which is one of Kia’s compact SUVs. This model scored an 81, because of its predicted reliability, its smooth transmission, excellent brake performance, and decent seat comfort. The Sportage is much slower than the Sorento, clocking in at 9.6 seconds with its 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that produces only 181 hp.
Which Kia SUVs did not get a recommendation from Consumer Reports?
The only Kia SUV that CR didn’t recommend this year is the Seltos. This subcompact SUV has the lowest score in Kia’s SUV lineup. It only received a 63 rating because of its poor handling, cabin noise, and poor trunk space. Its acceleration time of nine seconds isn’t good, but it’s a tiny bit better than the Sportage.
The cargo area offers 26 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, which is pretty good for a subcompact SUV. However, other sport utility vehicles offer quite a bit more. If you fold down the rear seats, though, you get 62 cubic feet instead. Accessing the cargo is easy due to the wide opening, and it comes with a powered liftgate that opens with an exterior button.
The most impressive feature with the Seltos is the braking performance. It managed short stopping distances even on wet road surfaces. Its brakes were easily modulated, and they had firm feedback when engaged.
The Kia Telluride isn’t the only Kia SUV that Consumer Reports recommends for the 2021 model year. The Sorento and the Sportage also have enough good points to garner attention from the CR team this year.
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