Telluride

Boxy Good Looks and a Full Suite of Features

- Gary Witzenburg

The trendy winter-ski/summer festival town of Telluride, Colorado, population roughly 2,500, looks like a former mining town because it is. Nestled in a canyon surrounded by forested mountains and cliffs and weathered ruins of old mining operations, it once yielded deposits of zinc, lead, copper, silver, and gold. Its impressive Historic District, one of Colorado’s 20 National Historic Landmarks, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

And Kia’s all-new three-row crossover, named for this town, looked right at home within and around it as late-season skiers rode the slopes and walked the walks along narrow streets lined with all-wheel-drive vehicles. Driving a Nappa leather–lined SX all-wheel-drive Telluride loaded with a Prestige Package from mile-high Gateway to 8,750-foot Telluride and back, we experienced truly spectacular Western Colorado scenery and a pleasingly appealing new three-row SUV.

Kia characterizes its largest vehicle ever as “big, bold, boxy, and made for adventures.” It can seat up to five adults in roomy comfort in its first two rows and as many as three more (preferably shorter-legged) citizens in its far-back row. On the twisty two-lanes to and from its namesake town, we found the Telluride’s steering, handling, and braking surprisingly good despite its weight and even in Comfort (not crisper Sport) mode, but its passing performance (at altitudes between 5,000 and 9,000 feet) from its 3.8L V-6’s 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque were just adequate.