Face-Off: Kia Telluride vs. Toyota Highlander
On paper these two midsized three-row family haulers are similar, but on the road it’s a different story
Since it arrived in North America in early 2001, the Toyota Highlander has been an incredibly popular SUV, both with Consumer Reports’ members and the general public.
It has also been a strong performer in CR’s testing, ranking among the top-scoring models and capturing the midsized SUV Top Pick award an impressive 10 times since it was first eligible in 2002.
But in recent years, a number of competitors have caught up to—and surpassed—the Highlander, dethroning it from both the top of CR’s ratings charts and the coveted Top Pick status.
One of those is the Kia Telluride, a no-compromises three-row SUV that debuted for the 2020 model year with a V6 engine, front- or all-wheel drive, and seating for up to eight passengers. That same year Toyota introduced a redesigned Highlander with similar attributes. But Toyota also offers a four-cylinder hybrid version, something Kia can’t match.
Both SUVs received updates for 2023. While the Kia’s were mainly cosmetic, the regular Highlander received a new 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which replaced the smooth V6.
