2018 Kia Telluride Price, Release date and Design

If you were searching for the 2018 Kia Telluride you might be noticed that it is quite difficult to find any information about it on the Web, especially on the price and release date. And many of those websites seem unreliable and they don’t provide enough details about the car. The reason why there is a lack of information about the full-size SUV is that this is a concept and nothing more. Kia is not planning to release it (at least anytime soon). The design will be used in future vehicles, most likely for a full-size SUV, but that’s all Kia has in mind with this concept for now.

2018 Kia Telluride Price and Release Date

Don’t have high hopes you will see the Kia Telluride 2018 on the streets. Kia was pretty unambiguous when it stated this full-size SUV wouldn’t be released. It will be integrated into the future vehicles, but it is difficult to believe the vehicle will hit the market anytime soon. We can just hope Kia will change its mind in the following years. The starting price of the 2018 version is going to be around $40,000.

Kia Telluride Concept

The concept was presented at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Many were hoping this full-size SUV will hit the market, but the South Korean automaker announced this is just a concept which will be implemented in future vehicles. It was designed by Tom Kearns, one of the lead designers at Kia. It is based on a modified Sorento chassis and the similarity between these two is clearly visible.

 

Powertrain

The biggest surprise is that the 2018 Kia Telluride is a hybrid. Kia is not a favorite choice when it comes to hybrids. It doesn’t have many hybrid cars in the lineup. The Kia Optima is surely the top hybrid Kia offers, but Niro delivers the goods as well. With this concept, Kia announced a major shift in its strategy and it is a sign the South Korean automaker will follow the trends on the market more than before. As far as we are concerned it was about time for Kia to rethink the strategy. Otherwise, it will continue to losing its share of the market.

This concept is equipped with a 3.5-liter gasoline six-cylinder with direct injection which can solely deliver 270 horsepower. In combination with an electric motor, that adds 130 horsepower, the total output is 400 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. Allegedly, fuel economy stands at 30 mpg, but these are just Kia’s claims. Nobody had a chance to test the vehicle except its employees. If this is true than it is a huge step forward for Kia. There is no information about the transmission system, while reportedly the drive mode is AWD.

Exterior

Luckily, all the details regarding the chassis are available. It obviously shares lots of features with Sorento, but when you pay close attention to the 2018 Kia Telluride you will see it is larger than the Sorento. In general, the Korean full-size SUV doesn’t look muscular and aggressive. It comes with a large tiger nose front grille and 22-inch wheels. Headlights and Daytime Running Lights are equipped with LED technology. At the 2016 North American Auto Show, it was presented in Dark Pyrite Green color and we couldn’t see it in any other color.

Interior of Kia Telluride 2018

The cabin is equipped with some great innovative features. Kia used some solutions for the first time and these are the biggest advantage of the 2018 Kia Telluride concept. The infotainment system is new, and there are numerous safety features. The Telluride is equipped with the advanced braking system, parking assist sensors, rearview camera and much more. Premium leather is used to wrap the seats and the whole interior looks stylish. Although it resembles Sorento it is obviously larger. It can accommodate seven people and we believe there is enough room for each passenger.