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2021 Kia Telluride Review | What's new, prices, safety and pictures

It's a rare thing when a three-row family conveyance can be deemed cool, but we're pretty sure the 2021 Kia Telluride manages to pull it off. Credit almost entirely goes to its refined, tastefully adorned and classically proportioned styling. There's a little Volvo here and a little Range Rover there, but those are certainly good muses to have. The aesthetic appeal carries inside as well. However, there's more than just good looks here. The Telluride also manages to check off nearly every functional box as well. It's one of the most spacious three-row crossovers, has plenty of family-friendly storage solutions, boasts user-friendly technology and comes standard with an abundance of well-executed safety features (plus its upgrade blind-spot warning system was named Autoblog's Tech of the Year). The driving experience is admittedly a bit forgettable, but it's also free from bad habits. In short, no other three-row family crossover does a better job of both fashion and function. It's a must drive. What's new for 2021? The Telluride gains a new Nightfall Edition following an industry trend of special trim levels or packages slathered in blacked-out body trim. Unlike many of those other examples, however, the Telluride Nightfall Edition (pictured here) is available in eight colors, including its exclusive new-for-2021 Wolf Gray. Other updates include the addition of standard remote ignition, an upgraded trailer harness and LED headlamps added to the EX Premium package. Prices increase between $400 and $850 depending on trim level, including the destination charge that also goes up a bit for 2021 to $1,170. Apparently, it costs a little more to ship the thing from Georgia this year. What are the Telluride interior and in-car technology like? Admittedly, we've only had contact with the ritziest, range-topping Telluride SX model that boasts soft, interestingly stitched leather, convincing faux wood trim, and a generally luxurious ambience that trumps nearly everything else in the segment (it's a coin flip between it and the mechanically related Hyundai Palisade). It also costs less than range-topping rivals that actually have less equipment. Now, will an LX and EX be as swank? No, but the general quality of plastics, switchgear and other materials should still be above average. Every Telluride is also extremely well equipped.

Did a US automaker blow the whistle on Hyundai, Kia fuel economy issue?

In all of the most hotly contested mainstream segments of the motoring universe, the difference of one mile per gallon averaged on a widow sticker can mean the difference between a sale and a walk-off - to say nothing of two or three mpg. So, when Hyundai and Kia were forced to reveal that many of their 40-mpg ratings were actually 38s and 37s, well, it made for big news.
It also, conceivably, made for a competitive disadvantage immediately, when the Korean automakers' products were being shopped versus the guys down the block. And it's that disadvantage that makes a recent story from Automotive News so juicy.
AN is reporting that Margo Oge, former head of the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Transportation and Air Quality, got a tip in 2010 that Hyundai/Kia were "cheating" to get its impressive fuel economy numbers. The tip, said Oge (who retired from the EPA this past September), came from a senior vice president from a domestic automaker. The source was credible enough for Oge to launch an audit of the Hyundai figures, which ultimately lead to the debacle that we reported on a few months ago, and that the Korean company has been trying to bounce back from ever since.

2018 Kia Stinger GT Long-term Update | Addictive power, less addictive response, fuel economy

One of the big draws of our long-term 2018 Kia Stinger GT is its twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6. With 365 horsepower and 375 pound-feet of torque hooked up to a rear-drive-based drivetrain (rear-drive is standard), it's an exciting proposition. In real life it lives up to the promise with only a few minor caveats. First the good stuff: This engine is a real ripper. It feels much, much stronger than the numbers purport. Shove the throttle down and the Kia shoves you back and doesn't let up. Your only reprieve is at redline when it shifts, then the process starts again. This sensation is accessible anywhere in the rev band, too, a benefit of peak torque arriving at just 1,300 rpm. It's an exciting and addictive feeling, and it matches the Stinger's fierce appearance. From the driver's seat, it sounds good but not great. It produces a smooth, deep growl, but it's flat. Other V6s have more of a gargle, or a howl or a shriek that provides personality. The Stinger's V6 sounds generic in contrast. Bystanders won't even get a generic growl, though, as the car is as quiet as a Camry from the outside. On the plus side, keeping the Stinger GT quiet does help it stay peaceful on commutes and road trips, but some kind of electronically adjustable exhaust would really liven up the Stinger GT's soundtrack without sacrificing refinement. In addition to some better pipes, the Stinger GT could use better throttle response. We've become accustomed to wickedly responsive turbo cars nowadays, so it's a little surprising to hop in the Stinger GT and feel a moment's pause before the revs rise and the boost hits. The slow response works the opposite way, too, with acceleration continuing for a moment after releasing the gas pedal. Sport mode helps alleviate the lag, but it never disappears entirely. Still, you can adjust to accommodate the sluggish throttle response, but the Stinger would be an altogether more confidence-inspiring car without it. Finally, when it comes to fuel economy, the Stinger GT meets expectations. The EPA rates it for 17 mpg in the city, 25 on the highway and 20 in combined driving, and almost every entry in our fuel log fits that range. There were a couple refuels that revealed numbers as low as 15 mpg, though our Green Editor John Snyder managed to break 29 mpg on a trip.