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
By Jon Linkov
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’s 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 that also has a V6 engine, front- or all-wheel drive, and seating for eight. But Toyota also offers a four-cylinder hybrid version, something Kia can’t match.
These two SUVs are similar in many ways, including size, weight, and cargo capacity, and both include a number of active safety systems as standard equipment.
But there are differences between them, too, especially since their road test and Overall Scores differ significantly. To unpack these differences, we take an in-depth look at these SUVs, compare how they fare in CR’s testing, and determine which one is the clear-cut winner in our metrics . . . and which one is right for you.
While both the Kia and Toyota will be freshened for 2023, with the Toyota receiving a more significant change with a new powertrain, this face-off still applies to the existing 2022 models and upcoming 2023 ones. We will retest the Highlander with the new engine when it goes on sale.
If you’re a CR member, this article and the list below are already available to you. But if you haven’t signed up, click below and become a member to access this list and all our exclusive ratings and reviews for each vehicle we buy and test.
Joining also gives you full access to exclusive ratings for the other products our experts evaluate in several categories, including electronics and home appliances.
Sign up for CR’s Cars email newsletter to be notified when we post our latest road tests.
2023 Kia Telluride
Kia Telluride
The Case for It:
When it came time to make a true midsized three-row SUV Kia did its homework. The Kia Telluride is a very well-thought-out SUV, and it put other midsized three-row SUVs on notice as soon as it debuted. It’s a popular vehicle with Consumer Reports members, and sales remain strong. Kia has given the Telluride a freshening for the 2023 model year, but aside from two off-road-oriented trims and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, the changes are mostly cosmetic.
Its 3.8-liter V6 engine is smooth and quickly delivers power when the driver asks for it, such as when merging at the end of a highway on-ramp or passing a slower vehicle in traffic.
The Kia’s engine is paired with a slick eight-speed automatic that downshifts willingly to the driver’s right foot commands. We got 21 mpg overall in our tests, which places the Telluride just 1 mpg behind the class-leading V6-powered Highlander.
This powertrain gives the Telluride a tiny performance edge, making it just fractionally quicker than the non-hybrid Highlander in the 0 to 60 mph and quarter-mile acceleration tests, though it can scoot away from the hybrid version with greater ease.
But the Kia is a cut above when it comes to scrubbing off all that speed. It performed better in both our dry- and wet-braking evaluations, stopping 5 and 8 feet shorter, respectively, compared with the regular Highlander.
The Kia did very well in our avoidance maneuver, where we simulate having to swerve to avoid an object in the road. The Telluride’s well-calibrated electronic stability control helped it post an impressive 53.5 mph in our test, which is much better than the Highlander’s speed of 50.
The ride is quite comfortable, thanks to a suspension that does a very good job absorbing most bumps and road ruts. Uneven pavement can elicit some side-to-side motions, but it doesn’t compromise comfort very much.
The Kia’s standard low-beam halogen headlights do an excellent job of lighting the road ahead. While the high-beam lights send light farther down the road, they don’t reach quite as far as the high beams on most vehicles. Still, overall performance is better than the Highlander’s.
Both the Kia and Toyota are super easy to get in and out of. Though they have similar ratings for front- and rear-seat comfort, the Kia does offer slightly more space—an inch more headroom and legroom, and up to 4 inches more front shoulder room. They also have similar third-row seats. Both are best for kids, though the boxier Telluride offers more shoulder room.
However, it’s easier to get into the Telluride’s third-row seat. Getting back there (or getting out when sitting in the back) entails pushing a single button, which flips the second-row seat out of the way. The resulting path is narrow but manageable, even for adults.
The Telluride’s interior is much nicer than the Highlander’s—and nearly every other nonluxury midsized SUV’s. The EX trim we tested has a near-luxury appearance, with plenty of soft-touch surfaces just at the proper locations where hands and arms come to rest.
Small things, such as sturdy door latches and grab handles, the lined glove box, and the high-quality satin-finished trim throughout, add to the upmarket appearance. Plus, it’s incredibly quiet inside, better than most competitors. Okay, there’s one complaint . . . the imitation wood isn’t going to trick anyone into thinking it’s the real thing.
We like the Kia’s controls, which are easy to read and simple to use, and the traditional gear selector is an added bonus. The infotainment system has a big touch screen and responds quickly to inputs, and it has standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. The new, larger infotainment screen on the freshened Telluride retains knobs for volume and tuning, which we appreciate.
A slick feature: USB outlets set into the sides of the front seatbacks. They’re up high and easy for second-row passengers to reach. Other manufacturers have since copied this smart idea.
2023 Kia Telluride interior
The Kia’s 47.5 cu. ft. of usable cargo space is better than the Highlander’s, thanks to a big opening that allows larger items to fit in. (Read how we test cargo space.)
Both the Kia and Toyota come with a number of standard active safety systems, including forward collision warning (FCW) and automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection. But Kia ups the ante by including blind spot warning (BSW) and rear cross traffic warning (RCTW) standard on all trims.
Finally, the Telluride’s warranty coverage is also superior. The basic “bumper-to-bumper” warranty is the first five years of ownership or up to 60,000 miles of use, whichever comes first. And the powertrain warranty is the first 10 years of ownership or up to 100,000 miles of use, whichever comes first. Roadside aid coverage is also better: 5 years/60,000 miles.
2023 Kia Telluride
The Case Against It:
As we’ve noted in other comparisons, the Telluride’s score of 97 in our road tests shows that it doesn’t have many faults. Still, it isn’t without shortcomings, and there are several areas where the Highlander performs better or has a superior feature.
Neither one of these SUVs is going to be anointed a driving enthusiast’s companion. While the Kia has competent handling, its pronounced body lean erodes driver confidence and gives the SUV a lumbering feel when driving around corners.
As nice as the cabin is, there are a few places where Kia obviously saved money. The glove box and under-the-armrest storage bin are made of hard, unlined plastic, and the glossy plastic surfaces around the center console don’t feel very solid.
Our drivers who sit farther back from the steering wheel commented that it’s a long reach to use the touch screen. And the gray buttons on the center console below the screen have light-colored text, which can make them challenging to read in full sunlight.
We aren’t fans of the various beeps and vibrations that are part of the LDW system. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to turn it off without also deactivating LKA.
Toyota Highlander
Photo: Toyota
Toyota Highlander
The Case for It:
The fourth-generation Highlander is much more of an evolutionary redesign rather than a revolutionary one. It looks much like its predecessor, and drives and feels very familiar as well. But some incremental changes and improvements continue to make it a smart choice for families.
Toyota’s winning combination of a lively V6 engine and responsive eight-speed automatic makes the Highlander not only quick in our acceleration evaluations but also frugal—particularly for a V6 engine. Its 22 mpg overall matches that of the Mazda CX-9 and Subaru Ascent (both have a turbo four-cylinder). For 2023 Toyota is replacing the V6 with a 265-hp, 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that gets, according to Toyota’s estimate, 24 mpg combined.
Of course, buyers who want better fuel economy can opt for the Highlander Hybrid, which gets a stellar 35 mpg overall, is almost as quick, and can propel itself on electric power at low speeds.
We like how well the Highlander absorbs and softens the impact from rough road surfaces, and the overall ride quality is compliant and controlled. It’s on a par with the Telluride.
Both versions of the Highlander are quiet but not up to the library-like interior of the Telluride. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to notice any big difference. The V6 engine has a smooth, muted hum and wind and road noises are subdued. The Hybrid version gets noisy only under hard acceleration.
The regular Highlander performed very well in our braking tests. While it can’t match the Telluride, we measured short stops on both dry and wet pavement.
Getting in and out of the Highlander is as easy as in the Telluride. The doorsill is low and narrow, the seats are at the perfect height to slide onto, and the door openings are wide. It’s even easier to get into the second row, thanks to the more generous openings and wide foot path.
The Highlander scores very similarly to the Telluride in our seat comfort evaluations. Measurements are marginally smaller in some areas—an inch less legroom or headroom—though the wider, boxier Telluride provides more shoulder room in each row. The third-row seat is best for kids, though bigger children may find the path to the third-row seat a bit narrow—adults certainly will.
Most controls are logically positioned, easy to use, and well-labeled. We like that physical knobs are used for the climate system, and the volume and tuning adjustments for the audio system. The standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are a welcomed convenience. While an 8-inch infotainment screen is standard, for 2023 the top Limited and Platinum trims get a 12.3-inch screen standard. This screen is optional on the XLE and XSE trims.
The Highlander also comes with the Toyota Safety Sense system as standard equipment, and includes FCW, AEB with pedestrian detection, LDW, and LKA.
In addition, the Highlander comes with free scheduled maintenance for the first two years of ownership or up to 25,000 miles of use, whichever comes first. The Kia doesn’t include free maintenance.
Toyota Highlander with standard 8-inch infotainment screen
Photo: Toyota
The Case Against It:
Both SUVs have similar handling and agility characteristics: fine, but they aren’t in the same league as the Mazda CX-9. But the Highlander posted a lower speed than the Telluride in our avoidance maneuver. Our drivers found it challenging to exceed 50 mph when going through the course, and the Highlander felt a little clumsy as it lumbered around our track. However, the well-tuned electronic stability control kept the big SUV under control.
In our braking tests the Hybrid version had longer stopping distances than both the Telluride and regular Highlander—20 feet longer than the Telluride and 12 feet longer than the regular Highlander on the wet surfaces. The tires on the regular Highlander and Telluride are grippier than those on the Hybrid, which uses tires designed for low rolling resistance to squeeze out the best fuel economy.
One of the bigger letdowns is the Highlander’s interior. It has a nice mix of materials but looks quite bland unless you opt for the Platinum version. Most surfaces are black, and there’s not much in the way of contrasting trim. In addition, many of the trim panels feel hard and low-cost, and the front window sills are barely padded and the rear ones are hard plastic. In general, the Highlander’s cabin appearance trails the Telluride’s.
Though the view straight ahead and around the front roof pillars is good, the short side windows hurt the view to the side and the second-row headrest blocks a bit of the view over the driver’s right shoulder. The thick rearmost roof pillars, small rear window, and second-row headrests all combine to limit the view straight back.
Even with the abundance of standard ADAS equipment, the Highlander doesn’t include BSW or RCTW as standard equipment. They aren’t available on the base L model at all, although they are standard on all other versions. Front- and rear-automatic braking is standard on the Limited and Platinum but isn’t available on the other trim levels.
Toyota Highlander
Photo: Toyota
Which One Should You Get?
Bottom line: If you are buying purely on fuel economy, then either version of the Highlander is the choice for you. The V6 does well in our fuel economy testing, and the Hybrid’s mileage is stellar for some cars, let alone a three-row SUV.
Loyal Toyota buyers may want to stay with the brand too, because they’ll feel at home from the second they slide into the cabin. In short, the Highlander is a family-friendly—though unexciting—SUV. Note that historically the Highlander holds its value very well.
But the Telluride is better in many ways, even topping the Highlander in CR’s reliability and owner satisfaction surveys in its first year. While the Toyota does well, the Kia gets top marks. Add in the smoother transmission, better braking, nicer cabin, greater interior and cargo room, and extra standard active safety systems like BSW and RCTW, and you have a winning SUV.
More from Consumer Reports:
Top pick tires for 2016
Best used cars for $25,000 and less
7 best mattresses for couples
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2022, Consumer Reports, Inc.
