Kia teased a new large SUV concept last week, the Telluride, and we were able to see more of the new, uniquely styled luxury SUV today.
Clearly, the deep metallic green paint is applied to attract football fans, timed perfectly a couple weeks before the Super Bowl and the resulting guacamole gorge.
Kia notes that its concept is based on an existing platform (Sedona, perhaps?) and has suicide doors to ease access into the second row captain’s chairs. Those seats, incidentally, have built-in sensors that monitor the passenger’s health. The LED lights below the panoramic sunroof can generate a pattern of therapeutic light to counteract jetlag.
The concept is powered by a 400 horsepower, gas-electric hybrid powertrain.
Discuss this story on our Kia Telluride Forum
Kia also teased another hybrid SUV concept, the Niro, to be unveiled in Chicago in February.
So many Crossovers look so much alike now that it’s actually interesting to see something so radically different.
Put all wheel drive in it and give it a V6.
Show the hamsters in it – to show off the interior – play some “Blackploitation music from the 90’s”
BOOM – You’ve got a winner.
“Blackploitation music from the 90’s”
Boyz 2 Men?
Motown Philly won’t get it done.
Gotta be Dre: youtube.com/watch?v=evajU4NXnhs
(don’t click on this at work)
You down wit OPP?
Yeah you know me.
“Blackploitation music from the 90’s”
Nobody can say you don’t have a sense of humor.
Agreed on the content, too. I like the unique look of the front end (no bulging eyes), especially. Sort of reminds me of a prior generation Ford pickup.
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaxploitation
I guess the “Hamstars” are a loose form of that… :-)
What – no ski rack? “Telluride” doesn’t ring true here.
Just style the front fascia like a ’64 Impala and play an uncensored N.W.A. track in the commercials. Boom! Instant sales success!
Niro fiddled while Telluride burned…
Burn baby burn, disco inferno
Burn baby burn, burn that Telluride down
HAHAHAHA
That front end is pure derp (like Ssangyong level derp). Suicide doors won’t play in lawyer land as we learned from previous Continental concept discussions. And a jet lag indicator is a bit specific to my mind, for a car which will -not- see livery use, as nobody wants picked up from LAX in a big black Kia.
They’ve really got some work to do.
Suicide doors are popular for concepts because they allow show-goers to see the interior better when they aren’t allowed to get very close to the vehicle.
I don’t frequent LAX too often, but I’ve seen quite a few black Hyundai Equus’ and Kia K900’s serving in Houston, Austin and Dallas liveries. Could be a badge snob thing.
That looks like—
[starts throwing up]
—it looks like Kia remembered, two weeks ago, that it had paid for a booth at the NAIAS and needed something new to display, so someone paid his five-year-old two dollars and a pack of gum to design a concept.
[finishes throwing up]
Thing is, according to another source, the car and everything in it are purely hypothetical…which basically means that Kia has no plans to build it. And it’s not pretty. And it doesn’t showcase the brand in a positive light. So what exactly was the point, other than making me throw up?
They paid in crap Juicy Fruit gum. You were allowed to give up designing when the flavor ran out.
Evidently. What was the inspiration for the color, rancid pea soup?
Autech?
I agree, except that those back seats look like naptime heaven.
The Telluride is EASILY the best looking concept thus far, AND (but wait! There’s more!) as an added bonus, looks like it could be put into production today without any problems (i.e. there are no weird steer by penis/vag joysticks).
It is restrained yet rich looking, proportionate, with no warts, nipples, odd appendages, or needless things.
It looks like a modern Range/Land Rover Defender, to be honest.
Now I’ve heard it all. A Volkswagen Touareg with a Rolls Royce Phantom nose with a Kia grille slapped on it and Cadillac taillights is the “best-looking” anything?
This is like the Jeep Commander: a cynical effort to pander to the part of American society that values bigness above all else. It has one genuinely good idea, which is the suicide doors.
Good looking vehicles are hard to accurately describe, but in that way are similar to obscenity; one knows them/it when it sees them/it.
For some reason, the front end reminds me of the original Cadillac Escalade. It maybe should have been the next SRX. I personally like it too.
I agree, the best -and most realistic- looking concept thus far. This styling could go right into production.
This should be luxed up to the max and marketed as a Genesis IMHO. Way too good for KIA!
The side and rear are fine; the front end is kinda a mess.
Regardless, we’re likely to see a Kia luxury crossover based on the Genesis platform whether it will look more like this or the previous Cross GT concept.
Peter Schreyer’s Borrego front fascia was much more elegant and cleaner. This one’s whale shark mouth fits with the times. Telluride retains Borrego’s double hump hood. Same profile as Borrego. Not unique to Kia: wheels too big; sidewalls too narrow.
A whole new level of gauche… looks like the entire body got Armor All’d.
If that’s the bait, how big must crows *get* in Korea?
TELLURIDE: You bought a KIA, are you sure you’re feeling alright?
I’m wondering if this vehicle has been designed more for the Chinese market in mind, rather than the US?
The ease of access into the rear with the suicide doors, the overall and slightly off beat style of the vehicle, especially the front end.
This Telluride might be a teaser to assess US interest in the vehicle.
If these are aimed more at the Chinese, then maybe they will be manufactured in China.
Looking at the vehicle itself, it appears to be more than just a concept, it appears to be a vehicle intended for production.
Suicide doors are pretty much concept-only (see carlisimo’s comment above).
I like the looks – ‘ye ol’ station wagon lines – actually if it sat closer to the ground like a station wagon, me and four other people would be interested.
This is a good looking car. Am I the only one who sees alot of Volvo xc90 in the profile? I love the xc90 but this is something that looks similar probably more reasonably priced if went into production
Agreed, I actually thought it was the last xc90 from the thumbnail. Seems like a nice budget escalade. Just swap the rims for something less stupid.
Looks like a Soul on steroids IMHO
Sigh…
The X164 (2006-2011) GL-Class is an example of a well-executed premium SUV. It wasn’t controversial or excessively flashy, but classy and formal while remaining original.
This, however, is way overdone, in not in a good way. Same goes for pretty much everything else popping up. The concepts and new models seem to disappoint me further, year after year.
The auto designers really need to get back to the drawing board.
In what ways, specifically, is it overdone?
The whole thing tries way too hard to look too nouveau and futuristic and it fails.
It’s hard to put into words. It’s too blocky on the front. It looks as if they copied the front clip of a Rolls-Royce on to this thing and modified the grille to fit the Kia look. The overall shape of the body resembles the Porsche Cayenne (which isn’t an eyesore). The entire rear end is so bad that seeing it is a great alternative if for some reason there’s a need to induce vomiting and syrup of ipecac isn’t readily available. No words for that at all.
The interior, on the other hand, isn’t too space-age in looks but it’s not sleek either. The GL-Class, specifically the X164, is simple yet still pretty nice–which is why I refer to it as a luxury SUV that was well-executed. The seating in this thing resembles avant-garde furniture. There’s a missing B-pillar which should be very interesting as far as crashworthiness if this atrocity ever makes production.
I have to admit that Kia did a decent job on the Sorento. This, however, should be crushed and put in the past.
Looks pretty “Jeepish” to me, with the largest possible interpretation of the “tiger-nose” grille.
It’s OK
The whole thing tries way too hard to look too nouveau and futuristic and it fails.
It’s hard to put into words. It’s too blocky on the front. It looks as if they copied the front clip of a Rolls-Royce on to this thing and modified the grille to fit the Kia look. The overall shape of the body resembles the Porsche Cayenne (which isn’t an eyesore). The entire rear end is so bad that seeing it is a great alternative if for some reason there’s a need to induce vomiting and syrup of ipecac isn’t readily available. No words for that at all.
The interior, on the other hand, isn’t too space-age in looks but it’s not sleek either. The GL-Class, specifically the X164, is simple yet still pretty nice–which is why I refer to it as a luxury SUV that was well-executed. The seating in this thing resembles avant-garde furniture. There’s a missing B-pillar which should be very interesting as far as crashworthiness if this atrocity ever makes production.
I have to admit that Kia did a decent job on the Sorento. This, however, should be crushed and put in the past.