2022 Hyundai Palisade vs. 2022 KIA Telluride
2022 Hyundai Palisade vs. 2022 KIA Telluride may be similar, but don’t call them identical. When Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride joined their respective brand ranks for 2022, the two quickly earned numerous awards for providing striking designs and generous features at family-friendly prices.
Palisade and Telluride were designed together and released simultaneously, although a closer look can help you figure out if one is better for you.
2022 Hyundai Palisade vs. 2022 KIA Telluride
Price
Although the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade are very close in price, Kia has a slight advantage with a starting price of $31,990 compared to Hyundai’s opening bid of $32,525. They also come in the basic trim, although we’ll go into more detail regarding features in the next paragraph.
Reliability
Both midsize SUVs have slightly above-average reliability scores, so Kia and Hyundai are both tied here.
Another indicator of reliability is the factory warranty – and again, it’s a series. Hyundai and Kia are both known for industry-leading warranty coverage, and that’s true here. Both are supported by a 10-year / 100,000-mile powertrain warranty and a five-year / 60,000-mile limited warranty.
Seat Comfort
At first glance, it’s hard to pick a winner for a seat. Both midsize SUVs come standard with eight seats in three rows, and each offers a seven-seat layout that swaps a second-row bench for a captain’s seat.
Telluride and Palisade offer spacious and supportive seating in the front and the second row, and both are slightly narrower in the third row. Drivers of any vehicle will be treated to great road views and easy access to controls and information.
However, the Kia Telluride comes standard with synthetic leather upholstery, while the Hyundai Palisade gets upholstery on the base model.
That’s enough to enhance telluride seating comfort, as well as the overall interior look and feel, giving Kia a win in this category. Both SUVs can be upgraded with genuine leather, power-adjustable front seats, and heated and ventilated seats.
Cargo Space
Although this SUV shares a wheelbase and looks fairly close in size, subtle differences are seen in the interior space.
The Kia Telluride has an edge here, with a cargo capacity of 21 cubic feet behind its third-row seats, 46 cubic feet with folded seats, and a maximum of 87 cubic feet when the second and third rows are folded. These figures are above average for a mid-sized SUV, though not the best in its class.
The Hyundai Palisade is slightly less than Telluride’s number. With 18 cubic feet of space behind the third row, 45.8 cubic feet with the third row folded, and a maximum of 86.4 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded. This is still above average for that segment.
Interior Quality
This is another area where the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride are quite compatible. Their cabin design is very different – which is more a matter of personal preference than quality – but it’s worth mentioning because buyers comparing these vehicles may feel very fond of one of those vehicles.
Both SUVs have good protection from wind and road noise. They are also finished with high-quality materials overall, including a dashboard surface with a soft touch and elegant trim.
Again, the main difference between the two, which we have mentioned, is that Kia wears a basic model with synthetic leather upholstery, while Hyundai uses fabric. Since it’s the only real and noticeable quality difference, it’s enough to give Kia a win in this category.
Interior Features
Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade are compatible in terms of interior features and technology. Both get an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with knobs and physical controls, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, HD Radio, Bluetooth, and five USB ports.
Both SUVs can be upgraded with a 10.2-inch touchscreen display, navigation, wireless device charging, and an intercom system.
Palisade is offered with Harman Kardon’s 12-speaker stereo and two additional USB ports, and Telluride is offered with a 10-speaker Harman Kardon stereo and one additional USB port.
Acceleration
The Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride 2022 are equipped with a 3.8-liter V6 engine with 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is optional.
Fuel Economy
It’s almost impossible, but the Kia Telluride beat the Hyundai Palisade by just one mpg in fuel efficiency. The front-wheel-drive Kia Telluride gets an EPA estimate of 20 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.
Hyundai Palisade with front-wheel drive gets 19 mpg city. Both SUVs have a city EPA rating of 19 mpg and a highway of 24 mpg for all-wheel-drive models.
Ride and Handling
The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade handle smaller vehicles with fast and agile steering, easy maneuverability, and a smooth and comfortable ride with minimal tilt.
While none of these vehicles are designed for serious off-roading, both can moderate off-road exploration, thanks to adequate ground clearance and selectable driving modes for various road conditions.
Safety
Both SUVs received an overall safety rating of five out of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Both Hyundai Palisade 2020 and Kia Telluride 2020 received the Top Safety Pick award from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Although IIHS has tested no 2022 models, the 2020 models of both vehicles are largely identical to their 2022 versions.
Both models include rearview cameras, forward collision alerts, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruising control, lane guard assistance, driver drowsiness monitoring, rear parking sensors, and a rear seat warning feature that reminds drivers to check the rear for children or pets.
Optional features for both models include a parking camera system with a surround-view, a front parking sensor, and a head-up display.
Palisade comes standard with automatic high beam headlights, which are optional on Telluride. However, Telluride comes standard with blind-spot monitoring and rear traffic warnings, which are optional in Palisade and are arguably more valuable in terms of overall safety. Therefore, Kia Telluride won this category.
The 2022 Kia Telluride holds second place in our mid-range SUV rankings, and the 2022 Hyundai Palisade is behind it in third place. That’s a pretty accurate assessment of the situation.
Although Telluride achieved some victories in the categories of price, comfort, and interior quality, cargo space, fuel economy, and safety, it must be repeated that this is all a very tight contest.
In some cases (One additional mpg? Half a cubic foot of the entire cargo chamber?), Telluride’s victory could easily be considered negligible under real-world circumstances.
In other words, drive these two SUVs before making a decision. You can easily find the Palisade style more attractive than Telluride, or you get better deals on the features you want at Hyundai dealerships than at Kia dealerships.
If that’s the case, you’re still making well-thought-out and well-researched choices, which is actually important when both your options are so good.
