Compare the2022 Kia TellurideVS 2021 Chrysler Pacifica

Both the Telluride and Pacifica have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Pacifica’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Telluride are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Pacifica doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Telluride’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Pacifica doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Telluride and the Pacifica have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Telluride is safer than the Chrysler Pacifica:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Telluride the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 120 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Pacifica last would have qualified as a “Top Pick” in 2019.

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Pacifica’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Chrysler covers the Pacifica. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Pacifica ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Telluride has a standard 800-amp battery. The Pacifica’s 730-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Telluride’s reliability 49 points higher than the Pacifica.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Chrysler vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 53 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chrysler is ranked 28th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chrysler vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 69 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chrysler is ranked 29th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chrysler vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Chrysler.

The Telluride’s standard 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 31 more horsepower (291 vs. 260) than the Pacifica Hybrid’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 hybrid. The Telluride’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 4 more horsepower (291 vs. 287) than the Pacifica’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Kia Telluride is faster than the Chrysler Pacifica:

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride 4x4 gets better fuel mileage than the Pacifica AWD V6 (19 city/24 hwy vs. 17 city/25 hwy).

The Telluride has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Pacifica Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 16.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Telluride’s standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Pacifica:

The Telluride stops much shorter than the Pacifica:

For better traction, the Telluride has larger tires than the Pacifica (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R17).

The Telluride LX/EX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pacifica’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Telluride LX/EX has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Pacifica.

The Telluride has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Pacifica doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better maneuverability, the Telluride’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Pacifica’s (38.8 feet vs. 39.7 feet). The Telluride’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Pacifica AWD’s (38.8 feet vs. 40.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Telluride has a 2.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Pacifica (8 vs. 5.4 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 550 pounds less than the Chrysler Pacifica.

The Telluride is 7.4 inches shorter than the Pacifica, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Telluride has .8 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more rear headroom and 3.4 inches more rear legroom than the Pacifica.

The Telluride’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Pacifica’s (5000 vs. 3600 pounds).

While the Pacifica Hybrid is not recommended to tow, any Telluride can tow a minimum of 5000 pounds.

The Telluride uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Pacifica uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Telluride SX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Pacifica doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Telluride’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Pacifica’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

The Telluride has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. A locking fuel/charge port door is only offered on the Pacifica Hybrid.

Consumer Reports rated the Telluride’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Pacifica’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Telluride EX/SX has standard front air conditioned seats and the Telluride SX offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Pacifica doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Telluride S/EX/SX has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. The Pacifica doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Insurance will cost less for the Telluride owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Telluride with a number “8” insurance rate while the Pacifica is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Telluride is less expensive to operate than the Pacifica because typical repairs cost much less on the Telluride than the Pacifica, including $258 less for a muffler, $25 less for front brake pads, $38 less for a starter and $30 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Telluride will be $39 to $2403 less than for the Chrysler Pacifica.

Consumer Reports® chose the Kia Telluride as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Chrysler Pacifica isn't recommended.

The Telluride was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2 of the last 2 years. The Pacifica has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The Pacifica has never been chosen.