Compare the2022 Kia TellurideVS 2021 Lexus LX 570

Both the Telluride and LX 570 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 LX 570’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 LX 570 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 LX 570 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Telluride uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The LX 570 uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Telluride and the LX 570 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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.

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 LX 570 has not been tested, yet.

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 LX 570’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the LX 570. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the LX 570 ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Telluride’s warranty.

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 13 points higher than the LX 570.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 12th.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Telluride is faster than the Lexus LX 570:

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride 4x4 gets better fuel mileage than the LX 570 (19 city/24 hwy vs. 12 city/16 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The LX 570 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Telluride stops shorter than the LX 570:

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Telluride has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Lexus LX 570 has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Telluride has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The LX 570’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Telluride’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the LX 570 (114.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the LX 570.

The Telluride SX 4x4 handles at .81 G’s, while the LX 570 pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Telluride SX 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the LX 570 (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1550 to 1700 pounds less than the Lexus LX 570.

The Telluride is 3.1 inches shorter than the LX 570, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Telluride’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The LX 570 uses body-on-frame design instead.

The Telluride has 11.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the LX 570 (155 vs. 143.4).

The rear step up height for the Telluride is 4.7 inches lower than the LX 570 (19.3” vs. 24”).

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the LX 570.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the LX 570 Two-Row.

The Telluride’s cargo area is larger than the LX 570’s in almost every dimension:

The Telluride’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The LX 570’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Telluride’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The LX 570 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Telluride has a much higher standard payload capacity than the LX 570 (1662 vs. 1280 lbs.).

The Telluride has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the LX 570 (1664 vs. 1280 lbs.).

The power windows standard on both the Telluride and the LX 570 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Telluride is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The LX 570 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Telluride to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The LX 570 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Telluride’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The LX 570’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

The Telluride is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The LX 570 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Telluride owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Telluride will cost $4635 to $6805 less than the LX 570 over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Telluride will be $43730 to $48179 less than for the Lexus LX 570.

Consumer Reports® chose the Kia Telluride as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Telluride was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2 of the last 2 years. The LX 570 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The LX 570 has never been chosen.