Compare the2022 Kia TellurideVS 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser

Both the Telluride and Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser’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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Land Cruiser uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Telluride and the Land Cruiser 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, driver alert monitors, 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 Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser’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 Toyota covers the Land Cruiser. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser’s 650-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 41 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 19th, 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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fourth.

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride 4x4 gets better fuel mileage than the Land Cruiser (19 city/24 hwy vs. 13 city/17 hwy).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Telluride higher (5 out of 10) than the Toyota Land Cruiser (3). This means the Telluride produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Land Cruiser every 15,000 miles.

The Telluride stops much shorter than the Land Cruiser:

The Telluride S/SX’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Land Cruiser’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Telluride S/SX has standard 20-inch wheels. The Land Cruiser’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

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 Toyota Land Cruiser has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

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

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

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Land Cruiser.

The Telluride SX 4x4 handles at .81 G’s, while the Land Cruiser pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Telluride SX 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Land Cruiser (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1400 to 1600 pounds less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

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 Land Cruiser uses body-on-frame design instead.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Telluride SX 4x4 is quieter than the Land Cruiser:

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

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the Land Cruiser.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the Land Cruiser Heritage Edition.

The Telluride’s cargo area is larger than the Land Cruiser’s in almost every dimension:

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Telluride’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

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 Land Cruiser’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 Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser (1662 vs. 1320 lbs.).

The Telluride has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Land Cruiser (1664 vs. 1320 lbs.).

The Telluride has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Telluride’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Land Cruiser has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The power windows standard on both the Telluride and the Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Telluride’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Land Cruiser’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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

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

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

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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Telluride is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Land Cruiser 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 $6090 less than the Land Cruiser 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 $30805 to $40089 less than for the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Both are recommended, but 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 Land Cruiser has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

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