Compare the2022 Kia TellurideVS 2022 Jeep Wagoneer

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

Both the Telluride and the Wagoneer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer’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 Jeep covers the Wagoneer. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Wagoneer ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Telluride has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engines in the Wagoneer.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Telluride has a standard 800-amp battery. The Wagoneer’s 730-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 Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 11th.

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 Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 24th.

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

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride 4x4 gets better fuel mileage than the Grand Wagoneer 4x4 (19 city/24 hwy vs. 13 city/18 hwy).

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

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 Wagoneer Off-Road’s 65 series tires.

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1850 to 2000 pounds less than the Jeep Wagoneer.

The Telluride is 1 foot, 5.8 inches shorter than the Wagoneer, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Telluride is 5.3 inches narrower than the Wagoneer, making the Telluride easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

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 Wagoneer uses body-on-frame design instead.

The Telluride has .5 inches more front legroom and .2 inches more rear headroom than the Wagoneer.

The front step up height for the Telluride is 3.3 inches lower than the Wagoneer (19.5” vs. 22.8”).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Telluride easier. The Telluride’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.7 inches, while the Wagoneer’s liftover is 34 inches.

The Telluride has a higher standard payload capacity than the Wagoneer (1662 vs. 1510 lbs.).

The Telluride has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Wagoneer (1664 vs. 1560 lbs.).

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 Wagoneer has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

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