Compare the2023 Kia TellurideVS 2023 Hyundai Palisade

Both the Telluride and the Palisade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, driver alert monitors, 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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Telluride is safer than the Hyundai Palisade:

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Palisade isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Telluride is faster than the Hyundai Palisade:

The Telluride stops much shorter than the Palisade:

The Telluride SX 4x4 handles at .81 G’s, while the Palisade SEL AWD pulls only .80 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 Palisade Limited AWD (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Telluride has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Palisade (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Telluride X-Line/X-Pro’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the Palisade (8.4 vs. 7.9 inches).

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Telluride SX 4x4 is quieter than the Palisade Limited AWD:

The Telluride has .2 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear hip room, .4 inches more rear shoulder room, .3 inches more third row headroom and .1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Palisade.

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

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Telluride. The Palisade doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

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 Palisade’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Telluride has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Palisade SEL/Limited/Calligraphy.

The Telluride will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Telluride will retain 54.84% to 55.57% of its original price after five years, while the Palisade only retains 53.3% to 53.86%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Telluride is less expensive to operate than the Palisade because typical repairs cost less on the Telluride than the Palisade, including $5 less for a power steering pump.

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.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Kia Telluride SX 4x4 first. They ranked the Hyundai Palisade Limited AWD fourth.

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

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Palisade has never been chosen.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Hyundai Palisade by 21% during 2022.