Compare the2023 Kia TellurideVS 2023 Lexus GX

Both the Telluride and GX 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 GX’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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Telluride SX has standard Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The GX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Telluride and GX have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Telluride has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic.

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

Both the Telluride and the GX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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 performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Telluride its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GX 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 GX’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 GX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the GX 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 hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Telluride’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the GX’s camshafts. If the GX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

As tested in Car and Driver the Kia Telluride is faster than the Lexus GX:

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the GX:

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

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

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Kia Telluride, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the GX.

The Telluride stops much shorter than the GX:

The Telluride S/EX/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 GX’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Telluride S/EX/SX has standard 20-inch wheels. The GX’s largest wheels are only 19-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 Lexus GX has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Telluride’s wheelbase is 4.4 inches longer than on the GX (114.2 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 4.8 inches wider in the front and 5.2 inches wider in the rear than on the GX.

The Telluride SX 4x4 handles at .81 G’s, while the GX 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 seconds quicker than the GX (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Telluride’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the GX’s (38.8 feet vs. 41.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Telluride X-Line/X-Pro has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GX (8.4 vs. 8.1 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 750 to 1000 pounds less than the Lexus GX.

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 GX uses body-on-frame design instead.

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

The Telluride has standard seating for 8 passengers; the GX can only carry 7.

The Telluride has 25.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the GX (155 vs. 129.7).

The Telluride has 2.9 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front hip room, 6.2 inches more front shoulder room, 8.3 inches more rear legroom, 2.8 inches more rear hip room, 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.9 inches more third row headroom, 2.1 inches more third row legroom, .6 inches more third row hip room and .8 inches more third row shoulder room than the GX.

The front step up height for the Telluride is 2.2 inches lower than the GX (19.5” vs. 21.7”). The Telluride’s rear step up height is 2.7 inches lower than the GX’s (19.3” vs. 22”).

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

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 GX’s liftover is 33.8 inches.

The Telluride’s cargo area is larger than the GX’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 GX’s swing out door blocks loading from the passenger’s side.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Telluride EX/SX’s power cargo door can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Telluride’s power cargo door can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The GX doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening cargo door.

The Telluride has a much higher standard payload capacity than the GX (1662 vs. 1295 lbs.).

The Telluride has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the GX (1664 vs. 1295 lbs.).

The Telluride SX Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The GX 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 GX’s parking brake has to be released manually.

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 GX’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Telluride’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The GX’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 Prestige also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The GX 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 GX doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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

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 GX is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

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 GX only retains 46.1% to 47.91%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Telluride is less expensive to operate than the GX because typical repairs cost much less on the Telluride than the GX, including $46 less for a muffler, $376 less for a starter, $40 less for fuel injection, $15 less for a fuel pump and $281 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Telluride will be $21985 to $24460 less than for the Lexus GX.

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.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The GX isn’t in the top three in its category.

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

The Kia Telluride outsold the Lexus GX by over three to one during 2022.