Compare the2023 Kia TellurideVS 2023 BMW X7

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Telluride are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X7 doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

Both the Telluride and X7 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 X7’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 X7 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Telluride and the X7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 X7 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 X7’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the X7 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Telluride’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The X7 isn’t in the top three in its category.

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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 9th.

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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 42 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 15th.

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the X7:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X7 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than on the X7.

For better maneuverability, the Telluride’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the X7 w/Rear Steering’s (38.8 feet vs. 40.7 feet). The Telluride’s turning circle is 3.9 feet tighter than the X7 xDrive40i’s (38.8 feet vs. 42.7 feet).

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1200 to 1250 pounds less than the BMW X7.

The Telluride is 6.7 inches shorter than the X7, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Telluride has standard seating for 8 passengers; the X7 can only carry 7.

The Telluride has 1.6 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 4.8 inches more rear legroom, 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.5 inches more third row headroom and 7.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the X7.

The front step up height for the Telluride is .5 inches lower than the X7 (19.5” vs. 20”). The Telluride’s rear step up height is 1.2 inches lower than the X7’s (19.3” vs. 20.5”).

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the X7.

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 X7’s liftover is 32.5 inches.

The Telluride’s cargo area is larger than the X7’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 X7’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 improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Telluride has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X7 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 X7 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Telluride SX Pro/SX Prestige has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X7 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Telluride is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The X7 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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 selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The X7 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 X7 has never been chosen.

The Kia Telluride outsold the BMW X7 by over three to one during 2022.