Compare the2023 Kia TellurideVS 2023 Jeep Wagoneer

Both the Telluride and Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer’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.

The Telluride’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Wagoneer.

Both the Telluride and Wagoneer 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 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, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, 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 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 some of the engines in the Wagoneer.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Telluride has a 800-amp battery. The Wagoneer only offers a standard 730-amp battery.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Telluride’s reliability 29 points higher than the Wagoneer.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Wagoneer 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 Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 23rd, 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 Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 56 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 19th.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Telluride is faster than the Jeep Wagoneer V8 hybrid gas:

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

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 stops much shorter than the Wagoneer:

The Telluride LX/X-Pro’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’s standard 65 series tires.

The Telluride SX 4x4 handles at .81 G’s, while the Grand Wagoneer Series II pulls only .67 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Telluride SX 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.1 seconds quicker than the Wagoneer Series III 4x4 (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 30.4 seconds @ .52 average G’s).

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1700 to 2050 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 design of the Kia Telluride amounts to more than styling. The Telluride has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .34 Cd. That is lower than the Wagoneer (.352). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Telluride get better fuel mileage.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Telluride SX 4x4 is quieter than the Grand Wagoneer Series II:

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”). The Telluride’s rear step up height is 3.7 inches lower than the Wagoneer’s (19.3” vs. 23”).

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.).

The Telluride’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Wagoneer’s standard power windows’ rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

Insurance will cost less for the Telluride owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Telluride will cost $4765 to $7695 less than the Wagoneer over a five-year period.

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 Wagoneer only retains 52.54% to 52.77%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Telluride will be $29147 to $31967 less than for the Jeep Wagoneer.

Consumer Reports® chose the Kia Telluride as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Wagoneer isn't recommended.

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

The Kia Telluride outsold the Jeep Wagoneer by over two to one during 2022.