Compare the2023 Kia TellurideVS 2023 Land Rover Discovery

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 Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Discovery doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kia Telluride has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Discovery doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

Both the Telluride and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 Discovery 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 Discovery’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 Land Rover covers the Discovery. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Kia dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Telluride’s warranty.

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 Discovery.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Discovery 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 Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 37 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 22nd, 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 Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 139 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 32nd.

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

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

The Telluride stops much shorter than the Discovery:

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is .6 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Discovery.

The Telluride SX 4x4 handles at .81 G’s, while the Discovery R-Dynamic S pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Telluride SX 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Discovery R-Dynamic S (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Telluride’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (38.8 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 to 750 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery.

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 Discovery (.36). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Telluride get better fuel mileage.

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

The Telluride has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 5 inches more rear legroom, 2.3 inches more rear hip room, 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room, .2 inches more third row headroom, 1.7 inches more third row hip room and 8.2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Telluride’s middle and third row seats recline. The Discovery’s third row seats don’t recline.

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

The Telluride’s cargo area is larger than the Discovery’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 Discovery doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Telluride has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Telluride to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Discovery doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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 Discovery doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Telluride owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Telluride will cost $1815 to $6625 less than the Discovery 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 Discovery only retains 50.7% to 50.86%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Telluride will be $24603 to $27518 less than for the Land Rover Discovery.

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 Discovery isn’t in the top three.

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

The Kia Telluride outsold the Land Rover Discovery by almost 74 to one during 2022.