Compare the2023 Chrysler PacificaVS 2023 Kia Telluride

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Chrysler Pacifica 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 Kia Telluride doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

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

Both the Pacifica and the Telluride have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chrysler Pacifica is safer than the Kia Telluride:

	Pacifica	Telluride
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	168	281
Neck Stress	230 lbs.	275 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	75/194 lbs.	164/998 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	196	378
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Injury Risk	25%	36%
Neck Stress	117 lbs.	131 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	91 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	440/251 lbs.	351/369 lbs.

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

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 Chrysler Pacifica is safer than the Kia Telluride:

	Pacifica	Telluride
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	395 lbs.	440 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	137
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	293	450
Spine Acceleration	50 G’s	52 G’s
Hip Force	616 lbs.	640 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Pacifica is 2.7% to 4.6% less likely to roll over than the Telluride.

Warranty

The Pacifica’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Telluride runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Chrysler dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Pacifica’s warranty.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Chrysler Pacifica V6 is faster than the Kia Telluride:

	Pacifica	Telluride
Zero to 30 MPH	2.3 sec	2.5 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.7 sec	7.2 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	11.1 sec	11.5 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.5 sec	3.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.1 sec	15.4 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Pacifica running on electricity gets better mileage than the Telluride:

			MPGe
Pacifica
	FWD	Hybrid Electric Motor	87 city/77 hwy
Telluride
			MPG
	FWD	3.8 DOHC V6	20 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.8 DOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Pacifica running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Telluride:

			MPG
Pacifica
	FWD	3.6 V6 Hybrid	29 city/30 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/28 hwy
Telluride
	FWD	3.8 DOHC V6	20 city/26 hwy

The Pacifica Hybrid can travel with zero emissions for 32 miles. The Telluride can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Pacifica Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Telluride doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Pacifica’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip (not available Hybrid). The Telluride doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Pacifica has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Telluride doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chrysler Pacifica, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Telluride.

The Pacifica Hybrid has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Telluride doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Pacifica AWD’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Telluride:

	Pacifica AWD	Telluride
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13.4 inches	12 inches

The Pacifica stops much shorter than the Telluride:

	Pacifica	Telluride
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	177 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the Pacifica can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Telluride doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Pacifica’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Telluride doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Pacifica’s wheelbase is 7.4 inches longer than on the Telluride (121.6 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pacifica is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Telluride.

Chassis

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Pacifica has liquid-filled engine mounts. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Telluride uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Pacifica uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Telluride doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Pacifica uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Telluride doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Pacifica has 10.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Telluride (165.1 vs. 155).

The Pacifica has .1 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 6.8 inches more rear hip room, 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room, .6 inches more third row headroom, 5.1 inches more third row legroom, 5.8 inches more third row hip room and 5.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Telluride.

The front step up height for the Pacifica is 3.2 inches lower than the Telluride (16.3” vs. 19.5”). The Pacifica’s rear step up height is 1.1 inches lower than the Telluride’s (18.2” vs. 19.3”).

Cargo Capacity

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

	Pacifica	Telluride
Behind Third Seat	32.3 cubic feet	21 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	87.5 cubic feet	46 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	140.5 cubic feet	87 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Pacifica easier. The Pacifica’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 24.3 inches, while the Telluride’s liftover is 30.7 inches.

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

	Pacifica	Telluride
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	23.2”/57.5”/92.5”	20.4”/49.8”/83.8”
Max Width	49.3”	54.4”
Min Width	48.8”	43.5”
Height	47.6”	34.5”

The Pacifica has standard Stow ’n Go second and third row seats (except Hybrid for the second row), which fold flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Telluride doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Ergonomics

The Pacifica’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Telluride does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Pacifica’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Telluride’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Pacifica’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Telluride’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Pacifica’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Telluride offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Pacifica has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Telluride.

The Pacifica’s optional ParkSense Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Telluride doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Pacifica is less expensive to operate than the Telluride because it costs $745 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Pacifica than the Telluride, including $172 less for a water pump, $203 less for fuel injection, $97 less for a fuel pump, $74 less for a timing belt/chain and $772 less for a power steering pump.