Compare the2024 Kia TellurideVS 2024 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.

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 side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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.

The Kia Telluride has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The GX has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 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 above average in initial quality. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is rated lower.

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.

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 on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Telluride higher (6 out of 10) than the Lexus GX (5). This means the Telluride produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GX every 15,000 miles.

The Telluride stops shorter than the GX:

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 GX Overtrail’s standard 70 series tires.

The Telluride has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The GX doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Telluride’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the GX (114.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the GX.

The Telluride SX 4x4 handles at .80 G’s, while the GX Overtrail+ pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Telluride SX 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the GX Overtrail+ (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Telluride’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the GX’s (38.8 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1250 to 1450 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 doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The design of the Kia Telluride amounts to more than styling. The Telluride has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .34 Cd. That is significantly lower than the GX (.39). 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 GX can only carry up to 7.

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

The Telluride has a much higher standard payload capacity than the GX (1662 vs. 1235 lbs.).

The Telluride has a higher maximum payload capacity than the GX (1664 vs. 1545 lbs.).

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.

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

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Telluride, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride first 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.

The Telluride was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 4 more times in the last 5 years. The GX has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

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 2023.