Compare the2025 Kia TellurideVS 2025 Infiniti QX80

Both the Telluride and QX80 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 QX80’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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Telluride’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The QX80 doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Telluride and QX80 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. The QX80’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

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 QX80 uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Telluride and the QX80 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 QX80 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 QX80’s 4-year/60,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Infiniti covers the QX80. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the QX80 ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride third among upper midsize suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The QX80 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is ranked 14th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Infiniti is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 3 places higher in reliability than Infiniti.

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the QX80:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The QX80 requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Telluride has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the QX80. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1650 to 1800 pounds less than the Infiniti QX80.

The Telluride is 1 foot, 2.3 inches shorter than the QX80, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Telluride is 7.7 inches shorter in height than the QX80, making the Telluride much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

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 QX80 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 lower than the QX80 (.37). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Telluride get better fuel mileage.

The Telluride has 1.8 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more rear headroom, 3.2 inches more rear legroom and 1.9 inches more third row headroom than the QX80.

The Telluride has a much higher standard payload capacity than the QX80 (1662 vs. 1455 lbs.).

The Telluride has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the QX80 (1664 vs. 1455 lbs.).

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

The Telluride was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 4 more times in the last 5 years. The QX80 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 QX80 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 QX80 has never been chosen.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Infiniti QX80 by almost 9 to one during 2023.