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John Mahoney15 Jan 2019
NEWS

DETROIT MOTOR SHOW: Kia Telluride revealed

Eight-seat SUV is largest vehicle Kia has made but lack of right-hand drive means it's out of reach for Oz

Kia has revealed its production version of the 2019 Kia Telluride at today's Detroit motor show.

Developed alongside the Hyundai Palisade, the large eight-seat Kia Telluride is the largest vehicle to ever wear a Kia badge, the Korean car-maker claims.

Designed, developed and built chiefly for the US market, the Kia Telluride is based on a robust ladder-frame chassis and is powered by a 3.8-litre V6 that produces 217kW and 355Nm of torque.

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Channelling its power through an eight-speed automatic transmission in most circumstances the large SUV acts as a front-wheel drive vehicle, until the all-wheel drive (optional) detects slip when up to 50 per cent of its torque can be shuffled rearwards to restore traction.

Featuring a 'snow' mode and an AWD Lock mode, that fixes torque split 50:50 front/rear, the large Telluride also has a 'sport' setting that divides torque 65:35 front to rear.

Built to be rugged, the Telluride can tow up to 2267kg, Kia claims.

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To offset its size in the city, the big Kia gets blind spot detection and avoidance assist, cross traffic alert and assist and a lane keep assist providing for a semi-autonomous cruise control.

There's even a microphone up front to allow the driver to communicate with the passengers in the second and third rows.

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Inside, the cabin is dominated by a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system that's combined with a powerful premium sound system.

Prices have yet to be announced for the Telluride but unfortunately a lack of right-hand drive production has hampered any chance of the large Kia SUV making it Down Under - despite Kia Australia expressing interest.

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