Honda Pilot vs Kia Telluride

[jeffhaltiner]

Originally Posted by Max

I have an E19 on order for 2023 and looking for a tow vehicle now. I live very downtown and am looking for a small vehicle (eg, mid-sized SUV) that is easy to park but has towing power for western mountains. Friends have had great experience with Toyota Highlander but there are none to be had for the foreseeable future. Does anyone have experience to share with Honda Pilot AWD or Kia Telluride/Hyundai Palisade?

Hi Max:


We went through this same process in 2021. we had a new E19 on order and needed a vehicle to tow it. We wanted a 7 passanger mid-sized SUV to pull it (as the TV would primarily be used for other uses (hauling family/friends etc on non-trailer trips).

We narrowed down our search to 4 vehicles: Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Kia Telluride, and Volkswagon Atlas. We test drove all 4 and all 4 felt fine and had the same rated towing capacity (5000lbs). We ended up with the Kia Telluride and are totally happy with our decision. Here are a few observations:

1. We wanted to go with the Toyota based on it's long-term record of reliability and performance. however, we hated the rear seat configuration (only holds 2 people). also, at that time, Toyota wasn't providing a 7-pin connector.
2. We liked the Honda Pilot layout (and have loved our Honda Odyssey van, which i think shares a similar power train. However, we rely a lot on Consumer Reports annual car reviews, and the Pilot got only so-so reliability ratings. similar CR comments about the VW Atlas (which we also liked).
3. the Kia Telluride got the highest CR ratings for this class of cars for 2 years in a row. Esp in the "reliability" category. We got the EX model and like the "self-leveling rear shocks. We had a similar problem finding one without a big markup, but eventually found a dealer (we're in the SF bay region) who would order one for us at MSRP. It took 6 months for it to arrive, but we had given ourselves enough time for it to arrive in time to pick up our E19.
4. The E19 pulls like a dream behind the Kia (we got the E2 package from Escape and that is really important (otherwise, the couple sits very low to the ground). We're currently on a month-long trip to 9 parks in California, arizona and Utah. We get 13-15 mpg, with a range of about 225 miles between gas stations. We haven't had any of the huge hills (Rocky Mtn park scale) but the Kia has been easily able to pull the trailer at 55-60mph over any hills we've encountered. biggest potential downside is that there are not a lot of Kia Dealership/Repair shops outside of big cities, so this could be an issue if the Kia ever needs repair while out on the road.
5. I've noticed that car buyers (like house buyers) can only ever afford 3 of the 5 things you really want in your vehicle. i would LOVE to have a big truck with mega-pulling power on this trip. but i wouldn't want it around town or for hauling people etc. So life is alway filled with choices and you try and make your best choices, based on all of your needs.

A bit long-winded but hopefully helpful. and we are LOVING our E19 after 60 years of tent camping!

[skyfree]

Comparing towing performance is important when choosing a vehicle, but given that these 2 are essentially equal in that regard, the most important thing will be how it drives. As a former Honda Pilot owner I can tell you that the Telluride is leagues ahead in that regard. I was amazed at the difference. We were looking to upgrade but the problem at the time was that new vehicles were getting marked up at least $5K over MSRP and it didn't pencil out.

I believe the Telluride has pretty good reliability experience. The Pilot we had was good for 90K miles but we did warp the brakes. The tech blamed it on towing, but I don't think it was that. We did a lot of driving to ski resorts with a full load of 6 people and with a lot of gear on the roof.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by skyfree

Comparing towing performance is important when choosing a vehicle, but given that these 2 are essentially equal in that regard, the most important thing will be how it drives. As a former Honda Pilot owner I can tell you that the Telluride is leagues ahead in that regard. I was amazed at the difference...

I think it's also important to understand what a reviewer means by "how it drives" and what they consider better. To some people, the perfect drive is like sitting in their living room - they can't feel anything at all, including in the steering. To others, the perfect drive is about control of the vehicle and response. Neither is the only correct target, and if the reviewer values different characteristics than the buyer, the review is useless for purchasing.

[skyfree]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I think it's also important to understand what a reviewer means by "how it drives" and what they consider better. To some people, the perfect drive is like sitting in their living room - they can't feel anything at all, including in the steering. To others, the perfect drive is about control of the vehicle and response. Neither is the only correct target, and if the reviewer values different characteristics than the buyer, the review is useless for purchasing.

Good point, but the Telluride was better in both cruising down the freeway at 70 mph in a straight line and more spirited driving -- at least to me and every car magazine that has reviewed them.

We really liked our Pilot and it was very inexpensive to own since the resale on those things is exceptionally good. It's a very solid choice for that reason alone but I'm hoping the next iteration is a bit more athletic.