Kia Telluride Coloring Page: Free Printable PDF Sheet

Kia Telluride: History & Fun Facts

A 2019 Debut Built for Eight Passengers

Kia unveiled the Telluride in 2019 and put it on sale for the 2020 model year as its largest SUV yet, built with three full rows of seats to carry up to eight passengers on family road trips. It replaced smaller crossovers as the flagship of Kia's American lineup almost overnight.

Named After a Colorado Mountain Town

Kia named the SUV after Telluride, Colorado, a mountain town known for skiing and rugged scenery, a name chosen to suggest wide-open adventure rather than city commuting. The name also set it apart from Kia's other, more conventionally titled SUVs.

Built Exclusively in West Point, Georgia

Every Telluride sold anywhere in the world rolls off the line at Kia's manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, making it one of the few Kia models built solely on American soil for a global market. That single-plant strategy also means exported Tellurides carry a Made in USA badge overseas.

A Boxy Grille That Broke From Kia's Softer Look

The wide, upright grille made of stacked vertical bars traced in this outline marked a deliberate styling shift for Kia, trading the brand's earlier rounded shapes for a more squared-off, truck-like face on its flagship SUV. Designers said they wanted the front end to look confident parked next to older, more established three-row rivals.

Named North American Utility Vehicle of the Year

The Telluride won the North American Truck/Utility of the Year award shortly after launch, recognition that helped establish Kia as a serious competitor in the crowded three-row SUV market rather than a budget alternative.

A Flat Roofline for Maximum Headroom

Kia kept the Telluride's roofline flat and the greenhouse tall rather than sloping it for style, a choice that preserves headroom in the third row so taller passengers can actually use the rearmost seats instead of ducking under a sloped rear window.

A Mid-Cycle Redesign in 2022

Kia refreshed the Telluride for the 2023 model year, updating the grille pattern, headlight shape, and wheel designs while keeping the boxy overall silhouette that buyers had responded to since launch. New interior trims and updated infotainment screens arrived alongside the exterior changes.

Roof Rails Built for Real Cargo

The straight roof rails along the top of the Telluride are functional mounting points rather than decoration, designed to carry a cargo box or bike rack on family camping trips and road trips. Some trims also support a fold-out third-row tailgate seat for outdoor events.

A Sales Success From Its First Year

The Telluride quickly became one of Kia's best-selling models in the United States, popular with large families cross-shopping it against three-row SUVs from longer-established rivals. Waiting lists at some dealerships stretched for months during its first two years on sale.

Slim Connected Lighting at the Front

The thin horizontal line connecting the headlights across the Telluride's nose is part of Kia's modern lighting signature, giving the wide front end a single continuous visual line rather than two separate lamp clusters. That same connected-light theme later spread across most of Kia's newer SUV and crossover models.

A Family SUV With Off-Road Trims

Kia later added X-Line and X-Pro trims to the Telluride, adding all-terrain tires, extra underbody protection, and a slightly raised ride height for families who wanted to take their three-row SUV beyond paved campground roads.