So over the last year we've compared the pilot to several of its chief rivals and it's managed to take them all down
even the luxurious Acura MDX
And in this case, it might be the toughest one yet the all-new 2020 Kia Telluride!
this is Kia's first car designed from the ground up for the North American market and it is
Packing a lot of features into its three rows of space
But is it enough to take down the Refresh pilot? Let's find out!
So like always we'll start off with the pricing of these two for the Telluride
There's been a lot of confusion about what exactly it competes with
But rest assured that it is sized and priced right in line with all the other non luxury 3-row crossover
That being said it starts out a little over
$31,000 and we have the top trim here the SX all-wheel-drive which goes for forty three thousand four hundred and ninety dollars
From there we have the two thousand dollar prestige package which includes a slew of features
floor mats wheel locks and a 1045
Destination charge. All told that brings the price to a very competitive forty six thousand seven hundred ninety five dollars
While that sounds like a lot of dough I say very competitive because on the pilot it takes nearly
Fifty grand to get that top trim Elite. What matches up closer on price to the telluride is the Touring trim
Which is what we use for this comparison
It starts at forty four thousand seven hundred twenty dollars and in typical Honda fashion
There are no additional options besides for the nine ninety five destination charge
That puts the total price at forty five thousand seven hundred fifteen dollars or just about a thousand dollars cheaper than the fully loaded Kia
And to make up for that small difference. We'll start the pilot off with one point
Starting out with the powertrains these two crossovers are pretty close to each other
Both have naturally aspirated v6 engines three and a half liters on the Honda and 3.8 liters on the Kia
the telluride ends up with more horsepower at 291 versus 280 and both have the same amount of torque and
Then for the transmissions the Honda technically has more ratios, but it's not a meaningful difference
Both also have torque vectoring all wheel drive systems as I already mentioned
Now moving into how these two actually drive we were impressed by both of them
First and foremost both are tuned for comfort and they ride excellent
But despite that neither feels like a big lumbering boat or anything like that
Power delivery is very good in both since they are naturally aspirated and the
Transmissions are very smooth, even the pilots which has taken some flak in the past for being a bit lethargic
Of course neither of these are sports cars, but the Telluride steering has a more natural and even weight to it
But all in all both crossovers are pretty similar and they excel at making the driving experience Pleasant
Finally finishing this part up they have nearly the same combined fuel economy ratings at 22 versus twenty one combined
But anyways, that's it for the powertrain info. So now let's move on to the exterior designs and features
So while these two are pretty similar to each other under the hood you certainly can't say the same thing about the designs
The Honda definitely has the more traditional and conservative look up front. But this updated 2019 grille did make things look more aggressive
The tele ride however has a very different look than the competition
One that borrows characteristics from much more expensive vehicles like Range Rover
it has a large boxy grill with telluride branding across the hood and
Then off to the side you have a stacked LED headlight cluster with the really unique yellowish daytime running lights
The pilot's headlights are also fully LED and down at the bottom. Both models will have LED fog lights, but
Since they are pretty much the same I won't award any points here
Around at the side and back though
The Telluride does have some objective advantages besides for the subjective opinion that it looks
substantially more stylish to my eyes. The
Kia has very upscale. Looking full LED taillights compared to the partial units on the Honda and
Then it also has exposed exhaust outlets instead of hidden ones on the pilot
So overall if you are concerned with provocative styling in this class, the telluride is pretty much the only name in the game
Now checking out all the individual features. They have nearly identical turning circles and ground clearances of close to eight inches
The wheels however are not very similar besides for both being 20 inches
The Honda goes with a contrast design while Kia goes with a fully blacked out on the SX trim
Heading to the mirrors both models come with heating and blind spot monitoring but only the telluride has auto dimming and power folding
Now in addition to the blind spot monitoring both Honda and Kia give you their entire Suites of safety systems as standard equipment
that means they have automatic forward emergency braking Lane Keeping Assist adaptive cruise control and auto high beam headlights and
Like I said, these features are standard on all trims. Not just these loaded models
One pretty significant difference between these two are their warranties the
pilot comes with the industry standard
three-year basic and five year power train warranties, but
Kia almost doubles that to five year basic and ten-year powertrain
However, neither of them have complimentary maintenance
The last two things I mentioned on the outside are the
5,000 pound tow ratings on both and then the fuel tank capacities of nineteen and a half gallons on the pilot and
eighteen point eight gallons on the Kia
Now since the pilot already has better fuel economy. It does of course have the greater fuel range at
429 miles versus 395 miles
But as you can see even though they look very different on the outsides
They have similar features, but now let's go ahead and see if the same thing happens for the interiors
Now moving into the interiors the first thing we have are the key fobs for the standard smart entry systems
Besides for design the main difference here is that Honda has integrated remote start
Whereas on the Kia you have to do it be at the UVO app
Another small point to mention is that the pilot has an unlock sensor behind the handle instead of having to press the button
So first opening up the doors just like on the outside the interiors could not look any more different
the Honda once again has the more traditional design finished here in beige leather and
Then Kia has gone with a more upscale. Look which as equipped gives you luxury grade Napa leather
Now as far as the actual seat functionalities, both are 10-way power adjusting. However, the telluride has extra power thigh extension
Both of them also have two-person memory. But only the kia has ventilation at this price point
So visually the Telluride's cabin has the richest design in the class and that is also backed up by class leading materials
The top part of the dash is made of a soft touch plastic with stitching and then through the middle
There is a really realistic faux wood trim
Finally, the two grab handles are also covered in soft leather and all the buttons that look like aluminum or aluminum
By comparison the pilots materials are what I consider normal for the class
But they are much less luxurious than the Kia's. So overall the Telluride will take the materials point
Press the buttons to start both
When you do both large touchscreens will fire up eight inches on the Honda and over ten inches on the Kia UVO
Checking out the gauges they look very different. But ultimately they both have 7-inch multifunction displays with the same capabilities
However, the telluride does have a head-up display which the pilot can never get
Moving on back to the steering wheels the telluride also has the advantage here since its wheel is heated and it uses real aluminum trim
They are both manually tilt and telescoping
Next up we have the very important aspect of storage where both models absolutely strive
Honda went with separated armrests to allow for a blank space to set things and then underneath there is an absolutely massive bin
Additionally, there is some more storage in the front
Kia also gives you large bins in the center and front but overall. They're not quite as large as in the Honda
However Kia does fight back by giving you a wireless phone charger that the pilot is missing
Now coming to the shifters, Honda uses an electronic one and Kia has a traditional one
Regardless of personal preference on this part both have manual modes and paddle shifters on the wheel
However when you go into reverse the Kia gives you a nice
360-degree camera that takes up the whole display, which is something the Honda doesn't offer
The next stop are the climate controls where both models give you a three zone automatic setup
They're also very ergonomically friendly since all the buttons are large well labeled and all in one cluster
Now let's hear the audio
Even though they have the same speaker count the Kia branded system has the richer sound and
Now that brings us to the infotainment systems
Starting with the Honda it now has the latest Honda link system with the better graphics performance and touch response
This one also has built-in navigation in addition to both Android auto and apple carplay
The Kia also has the latest version of UVO and on this high-end Telluride, we have the large display with split-screen functionality
This system has both integrated navigation and
Android auto and apple carplay
I've already awarded the kia point for having the larger display. But other than that the software experiences are both very pleasant
Finally the last thing to mention up front is the regular moonroof on the pilot compared to the dual panel set up on the Kia
But anyways now, let's move on to the rear areas which are historically the pilot's most dominant area
Already so checking out the back seats
Surprisingly the Telluride has more legroom at forty two point four inches versus forty point two in the pilot
They do however have identical Headroom measures
Additionally these high-end models come with seven passenger captains chairs
Which on the pilot are heated and on the telluride are heated and ventilated
That's a feature not available on many cars costing twice what the Telluride does
now as far as other amenities both have manual sun shades rear climate controls as
Well as two charging USB ports and a household outlet
Where the pilot has a leg up is in the rear seat entertainment
For 2019, it has a larger 10.2 inch display and it gets all the advanced features from the Odyssey
like direct screen casting from a smartphone
Now moving on to the third row of seats both crossovers have a very convenient
OneTouch folding and sliding mechanism to give you a nice pathway
Once in the third row the pilot is slightly more spacious overall though, not more than a five percent difference
Both also have rear air vents, but only the Kia gives you charging USB ports
Moving around to the rear both have smart opening tailgates and
Once they open up you'll find some of the best cargo capacities in the class
Behind the third row the Kia actually has the advantage at 21 cubic feet versus 16
But as the rows of seats fold, they become essentially identical
So if you're looking for spacious options, either of these two will more than suffice
Well guys that that concludes this comparison between a newcomer and an established leader as
You can see both are really well rounded offerings
But at this point the Kia's combination of size features and luxury make it the new value king in the class
But as always we do recommend checking them out in person
Thanks for joining us on this car confections face-off comparison and be sure to subscribe for more comparisons and our signature floor review videos
See you next time and take care!