2016 Detroit Motor Show: Kia Telluride

Here’s a Kia SUV that allows you to ‘check yourself’

THE Kia Telluride has been revealed at the 2016 Detroit motor show but is unlikely to be sold in Australia. The seven-seater Telluride (yes, that’s the concept’s official name) is larger than the seven-seat Kia Sorento that’s offered here, and is tipped to be the replacement for the Kia Mohave, which is sold only in left-hand drive markets including North America, where the Korean maker enjoys its greatest sales.

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There’s still good reason to check out the new SUV, beyond the styling which looks like a Kia had a brawl with an old Ford Bronco. The muscular interior even has some Volvo elements to it, including the windowline and the huge alloy wheels.

As well as a glitzy mirrored roof, the interior features four leather-trimmed ‘captain’s’ chairs and a new digital instrument cluster that extends to the central display, as well as ‘health and wellness features’ that include a ‘Light Emitted Rejuvenation’ (LER) system.

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Kia says that the LER system uses ‘a massive, wing-shaped LED panel mounted beneath the oversize sunroof that displays a pattern of therapeutic light to treat desynchronosis (jetlag) and improve passengers’ energy levels.” Those seats, too, include Smart Sensors to “capture a passenger’s vital health information”.

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The Telluride is easier to get into, too, with rear-hinged doors a al the Mazda RX-8 sports car of last decade. And, at a whopping 24.13cm longer than the Sorento, using the same platform but with a stretched wheelbase (3081mm) to offer even great interior space.

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Under the bonnet of the Dark Pyrite green concept car is a 3.5-litre V6 hybrid driveline, making a total of 298kW – 201kW from the engine and 97kW from an electric motor – for a claimed 7.84L/100km. That matches the claim for the most efficient Australian-spec Sorento, the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel, which is a less powerful 147kW.

Despite Kia suggesting that the Telluride “is anything but a Utopian fantasy”, Kia Australia has told Wheels that the Telluride is not yet confirmed for production, and even if it does arrive in U.S. showrooms, it’s still not part of its Australian strategy.