Kia Brings Overland Tellurides to SEMA
As we noted in our first night gallery, overland has taken over SEMA. From 4Runners to Jeeps and Ram trucks, everything has a rooftop tent. Not wanting to be left out of the off-roading fun, Kia brought five versions of their new Telluride SUV that are ready to conquer the trails.
While the aesthetics vary from car to car, all of them have been given the necessary suspension upgrades to handle whatever the wilds will throw at them. Included in the upgrades are a three-inch wider track front and rear, King hydraulic bump stops, fabricated multi-link suspension and control arms and corrected bump steer and roll center.
Also included on the front suspension are KW Motorsports inverted-shaft long-travel McPherson struts with remote reservoirs, linear bearings and three-way adjustable damping, and KW Motorsports long travel inverted WRC spec shocks with remote reservoirs and three-way adjustable damping on the rear. All of this has led to a two-inch increase in travel on the front and 1.5-inch increase in the rear.
Telluride Horizon Roamer
For the first of five special editions, the Horizon Roamer was designed to take on the Rubicon Trail and comes with a striking Bright Orange paint scheme and roof rack with integrated LED lights for when you’re still on the trail after dark. For helping it cross any kind of terrain, it has been equipped with a front brush guard, snorkel, skid plate and straight pipe exhaust.
Telluride Cadet Leader
This one can fit much better into the great outdoors with its Military Green and Black paint scheme. Along with a roof rack, this edition also has Rotopax carriers on the rear quarter panels so that you never run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. Like the Horizon Roamer, it also has a brush guard with a skid plate and a straight back exhaust, but it adds a rear tube bumper with a skid plate and amber Halo LED lights up front.
Telluride Desert Drifter
The Desert Military Tan and Black Telluride was made for the sands outside the Las Vegas city limits. This one has mounted the Rotopax to the roof rack and comes with a brush guard with a skid plate, rear tube bumper with a skid plate, straight pipe exhaust and Halo LED light bar.
Telluride Baja Glider
This edition was designed to take on the Baja 1000, as the name implies, and it reconfigures a similar assortment of gear as the previous ones. Instead of just one light bar, it ups the ante with two, in case you’re traveling fast across the desert and need the next 100 feet to look like day. Along with a rear tube bumper with skid plate and straight pipe exhaust, like the others, this one comes with a forged tube front bumper with a skid plate to help you hit the whoops at speed.
New York Fashion Week Brandon Maxwell Telluride
Heading from its debut at the New York Fashion Week to the Kia booth at SEMA was the Brandon Maxwell Telluride. Its connection to Fashion Week goes beyond the place where it was unveiled, as the car is based on designer Brandon Maxwell’s Spring Summer 2019 Collection, titled “Texas.” Considering how important the cattle industry is to Texas, it should come as no surprise that there is leather all over it, from the interior to the outside door handles and mirrors, to the cargo area and tow strap tongue. The interior leather has even been double stitched to resemble the stitching on a saddle.
It comes with a few useful additions as well, such as custom bumpers, skid plates and sidestep sills, a snorkel and a wood and aluminum roof rack. It’s even rolling on 265/50R20 Nitto Terra Grappler G2s, good for both the trail and the highway. That said, this custom Telluride is probably too nice to take out on any trails for real.
While these are nice as SEMA show vehicles, it would be nicer to see them reflect factory options for the Telluride when it goes on sale in 2020. Since this has so clearly been marketed as an overland vehicle from the get-go, we would love to see things like an upgraded suspension, light bars and roof racks come from the factory. Of course, aftermarket upgrades will always be a big part of the overland community, but lowering the barrier to entry for people wanting to get out and enjoy nature is never a bad thing.
Also, considering how popular special editions have become, we wouldn’t be surprised to see (most of) these offered as full packages from day one.
Some photos provided courtesy of Kia.
