The three-row SUV category is one of the most competitive on the market since it is full of some of the best vehicles on Canadian roads. Despite this, the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas distinguishes itself by its practicality, its efficiency and its features. Here is how it compares to the 2023 Kia Telluride.
More interior room
The Kia Telluride is a very spacious SUV, but the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas is more generous in some key interior dimensions that help it make passengers more comfortable on long trips. Indeed, the Atlas offers more headroom in all three rows of seats than the Telluride, as well as more legroom in the third row. This helps the interior feel airer and it makes passengers feel more comfortable o every trip but especially when covering long highway distances. The Atlas also has the advantage in the cargo compartment since it can fit up to 1,572 litres of luggage behind the second row and up to 2,741 litres behind the front seats.
A larger choice of powertrains
The 2023 Volkswagen Atlas can suit a wider range of buyers than the 2023 Kia Telluride due to its powertrain offering. Indeed, the Kia comes only with a 3.8L V6 engine while the Atlas can be ordered with either a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine or a 3.6L V6. This allows the Atlas to appeal to buyers who want a more efficient option as well as those who need more power, such as when towing a trailer. The standard 2.0L engine in the Atlas provides an ample level of power while also being more efficient than the V6 in the Telluride, which is why the Atlas can show official consumption figures of only 11.0 L/100 km in the city and 9.3 L/100 km on the highway.
Advanced driver assistance features
Both the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas and the Kia Telluride are equipped with a large array of advanced driver assistance technologies. On the Volkswagen, these include features such as the Travel Assist System that combines adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist to help the driver on long highway trips by managing the distance to the vehicle in front and applying gentle steering inputs to keep the vehicle in the center of its lane, even on curves.