The 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit marks the end of an era. Next year, the show moves to a June date that promises warmer temps and outdoor exhibitions. This final wintertime show was quieter than years past but still had its share of significant debuts from which to choose our Best in Show award.
After a day spent walking the show floor and taking in the debuts, the 2020 Kia Telluride emerged as our favorite. See why it was good enough for Best in Show honors below.
2020 Kia Telluride; Cars.com photos by Christian Lantry
Mike Hanley, senior research editor: Kia has been teasing the Telluride with customized versions but seeing the final production SUV in Detroit confirmed that the automaker got it right with its newest family hauler. The cabin is comfortable and inviting, with upscale amenities like available quilted Nappa leather upholstery and heated and ventilated first- and second-row seats. You could put a luxury badge on the steering wheel and nobody would bat an eye — it's that good. Add a long list of available active safety features and a respectable 5,000-pound tow rating and you have the makings of an all-star family vehicle.
Joe Wiesenfelder, executive editor: The ruggedness Kia purported for this vehicle in its introduction and the various modified versions on hand (and probably the advertising to come) had nothing to do with our designating it Best in Show. It's just a roomy, high-quality family vehicle that reflects Kia's known strengths, such as no-nonsense controls and lots of standard features. It has more third-row headroom than its sister, the Hyundai Palisade, and a sliding second row helps it compete with the larger SUVs in this class.
Fred Meier, Washington, D.C. bureau chief: Four things stood out most for me about the new Telluride. While Kia gave it a square-jawed, old-school SUV look, it showed Honda-like attention to standard and optional family-hauler details, such as an active rear-passenger reminder that sends an alert to your phone if it detects movement in the rear seats when you lock the vehicle, and an audio mode that powers only the front speakers if the kids are dozing in their car seats. Second, the list of standard and available tech features leaves little that would make you think you need to spend more for a fancier brand. Third, the availability of active safety features, including several firsts for Kia, fits its family SUV reason for being. And fourth, the cabin mixes colors and textures with upscale design details, such as the Porsche-like grab handles on the center console for a luxury look at mainstream prices. Sure, some of the trim may just look like real wood and metal, but it's done well. And I gave it bonus points for not carrying the luxury-look effort so far as to eliminate real knobs and buttons for the most used functions.
Aaron Bragman, Detroit bureau chief: What more needs to be said? It never fails to amaze me how far Kia has come from its early days on our shores. No longer the butt of jokes about quality or assembly, the latest Kias are amazing pieces of machinery that any of us would be proud to drive. The newest one, the Telluride, is a fantastic example and an easy contender for the benchmark in this class. Comfortable, spacious, easy to get in and out of, and pleasant to spend time in, the new Telluride promises to make family travel or cargo hauling a breeze. While some three-row crossover SUVs struggle with their third-row accommodations, Kia has figured out a winning formula with easy access, adaptive legroom between all rows and plenty of amenities. This is how you do a big family hauler these days, folks.
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