No confidence in Kia Telluride for Towing

[Bill T]

The Subaru supposedly has fuel bypassing abnormally in to the oil. Also 4 cyl turbo vs 6 cyl normal. Towed my Porsche 356 on a 900 lbs trailer and it did great. (Tow package) trying to get the 7 pin hook up to work. Have had the 65 to 75 mph problem that is almost fixed. ? Do not have electric brakes. Seems all comparable vehicles have some complaints or short comings.

 

[TelluRhode]

Car & Driver is wrong about the air suspension - they must have ass-u-me-d self leveling = air. It is definitely not.

See this THREAD for a bit more info on how it actually works.

I loaded 500 lbs of softener salt into the very back of mine (i.e. behind 3rd seat) - measuring distance from the top of the tire to wheel opening:
- before loading - about 3 fingers
- after loading - no space
- after driving & before uploading - back to 3 fingers
- after unloading - full fist+
- after driving after unloading - back to 3 fingers...

Not scientific measurements, but certainly showed the function. I'm confident with it now.

FWIW

Interesting: so this means the self leveling will kick in even if you’re not towing? Didn’t realize it would assist if something wasn’t connected to the hitch, but seems this option provides greater utility overall for heavier rear loads.

 

[Torr2ga]

I posted this yesterday (first time), thinking I was posting here, but obviously not. Yes the T can tow. We have a 2020 SX, AWD with tow pkg and "adjustable shock" package. Had a Tekonsha P3 brake controller and 7-pin wiring professionally installed by our regular mechanic. We tow a 2021 (B) Winnebago Micro Minnie 1700FB. It's a tandem 2500 lb axle with dry weight of 3340 lbs and GVWR of 5000 lbs and dry hitch weight of 340 lbs. It also has torsion suspension. No slides. We use a Blue Ox WD hitch, as well. The T towed it from PA to FL and back (2500 miles) at 65 mph without effort. Gas mileage was about 12-13 mpg which allowed us to take travel breaks and walk the dog every couple of hours. It is important to do your research and then do what it takes to properly equip to do it safely. Towing is not an "off the shelf" proposition. Lots of big rigs out there with all of the bells and whistles and if that's what you are after T may not be the vehicle to tow with, but there are a large number of smaller travel trailers that fit the T's ratings and can be towed safely when both are properly equipped. Happy towing and safe travels.

 

[Tbellz24]

Anyone Tow a Camper without the self leveling? Looking into getting one with the Telly being the tow Vehicle. Just curious how much sag without the self levelers.

 

[G-Man]

I posted this yesterday (first time), thinking I was posting here, but obviously not. Yes the T can tow. We have a 2020 SX, AWD with tow pkg and "adjustable shock" package. Had a Tekonsha P3 brake controller and 7-pin wiring professionally installed by our regular mechanic. We tow a 2021 (B) Winnebago Micro Minnie 1700FB. It's a tandem 2500 lb axle with dry weight of 3340 lbs and GVWR of 5000 lbs and dry hitch weight of 340 lbs. It also has torsion suspension. No slides. We use a Blue Ox WD hitch, as well. The T towed it from PA to FL and back (2500 miles) at 65 mph without effort. Gas mileage was about 12-13 mpg which allowed us to take travel breaks and walk the dog every couple of hours. It is important to do your research and then do what it takes to properly equip to do it safely. Towing is not an "off the shelf" proposition. Lots of big rigs out there with all of the bells and whistles and if that's what you are after T may not be the vehicle to tow with, but there are a large number of smaller travel trailers that fit the T's ratings and can be towed safely when both are properly equipped. Happy towing and safe travels.

Hi. How did the self-leveling work with your Weight Distribution. Hitch?

 

[Torr2ga]

It seemed to work fine. I was extremely pleased with the set up and the performance of the T. I was not familiar with self-leveling shocks before. Because the shocks do not level from the stationary hook up like airbags and this was our first time out, I checked periodically with a level and also measured a time or two after we were underway. That and the general visual appearance satisfied me that both the self-leveling and weight distribution hitch were working well together. There may be more technical methods to assess, but that's beyond me.

 

[MelissaH72]

It seemed to work fine. I was extremely pleased with the set up and the performance of the T. I was not familiar with self-leveling shocks before. Because the shocks do not level from the stationary hook up like airbags and this was our first time out, I checked periodically with a level and also measured a time or two after we were underway. That and the general visual appearance satisfied me that both the self-leveling and weight distribution hitch were working well together. There may be more technical methods to assess, but that's beyond me.

Just traded my pop-up for a travel trailer. Never had any problems towing that pop-up (3,500 lbs). Towing this TT (4,600 lbs) was so much different! I could really tell when the self leveling kicked in because it towed better.

Just wanted to ask a couple questions as this is the first time towing something like this.

1. My mpg dropped drastically! Down to about 15mpg. From what I've been reading, that seems about normal. Am I correct?

2. While towing, my rpm was way up the entire time. Is that normal? With my pup it didn't do that very often, but with the TT it was constant.

 

[Torr2ga]

Gas mileage would naturally drop, especially with the increase in weight and I'm guessing increased drag from the popup to TT. Still, 15 mpg is pretty good. Our best mpg at a constant 65 mph was 13-13.5. I have not experienced the increased rpm as a constant. I am by no means an expert, but my understanding of the Telle is that the pulling power, or torque, is at is max in 5000 rpm range. So depending on terrain, speed and loaded weight, pulling close to or over max weight may cause higher rpm. Just my thoughts. Safe travels.

 

[MelissaH72]

Gas mileage would naturally drop, especially with the increase in weight and I'm guessing increased drag from the popup to TT. Still, 15 mpg is pretty good. Our best mpg at a constant 65 mph was 13-13.5. I have not experienced the increased rpm as a constant. I am by no means an expert, but my understanding of the Telle is that the pulling power, or torque, is at is max in 5000 rpm range. So depending on terrain, speed and loaded weight, pulling close to or over max weight may cause higher rpm. Just my thoughts. Safe travels.

Thanks.
I have learned a lot since researching it. I didn't know about shifting out of OD and then shifting gears myself. That may help. Since I learned to drive on a standard, it will be second nature for me.

 

[TheViceRoy1]

They definitely didn't seem to design it for any serious towing, it's more a family hauler than a utility vehicle

 

[FPTelly]

Has anyone towed a u-haul trailer on here? Specifically their 5x8 cargo trailer. Only thing with U-Haul is they're all 4 pin, so no brake controller needed. Was planning on towing 1800-2000 ibs including the weight of the trailer. It's a long drive too, like 1700 miles. Bought the car for light towing, but after this forum, getting a mix feeling on it's capability. TIA

 

[Ravraziel]

Has anyone towed a u-haul trailer on here? Specifically their 5x8 cargo trailer. Only thing with U-Haul is they're all 4 pin, so no brake controller needed. Was planning on towing 1800-2000 ibs including the weight of the trailer. It's a long drive too, like 1700 miles. Bought the car for light towing, but after this forum, getting a mix feeling on it's capability. TIA

Not sure if I'm late to the party here, but I've got a 2021 EX AWD nightfall, with tow package and self leveling. I towed a U-Haul 5x8 enclosed trailer (gross weight was about 1,600 lbs), from Seattle to Tampa (3,100 miles). No trailer brake, as it was under weight for needing one. I didn't really notice the trailer behind the Telluride at all - no crawling over mountains, no sway, nothing - just fast and smooth. Lots of high wind through Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska didn't affect handling in the least, The self-leveling sitffened-up and raised the rear at all times, which helped give it more stability. I towed with my B&W Stow and Go Hitch for the 2" receiver (tri-ball 5" drop hitch). I've heard people say that the self-leveling doesn't help with towing. They obviously haven't towed with it. BTW, I also slept in the Telluride round trip, with memory foam camping mattress, along with some other gear, and was some of the best sleep I had in a while!

 

[scottw324]

My husband just contacted Kia. Not very helpful. We spoke to three different people in three different departments. We had several questions about their 'tow package'. Their answers were: Yes, there is a misprint in the manual and the tongue weight of the hitch is 500lbs. They also said yes, you can attach the wiring for a 7 pin harness, an after-market brake controller and an external transmission cooler (they did manage to tell us that the Telluride has one of those integrated ones that goes into the radiator) but no, the dealer won't do that. You're on your own. They didn't know whether or not that would have a negative effect on the warranty. When asked about the 'can tow 5000lbs when properly equipped' statement, they didn't know what 'properly equipped' meant. The very fact that the car hits the sales floor without the proper equipment (even AFTER opting for the tow package) in comparison to it's competitors makes me very nervous to purchase one. Now the Subaru Ascent is looking much more attractive. Pre-wired for a brake controller, 7 pin harness, and 277lbs of Torque @ 2,000 rpm. Telly's torque is 262 @ 5,200rpm. I'm starting to think that the Telluride really isn't set up as a tow vehicle which is a shame as I really wanted to like it ... I'm happy for someone to correct me though?!

I would have little confidence in a 4-cyl turbo in a vehicle that weighs 4,430 to 4,603 lbs, and then add on trying to tow 4,000 - 5,000 lbs of cargo. The reason you have the 277lbs of torque at 2K RPM is because of the turbo. You are going to burn the crap out of that turbo hauling too much. I would have more confidence in the V6 Telluride, weighing in at 4,112 to 4,354 lbs, to haul that amount of weight. But that is just me.

My previous car was a 2013 V6 Ford Explorer, which I used to move some stuff via 6'x12' Uhaul trailers for moving, and it did just fine.

I would have considered the Ascent, which I did look at and had as an early replacement option for the Explorer, until I realized there was no 6-cyl option. That turned me off right there.