2021 Volvo XC40 vs 2022 Kia Telluride

The 2021 Volvo XC40 had a traditional SUV styling with a tall, flat roof and upright rear hatch, fitting seamlessly into the Volvo lineup with its “Thor’s Hammer” LED headlights and simple oval grille. Gasoline models offered a white contrasting roof for a retro look. The XC40 Recharge featured a blanked-off grille, “Recharge” badging, model-specific alloy wheels, a gloss black roof, and a model-exclusive Sage Green Metallic color. The interior was minimalist yet premium, with real metal trim, Nappa leather, and Nubuck textile upholstery, and a coherent design that melded elements like the portrait-oriented touchscreen and air vents into a pleasing whole.

The 2022 Kia Telluride boasted a muscular design with balanced proportions and trendy blacked-out wheels and trim. For 2022, Kia made minor changes to the grille pattern and added new badges. The Telluride’s interior was upscale and organized, with thoughtful details like overhead air vents, manual rear side window shades, and USB ports embedded into the front seatbacks. The SX Prestige package added premium Nappa leather upholstery and a simulated suede headliner, making the interior look and feel more expensive. The Telluride’s interior was designed for utility, with features like a Smart Power Liftgate and a one-touch sliding and folding second-row seat mechanism.

The 2021 Volvo XC40 offered a three-tiered powertrain lineup, with the electric Recharge at the top. The gasoline options included a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The base FWD T4 had 187 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, while the AWD T5 had 248 hp and 258 lb-ft. The Recharge shared its powertrain with the Polestar 2, featuring one electric motor for each axle, providing AWD and a combined 402 hp and 486 lb-ft. The Recharge had a 78-kilowatt-hour battery pack, with 75 kWh of usable capacity, and could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. The T5 and T4 models had zero to 60 mph times of 6.1 and 8.1 seconds, respectively. All versions were electronically limited to 112 mph. The XC40 Recharge emphasized quiet and comfort, with excellent ride quality even on rough roads, and was capable of one-pedal driving. It also had a towing capacity of 2,000 pounds.

The 2022 Kia Telluride featured a 291-horsepower 3.8-liter V6 engine with 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. AWD models had a Lock mode that evenly split power delivery to the front and rear axles. The Telluride offered a brake-based Torque Vectoring Cornering Control system and driving modes including Eco, Comfort, Smart, and Sport. The SX trim had 20-inch wheels and 245/50 tires, providing good grip. The Telluride’s ride quality was smooth, with a little more roll in corners but no apparent loss in handling capability. It was a great long-distance driver, with Highway Driving Assist technology. The Telluride had an EPA fuel economy estimate of 21 mpg in combined driving, with our SX AWD test vehicle returning 21.1 mpg. The Telluride’s towing capacity was 5,000 pounds.

The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge had the same passenger and cargo space as the gasoline models, but it was not particularly spacious. It had less legroom and headroom compared to the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E, and a smaller cargo area. The frunk was also small, with much of the space occupied by powertrain hardware. The gasoline XC40 was more competitive on interior space compared to rivals like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1. Volvo included clever storage solutions, such as a removable trash bin in the center console, a bag hook in the glovebox door, and extra-large door bins. The storage cubby ahead of the shifter was well-shaped to hold a phone, and a wireless charging pad was optional.

The 2022 Kia Telluride balanced form with function, with an upscale and organized interior. Thoughtful details included overhead air vents, manual rear side window shades, rear smartphone storage pouches, and USB ports embedded into the front seatbacks. Dual-zone automatic climate control served front-seat occupants, while a single-zone panel served the back. The SX Prestige package added premium Nappa leather upholstery and a simulated suede headliner. All three rows of seats were comfortable for adults, though the third row was less preferred. The Telluride had plenty of storage space, with 21 cubic feet of cargo room behind the third row, 46 cubic feet with the third row folded, and a maximum volume of 87 cubic feet. The Telluride’s folding seats and flat load floor made it easy to haul large items.

The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge featured the Android Automotive OS infotainment system, with Google apps like Google Assistant and Google Maps. The system included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth connectivity, with a 9-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The Recharge had OTA update capability for the infotainment system and other vehicle functions. It also lacked a start button, with the car starting automatically when the driver got in with the key fob. The gasoline models continued with the previous infotainment system.

The 2022 Kia Telluride made its 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system standard, including a navigation system with voice recognition technology. The Telluride lost wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, requiring a wire for these features. The voice recognition system was not conversational. Kia provided USB charging ports in all three rows and a wireless smartphone charging pad in all versions except the LX. Standard equipment included Kia Connect, a connected services platform with a free trial subscription for one year. It included features like 911 Connect, safe teen driving alerts, remote engine start, and home-to-car smart speaker integration. The Telluride also had standard Quiet Mode and Driver Talk functions. Our SX test vehicle had a 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a head-up display, and a surround-view monitoring system.

The gasoline 2021 Volvo XC40 received the highest “Top Safety Pick+” rating from the IIHS and a five-star overall crash-test rating from the NHTSA. The electric XC40 Recharge had not been rated, but Volvo expected it to perform well in crash tests. The XC40 came with standard safety features like lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, and rear parking sensors. Optional features included traffic-sign recognition, reverse automatic emergency braking, and Volvo’s Pilot Assist driver-assistance system. The Recharge model had Volvo’s latest sensor suite, scalable for future advanced driver aids.

The 2022 Kia Telluride included numerous standard driver assistance and collision avoidance technologies under Kia Drive Wise. These included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control with curve speed reduction. The Telluride also had Highway Driving Assist, Smart Cruise Control-Curve, and Safe Exit Assist. Our SX test vehicle had Blind-Spot View Monitor technology. The Telluride earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, with four stars for frontal-impact protection for the driver and front passenger. The IIHS gave the Telluride its “Top Safety Pick” designation.