Compare the2027 Kia TellurideVS 2026 Infiniti QX80

Both the Telluride and QX80 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The QX80’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Telluride AWD’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The QX80 doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Kia Telluride’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Infiniti QX80 does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Telluride and QX80 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Telluride has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The QX80’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Telluride uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The QX80 uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Telluride and the QX80 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The QX80’s 4-year/60,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Infiniti covers the QX80. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the QX80 ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 4 times as many Kia dealers as there are Infiniti dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Telluride’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 61 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Infiniti is rated below average.

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the QX80:

Regenerative brakes improve the Telluride Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The QX80 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The QX80 requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Telluride has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the QX80. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Telluride higher (6 out of 10) than the Infiniti QX80 (5). This means the Telluride produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the QX80 every 15,000 miles.

The Telluride X-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the QX80 Luxe/Sport/Autograph’s 50 series tires.

For better maneuverability, the Telluride’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the QX80’s (39.2 feet vs. 41.6 feet).

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1150 to 1450 pounds less than the Infiniti QX80.

The Telluride is 12 inches shorter than the QX80, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Telluride 4x4 is 6.7 inches shorter in height than the QX80, making the Telluride much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Telluride’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The QX80 doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Telluride uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The QX80 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Telluride has .9 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more rear headroom, 3.8 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more third row headroom than the QX80.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the QX80.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Telluride to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The QX80 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Kia Telluride stands out above the Infiniti QX80 by offering not one, but two Qi-compatible phone chargers. This convenience helps travelers with multiple devices to keep powered up on-the-go. Wireless charging eliminates lost or cluttered charging cables and one of them provide more flexibility.

The Telluride Prestige’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The QX80 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The QX80 has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The QX80 has never been chosen.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Infiniti QX80 by over 9 to one during 2025.