We love to see the new vehicles that are coming to the market and wonder what it would be like if they were improved upon right away. One new SUV that’s on the way from Kia is the Telluride. As a large three-row crossover SUV, this big SUV is one that you could easily picture becoming a great midsize truck for us to drive. We already have one truck on the market that uses unibody construction, so another wouldn’t be a stretch at all and I could be a new vehicle that would be highly profitable for Kia.
The Market Dictates the Need
The current automotive market is one in which smaller pickup trucks are becoming more popular than ever. With more midsize trucks being added to the mix the question becomes whether or not Kia should make the change and give us a truck to go along with the SUV that we’ll be able to drive. Kia has offered a rendering of what a new midsize pickup truck would look like and it appears to be a cross between the Chevrolet Avalanche and the first generation of the Honda Ridgeline.
What Does the Kia Platform Offer for a Truck
Using the Kia Telluride platform makes creating a pickup truck pretty easy. The rendering offered shows us a four-door truck that has room for five people to drive in comfort while the rear of the vehicle has been altered to make a small pickup bed that could be useful for a lot of cargo and fun in the rear of the vehicle. The platform uses an AWD system which defaults to send power to the front axle, but this can be locked to send power to both axles equally.
The Right Power for a Midsize Truck
Most of the midsize trucks we see on the market today are offered with the power levels that we find in SUVs as well. These trucks typically use smaller and more efficient engines than their larger counterparts. This means the 3.8-liter V6 engine would be perfect for a Kia truck. This engine is able to give you 291 horsepower and 262 lb.-ft. of torque for the drive to make sure you can have the power you need to get things done. There would likely be an increase in towing capability with a truck that has this engine when compared to the SUV offered.
Could it Work?
The midsize truck market is a fickle area of the automotive world. The models that remained when domestic brands took a break, didn’t move the needle forward much at all. Today we have new models and upgraded performance numbers in a variety of ways. It may be time for a Kia pickup truck that could be affordable, easy to drive, and based upon the SUV that’s new and ready for us to have three rows of driving excellence. We’re ready for a Kia pickup truck; is Kia ready to offer it to us?
Looking for something slightly different? Opt for the Kia Niro!
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