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New Subaru Outback Vs All-New Kia Telluride - Outback Is Losing On Its Home Turf

Denver, Colorado, has been the Subaru Outback’s home turf and its best selling car. See why the wagon loses to the all-new Kia Telluride.
2020 Subaru Outback

Until recently, the Subaru Outback was the best-selling car in Denver and Colorado, but things have changed. The all-new 2020 Subaru Outback is selling well, and in short supply in the Denver metro area, but it is losing to the hot new Kia Telluride on its home turf. A new report from iSeeCars reveals the all-new Telluride is the fastest-selling new vehicle in Denver and the second-fastest in North America.

The Telluride is a three-row SUV, while the Outback has two rows of seats and fits in the mid-size wagon/SUV/ crossover segment. The Kia Telluride is about the same size as a Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and does compete with the new Subaru Ascent 3-Row family hauler.

2020 Subaru Outback vs 2020 Kia Telluride

How does the Kia Telluride compare with the 2020 Subaru Outback?

The Telluride is the largest vehicle the South Korean automaker has ever made. The Outback did grow for the 2020 model change with passenger volume in the new sixth-generation wagon, increasing nearly one cubic foot, and cargo volume improved by 2.4 cubic feet. The width between the rear wheel wells increased by almost 1 inch.

Outback offers 32.5 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seats and 75.7 cubes with the seats folded down. The Outback offers plenty of utility for hauling extra cargo for camping and long road trips.

2020 Subaru Outback vs 2020 Kia Telluride

Cargo space in the Telluride is generous, with 21 cubic feet behind the third row and 87 cubic feet with both rows folded down.

The more adventurous Outback XT trim comes with a new 2.4-liter turbocharged engine producing 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. The XT Boxer engine comes mated with a high-torque Lineartronic CVT automatic transmission with 8-speed manual control and steering wheel paddle shifters. A new auto-stop/start feature helps improve fuel efficiency.

EPA estimated fuel economy is 23/30 mpg city/highway and 26 combined mpg using regular unleaded fuel.

The new Telluride comes standard with a 3.8-liter V6 producing 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It comes paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is optional. 

EPA fuel mileage estimates come in at 19/24 city/highway mpg and 21 combined mpg with all-wheel-drive.

The all-new 2020 Subaru Outback may be losing Denver to the hot Kia Telluride, but the Outback has been around since 1995 and is now in its six-generation. The Kia Telluride is riding the wave of prestige and hype around a brand-new model that will likely soon wear off.

You Might Also Like: Why Coloradans Won’t Stop Asking this Couple, "Can I Buy Your Subaru Outback?"; Their Response is Legit!

Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press and the founder of Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Photo credit: Subaru, Kia

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Comments

Digitaldoc (not verified)    August 12, 2020 - 12:39PM

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Not sure how Denver became Subaru's home turf, as the Outback is produced on Lafayette, Indiana. I don't really see the Telluride and Outback directly competing with each other as the first is a 3 row SUV, and the latter is a lifted, two row wagon.I also don't see the Telluride as already peaked, and a shiny new thing that is losing its luster next week, as it is still gaining market share, and the limiting factor in sales has been the short supply to the extent that dealers were asking for above MSRP, forcing buyers to cross shop the Highlander, Explorer, and to a lesser extent the Ascent. For Q2 of 2020, the Outback sold 29k, while the Telluride sold 8550 vehicles, so Subaru should not be so threatened by the newcomer to the stage. if this pushes Subaru to hone the Outback, and address some issues, such as not being able to easily disable the auto start/stop, improving the base engine to make it a more viable option, getting past the broken windshield issues, or the fuel pump problems, then competition should improve the vehicles we are driving from all manufacturers.

crankypaul (not verified)    August 13, 2020 - 8:28AM

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Will you be comparing the Outback to a Miata MX5 next and complain about its lack of roadholding and sportiness? This is a rather foolish "comparison" and falls under "click bait" IMHO.

digitaldoc (not verified)    August 13, 2020 - 12:48PM

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Oh c'mon, the answer is always how the Subaru is better. Therefore we criticize the Miata for lacking Symmetrical AWD and no X-mode. Also, it lacks a CVT so it must be an inferior vehicle!

Luke Grzybowski (not verified)    August 13, 2020 - 9:59AM

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This is pretty lame click-bait. The Teluride is a three row SUV and should be compared to the Ascent, not the Outback. Subaru and the Outback have a strong and growing fanbase. Kia is still working on developing their market and may have made strides in reliability and sales, but they have a long way to go before they are a serious threat to Subaru.

Also, look at those power-to-efficiency numbers, the Outback is clearly the winner and it does so with standard AWD.

Mick Meyer (not verified)    August 13, 2020 - 12:00PM

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Honda and Subaru both make huge mistakes with their new products. We don't want the Honda Passport (basically a shrunken Honda Pilot) we want the Honda Element brought back, and this time put four full doors on it Honda.

Adam (not verified)    August 13, 2020 - 4:41PM

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So...an article talking about the specifications of two entirely different vehicles with no perspective on how they actually drive?

Where are the sales numbers?

Where are the reasons a buyer would choose one over the one?

Why is the title directly contradicted towards the end of the article?

Scott (not verified)    August 13, 2020 - 11:12PM

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Give me a regular V6 over a turbo charged 4 cylinder any day. Turbo chargers wear engines out, and, as an owner of a 2006 Outback, I can say that boxer engines have issues even without adding in the stress of a turbo charger. That's a bad design choice for Subaru.