The popularity of off-road and soft-road driving has grown in recent years and automakers have responded. That response has been to add packages to their everyday vehicles that make them appear more capable when the road runs out. Here’s a real-world test between the Kia Telluride X-Pro, the Subaru Forester Wilderness, and a real off-roader, the Ford Bronco.
The Kia and Subaru are excellent examples of this trend toward rugged-looking SUVs that might be more style than substance. What ultimately matters is how they fair in the real world so Edmunds took the trio out to five test scenarios. They include a sand wash, a concrete stepped obstacle, a trail with undulating dirt waves, an uphill climb with big ruts, and a steeper but smoother climb.
In the first test, the three SUVs fare quite similarly. The Bronco, Telluride, and Forester have little issue managing power and braking on a dirt surface. The next test, climbing a short concrete step pyramid, is where the roads diverge a bit.
Read: What’s The Lamest-Looking Off-Road Variant Of All Time?
While the Bronco can easily climb three or more steps without problem, the Forester can only manage to climb two. What’s worse is that the terrible approach angle of the Kia keeps it from even climbing one.
The undulating dirt waves course, something Edmunds calls “the whoops”, demonstrates another big difference. The Bronco effortlessly sails over them thanks to big tires, great approach and departure angles, and long-travel suspension. Neither the Kia nor Subaru can match that. Each has to go much slower to navigate the course safely.
The uphill course with big ruts separates these three even further. The Bronco rockets up it like it’s paved, which is no surprise. The Subaru also manages to climb the hill but with a great deal of wheel spin as it slowly but surely finds its footing. The Kia Telluride actually fails this test completely.
Regardless of what mode the SUV is in, it simply can’t find enough traction to get up the hill. None of the on-board systems seem to help it either and it has to retreat to take on the final test. Thankfully, that final test is all about putting down power on smooth ground and the Kia has power.
It, along with both of the other two SUVs, make it up a very steep hill without issue. The testers believe that the ruts in the previous test were ultimately the only thing that stopped the Kia as it couldn’t gain traction throughout the whole climb.
Here’s the real kicker, and Edmunds rightly points it out too: the vast majority of buyers in the market for any of these aren’t actually going off-road. In the rare cases that they do, all three will likely get most people where they plan to go, albeit much more slowly in the Subaru and the Kia.