Kia Telluride with off-road modifications unveiled for the Rebelle Rally

Kia is collaborating within the women-only Rebelle Rally for the fourth consecutive 12 months with a Telluride fitted with a number of off-road modifications. The model began the venture with a 2024 X-Professional mannequin and teamed up with California-based Baja Cast to organize it for the occasion.

Constructed to compete within the X-Cross class, the family-friendly SUV might want to stand up to about 1,600 miles of harsh desert terrain in Nevada and California. Kia markets the X-Professional trim because the outdoorsy member of the vary, however the Telluride stays extra of a soft-roader than a real off-roader. That is the place Baja Cast stepped in. The model notably added a 1.5-inch raise package to dial in practically 10 inches of floor clearance.

The purpose of the Rebelle Rally is not to depart physique panels and mechanical elements within the desert, so Baja Cast additionally fitted skid plates to guard the underbody elements and redesigned bumpers on each ends to extend the method and departure angles. The crew will retailer gear similar to restoration boards on a custom-made roof rack, and the Telluride rides on 18-inch KMC wrapped by all-terrain tires.

It would not sound just like the Telluride obtained main mechanical modifications; the Rebelle Rally is described as a “navigation rally” by the parents who arrange it, so a pointy sense of route and off-road driving abilities are extra necessary than flat-out pace. Which means energy comes from a 3.8-liter V6 rated at 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. The engine spins the 4 wheels — all-wheel-drive is normal on the X-Professional trim — by way of an eight-speed automated transmission. There is not any two-speed switch case or different off-road-focused options.

Verena Mei and Susie Saxten will drive the Telluride within the 2023 Rebelle Rally, which runs Oct. 12-21.

This is not the Telluride’s first try at Rebelle gold; it practically completed first in 2020. Kia despatched a pair of Sorento crossovers to the occasion in 2021, they completed in second and third, respectively, and a modified Sportage X-Professional took fifth within the X-Cross class in the course of the 2022 rally.