Ahead of the game, the Super Bowl in 2023 seems to have very few commercials from automakers. GM and Netflix are teaming up to advertise EVs, and now we know Kia is promoting the 2023 Telluride X-Pro. The spot stars a dad going on an automotive odyssey to retrieve his kid's pacifier, or binky.
The commercial starts with a family checking into a hotel. It turns out that dad forgot to pack his daughter's favorite pacifier with the implication being that she's going to cry without her binky.
Gallery: 2023 Kia Telluride
Then, the adventure is on. Dad climbs into his Telluride X-Pro and hits the road. Along the way, the journey becomes a phenomenon on social media with the hashtag #binkydad. When a tree is blocking the way ahead, he goes off-road through the snow. Later, stopped traffic forces him to drive into a construction zone and jump the SUV out of a concrete tube. The police chase him into the Los Angeles River culvert, and he even ends up on a football field.
When the 60-second ad airs, Kia will share three alternate endings to the ad on TikTok. The campaign around this commercial will also include 30-, 15-, and 6-second versions of this spot.
The Kia commercial is different from the car ads we usually see premiere during the Super Bowl. The company doesn't hire any celebrities, and there are no references to pop culture, like movies or TV shows.
The X-Pro is the most rugged package available for the Telluride. It benefits from a .4-inch (10-millimeter) increase in ride height and 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. The towing capacity increases to 5,500 pounds (2,495 kilograms).
All Telluride's come with a 3.8-liter V6 producing 291 horsepower (217 kilowatts) and 262 pound-feet (355 Newton-meters) of torque. The only gearbox available is an eight-speed automatic. The X-Pro exclusively comes with all-wheel drive, but some trims of the SUV have front-wheel drive.
For the 2023 model year, the Telluride SX X-Pro is $51,220 after the $1,335 destination fee. The nicer SX-Prestige X-Pro takes the price to $54,120.
