Yahoo Autos Kia Telluride gets off-road modifications to race in the all-female Rebelle Rally
Kia is participating in the women-only Rebelle Rally for the fourth consecutive year with a Telluride fitted with several off-road modifications. The brand started the project with a 2024 X-Pro model and teamed up with California-based Baja Forged to prepare it for the event.
Built to compete in the X-Cross category, the family-friendly SUV will need to withstand about 1,600 miles of harsh desert terrain in Nevada and California. Kia markets the X-Pro trim as the outdoorsy member of the range, but the Telluride remains more of a soft-roader than a true off-roader. That's where Baja Forged stepped in. The brand notably added a 1.5-inch lift kit to dial in nearly 10 inches of ground clearance.
The point of the Rebelle Rally isn't to leave body panels and mechanical components in the desert, so Baja Forged also fitted skid plates to protect the underbody components and redesigned bumpers on both ends to increase the approach and departure angles. The crew will store equipment such as recovery boards on a custom-made roof rack, and the Telluride rides on 18-inch KMC wrapped by all-terrain tires.
