While Kia has made some great cars over the years, none have had quite the splash of the Telluride. Not only did it successfully move the brand upmarket, but buyers can’t get enough of these three-row crossovers. Replacing a machine like that is a do-or-die situation, and now that the second-generation 2027 Kia Telluride is inching closer to showrooms, we’ve learned a whole lot more about what makes it tick.
We’ve already seen how the new Kia Telluride looks. A scoop of Range Rover vibes, a pound of blockiness, flush-fitting door handles that could be a bit of a fuss, and plenty of grille. It’s definitely a fashion-forward look, and one that fans of the outgoing Telluride will probably latch onto. I could go on about that, but I already have, so let’s skip to the actual new information.
The cabin of the new Telluride looks positively rich. What looks like leather isn’t actually the hide of a beast, however. Instead, it’s Bio Polyurethane that uses plant-based oils from eucalyptus and corn. Alright, the leather isn’t real, but the wood is, and it’s refreshing to see bits of tree make a comeback. It’s warm, it’s nice, it isn’t shiny black plastic. Kia hasn’t skimped on the toys, either. Tick the right boxes, and you get two 12.3-inch screens, a 12-inch head-up display, a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, and the ability to automate garage door opening based on the crossover’s geographical proximity to your home.
Three-row crossover owners who spec’d second-row captain’s chairs either love or hate the concept of a second-row center console. It adds storage, but can be a pain when it comes to third row entry and egress. To solve this, Kia’s built a large pull-out bin into the back of the front center console with a slide-out shelf on top of it for resting things. Cell phones charging via the front seatback-mounted USB-C ports, snacks, etcetera. What about rear cup holders? They’re built into the back of the front center console as well. It’s a smart bit of design, and it means you keep a little shelf even if you opt for the standard second-row bench seat.
Speaking of the rear seats, not only can the second row captain’s chairs be heated and ventilated, they’re also power-adjustable. Press one button, and each seat can slide and tilt forward for even better third row access. Speaking of the third row, it can be heated, an uncommon touch in serious luxury three-row SUVs and a welcome addition to the new Telluride. Plus, you still get a solid amount of cargo space with the third row up, 22.3 cu.-ft. on standard models and 21.3 cu.-ft. on the hybrid model.
Oh yeah, powertrains. The new Kia Telluride diverges slightly from its Hyundai Palisade platform-mate by eschewing natural aspiration in favor of a standard 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four. While this 274-horsepower engine is down 13 horsepower over the corporate 3.5-liter V6, it boasts an extra 51 lb.-ft. of torque and a broad, easily accessible torque plateau. Paired to a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission, this seems like the right move, as torque is what gets a large family hauler like this off the line.
Speaking of torque, if 311 lb.-ft. isn’t quite enough for you, how about 339 lb.-ft. in the Telluride Turbo-Hybrid? Yep, Kia’s also pairing the 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four with a six-speed automatic and a 1.65 kWh battery pack to churn out 329 horsepower and 35 MPG combined. Judging by experience with that same powertrain in the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid, it’s a real have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too scenario, and it can tap the hybrid battery for about 20 minutes of climate control and entertainment with the vehicle off. Perfect for quickly popping into a shop when your kids don’t want to leave the car.
Alright, you’ve gone to the shops, what if you really want to go hiking? That’s where the Telluride X-Pro comes in. In addition to more macho looks, 9.1 inches of ground clearance, and all-terrain tires, it also goes further than most Otterbox’d crossovers. The first hint is real recovery hooks, although there’s still no news about skid plates to back those up. However, you do get a locking center differential and an electronically limited-slip differential for cross-axle torque splitting. Plus, Kia’s bird’s eye camera system can pull up a proper composite view of the ground at low speeds.
So, the new Kia Telluride still looks like it has premium aspirations, has a nicer cabin, and gains a whole lot of torque plus a new hybrid variant. Lovely stuff. Right now, mum’s the word on pricing, but there will be a full range of trim levels all the way down to a base LX model. We shouldn’t have to wait long to find out, given how the new Telluride goes on sale early next year.
Top graphic image: Kia
“…it can tap the hybrid battery for about 20 minutes of climate control and entertainment with the vehicle off.”
That sounds great. Maybe the biggest disapointment for me during the only time I was a passenger in a Toyota hybrid was that it had to start the engine 2 or 3 times while parked for 20, or 30 minutes max. (And the engine start-up was surprisingly rough. At the first occsasion I thought something was borken.)
The more I look at this, the more I realize that some of the shapes and design elements are just gratuitously different. For instance, in the lede image, the black trim on the mirror skullcap looks like tape, as though someone has banged up the mirror and pieced it back together with black duct tape.
Yeah, there are some strange design details that certainly look tacked-on.
If you live in the country and buy one of these, have plenty of fake snakes and mice traps set around your new Telluride. Field mice love, love, love them some corn.
Oh, BTW, I suspect that when Jason seen those taillights he felt a bit of eucalyptus in his lower region. Eucalyptus is a form of wood, is it not?
That front end looks like it wants to physically hurt me.
It’s upsetting.
Kia is like we are going to push for futuristic faces on our vehicles no matter what
I’m surprised that Genesis hasn’t gotten a badge engineered variant of the Pallisade/Telluride twins… Put the twin-turbo V6 in there and make it AWD.
Don’t all the ICE cars from Genesis have an FR layout? In that case I feel like a FWD-based CUV would pull the whole brand down a bit.
I get that, but if they made it AWD as standard, there’s enough meat on the bones left to make a competent category killer. There’s no reason that they can’t mount the engine longitudinally either in there as there is already a driveshaft tunnel for the AWD variants of the H/K twins.
Unlike how Cadillac handled the Cavalier-based Cimmaron, this would require extensive rework of the exterior sheet metal, and a beefed up interior with bigger screens, better upholstery and surfaces and more.
I definitely think it’s doable, but it would have to square up with projected sales of such a model to determine marketplace viability and pricing.
You do realize you’re more or less describing a GV80, right?…twin-turbo V6, longitudinal AWD, three-rows, etc. I don’t see why bodging together something using a transverse-engined platform would be any better.
At least the rodents will be comfy after they chow down on the interior.
As long as there is a USB port, it will likely end up being someone else’s problem anyway.
The front end looks like it was designed in 2d and then extruded vertically. Yuck.
Then again, the interior looks like it was designed in 2d and extruded horizontally, so points for consistency, I guess?
Well, the front fell off in this case by all means, but it’s very unusual.
In the front 3/4 view photograph at the top of the post, the side looks extremely Range Rover-ish, so much so that they may have panicked and put on the front clip from another concept they had lying around. “There! We have confused everybody, even ourselves!”
I guess smelling like eucalyptus and corn is a better interior smell than the previous versions that had interiors that smelled like garlic and farts!
How did you get into my car?
About time this got a hybrid trim, also that front end reminds me of a modern interpretation of those big 5mph bumpers.
Probably nice to drive and ride around in, while still getting 35 MPG. I’ve got not one but two vehicles with third-row seats, and I’ve never used the third row in either one. But someone must occassionally I suppose.
About time it went hybrid. This will help fuel economy and air pollution during the school run, which is going to be where 90% of these end up. Little Thraxton and Bailey just can’t get up in time to catch the bus after sneaking video games at 2 AM, you see.
A lot of people don’t want their kids riding the bus due to the unhinged behavior of other kids. That’s why mine don’t. I was bullied so badly on the bus and the driver never knew because she was…busy driving. I was punched, spit on, had snot and boogers wiped on my face, etc. Subject my kids to that or drop them off on my way to work? Easy choice.
Totally get your perspective. There are more things today to monitor kids on the bus for bullying, but it’s still far from perfect. Making districts liable for not preventing bullying on buses brought that stuff about.
My youngest was bullied on the bus last year, by a kid a few houses down from us no less. It went on for most of the year, and the bus driver never knew either. Bus drivers are not paid well enough to be babysitters, and my kid was too embarrassed to tell us until it got really bad and physical.
He still rides the bus, but I can totally understand why many don’t want their kids to these days. Most adults no longer have empathy or kindness, and that means their kids don’t either.
You know, I immediately thought “PLEASE tell me they are not naming kids Thraxton!” Looking it it up, if I read the graph correctly, there were 11 in 2022, 18 in 2019, 13 in both ‘17 and ‘16, and another dozen or two between there and Y2K. Before that, there are a total of 10 going all the way back before 1900.
God I hope this doesn’t become a trendy name.
My daughter rode the bus to school until this year when they changed the routes and we would have to wake up 30 minutes earlier to catch the bus now. I prefer the sleep, but I really preferred not having to drop her off either.
Quite a gap between this and Honda’s non-hybrid V6s.
Honda would rule if they hybridized the Pilot, Odyssey, and Ridgeline
They’re working on a hybrid V6, so it’s likely those will all be hybridized by the next generation.
They are but it should have happened last generation.
Completely agree.
As a used car buyer if Honda does wait until the next generation (2030?) I’m realistically looking at one in the 2033 – 2034 range.
Luckily I don’t need something that large – a CR-V or Maverick would work for me. Still a bit pricey though. Maybe a Mavrick Hybrid AWD 4K towing will be in my price range in 3-4 years.
I would buy a hybrid Passport tomorrow. I will never buy a Passport that gets 20 combined MPG. That’s appalling in 2025.
Yeah, its crazy that they are so far behind Toyota and Hyundai on this front.
It seems appropriately evolutionary to get existing owners to trade up to the new one. I prefer the interior over the Palisade.
Stellantis/JEEP is absolutely ugly crying in the corner.
Scary furnace from home alone in the front, aliexpress range rover in the back and people will be climbing over each other at the Kia dealer to hear the salespersons “what’s it gonna take to get you in this car today?” speech.
You forgot the what payment are you comfortable with part of that speech. We can roll that 20k negative debt on your trade into this new loan. How about $1,100 a month for 84 months? Doable? OK! Lets get you to the finance office straight away and get you into this new Telluride today!!!
They’re going to sell a bajillion of these things and the new hybrid Palisade. I agree with Thomas, it’s a real have your cake and eat it too situation. That gas mileage is unheard of in this class of vehicle outside of Toyota and it also gives you extra power and the benefit of instant electric torque. Honestly I wouldn’t be shocked to see these go hybrid only within a few model years so long as there aren’t any huge supply constraints.
I really have no idea why you wouldn’t choose the hybrid, although it’s odd that Kia is using the turbo 2.5 liter as their base engine. The BUT MUH V6 REEEEEEE gang is extraordinarily vocal, and while I’m not sure how many of them actually buy new cars the big thirsty V6 is a selling point for enough people that I’m a little surprised they didn’t use it here.
I mean I guess those folks will just go buy a Palisade and the money will wind up within the same company anyway? Idk. This just seems like a really odd choice to me. People absolutely HATE turbo 4 cylinders in SUVs. Literally any YouTube video, article, etc. mentioning one will have piles of I’D NEVER BUY AN SUV WITH A STUPID GODFORSAKEN SISSY TURBO 4 CYLINDER!!!!
We greatly preferred the Explorer’s turbo 4 over the V6 in the Telluride we ended up with. That V6 is gutless and inefficient.
Yet I recall in my Evo days the “Evolander” which was an Outlander with the 4G63T laying down 500hp+.
Boy I miss Mitsubishi of old.
Seconding Crash Test Dummy – having had an Explorer with the 2.3T and now a Grand Cherokee with the V6, I miss the turbo 4. The low down torque just suits these big cars better, and the 1-2 extra highway mpg is actually significant when the baseline number is this low.
All that said a hybrid is an even better option for a 3-row. Can’t believe Toyota and Kiundai are the only ones who’ve figured this out.
I know taste is subjective. But every single one of those exterior pics is unattractive. The green one head-on looks like my project car that’s missing the whole header panel (headlights, grille, etc). The taillights, the wheel arches that look like they have a little tab to pull off the protective film. It’s just not very good, which is upsetting – these will probably be everywhere. Already seeing the new Palisade pretty much every time I leave my house.
This (and the Palisade) are like the go-to minivans in our area…for people who refuse to buy minivans, at least.
I could see myself driving one, but anything past the first generation fails the Ugly Stick test for me. Really nice interiors, barely tolerable exteriors.
Most Kias seem to be evolving nicely from a design POV over the past 10-15 years, but this one is going in the wrong direction, IMO. And the dealer network/quality/experience leaves a lot to be desired.
Same here. I’m regularly blinded by Palisade and Telluride headlights at night whilst driving my sedan, since I’m eye-level with their low-beams.
A Hyundai/Kia Turbo-4? What could go wrong!
ummmmmm, about everything.
The interior being made out of corn kind of concerns me. New untested tech for something that is already lackluster in modern cars, but still super important for the ride feel and comfort. My parents 2002 Yukon with 3xxk miles on it has some wear in the leather, but its still comfy and a good place to be. Having been in a 2025 Telluride, the rear seats were ok, but not great, and seemed to already have a bit of wear from hauling kids around. I’m curious to see if these things become sticky worn “leather” nightmares, wear down to bear foam, or actually stay intact. Good write-up as always Thomas!
Bioplastics date the the 1800’s.
Wet mills take crops like corn and soybeans and break them down into their core molecules. You can then use those molecules to make chemicals and plastic. Carbon is carbon – whether it comes from a plant or a barrel of oil.
Ford first experimented with it in the 1940’s. It has become more common in the last 20 to 30 years.
Well I’ll be darned, thanks for the info, I should’ve done more research.
It is the same thing when labels talk about natural vs artificial flavor – both are synthetically made in a lab. The difference is that base elements used to make the “natural” flavor originally came from a plant.
“Natural” orange flavoring likely has zero actual orange in it.
35 MPG is impressive for that thing. We should have been on the “hybrid-everything” train over a decade ago, but glad to see it finally catching on. Now we just need “PHEV-everything” and we can watch emissions from transportation absolutely crater
While Kia and Hyundai have done great interiors for the past 5 or 10 years, I have yet to see them really hold up all that well. After 5 years and 60k miles, I’ve only ever seen them look…. pretty dang beat and entirely lose their luster compared to some of the more durable, but less fancy interiors from like Honda, Toyota, or even Ford & GM. I wonder how the current crop is going to hold up.
Lease and the depreciation and iffy materials are someone else’s problem.
Are you sure you know how leasing works?
I’ve never leased a car in my life but it’s what the majority of my neighbors do. And I do think it’s probably a winning strategy with electrics.
It WAS the winning strategy when no one appreciated (pun intended) how much EVs would depreciate and when car makers were supplying them in numbers far beyond demand and had to find a way to get them off the lots. I think those days might be behind us now.
Leasing means the depreciation is pretty much entirely your problem. When you lease, you’re basically paying depreciation plus a money factor. Poor depreciation or poor money factor are basically the hallmarks of bad lease deals.
It seems like Hyundai/Kia have carved out a very strong niche for themselves as the “fast fashion” of the automotive world: up-to-the-minute, trendy styling, all the buzzy geegaws, competitive specs and pricing—and not-always-impeccable quality, plus products that are going to date much, much faster than their more conservative Honda/Toyota/whatever competitors.
It’s the perfect lease vehicle for ppl who like to update their cars as often as their phones.
Just a sample of 2, but I have a 2022 with just over 50k miles and have beat the heck out of it – live in Brooklyn and drive it hard on rough streets; 2 kids and a dog; skiing/boarding; hockey; backpacking; landscaping crap; and the interior still looks great. Had a 2020 before that and while we got rid of it when we got the 2022, it also held up well.