Have you ever been in the unfortunate situation of too much choice? The sort that might have you second-guessing which option to go with, or at least reaching for a spreadsheet. Well, that feeling’s hitting the three-row crossover segment hard, and I’m not talking about entirely different crossovers. Kia has officially announced pricing for the new Telluride, and in the process, buried the lede that customers will have to choose from a selection of ten trim levels. Ten!
Granted, Kia isn’t setting a record here. When Mazda launched the CX-90, it offered its large crossover in no fewer than 11 trim levels. However, that included both low-output and high-output models, whereas the non-hybrid Telluride simply offers one engine: A 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-four pumping out 274 horsepower and 311 lb.-ft. of torque. Solid numbers, but beyond that, there’s a lot to wrap your head around.
The range of the new Telluride starts with the absolute base model, the $40,735 LX. Only available in front-wheel-drive, it’s quite modestly equipped for a flagship three-row crossover. We’re talking about a manual non-heated driver’s seat, a lack of a matching LED cargo area lamp, and a little 4.2-inch screen in the gauge cluster. Then again, it still gives you dual wireless phone chargers, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, tri-zone climate control, and a spare tire.
Want the option of more driven wheels? You’ll need to at least step up to the S trim, which stickers for $43,635 with front-wheel-drive and $45,635 with all-wheel-drive. While a $2,900 walk-up is pretty big at this end of the market, the S actually adds stuff that should make driving more comfortable. Features like heated front seats, an eight-way power driver’s seat with adjustable lumbar support, second-row captain’s chairs, a moonroof to feel the wind in your hair, an LED cargo light so you can see your shopping better, and a power liftgate with a programmable stop so it doesn’t hit the ceiling of your garage. A set of 20-inch wheels is a nifty addition, too.
It’s a smaller jump from the S to the EX (stop giggling), with the mid-range model ringing up at $45,535 with front-wheel-drive and $47,545 with all-wheel-drive. It does give you acoustically insulated front door windows, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, full faux-leather upholstery, rear side window shades, and ventilated front seats, but the tradeoff is that the second-row captain’s chairs get swapped back out for a bench. Not macho enough for you? The X-Line EX AWD costs $1,290 more than the regular EX AWD and gets you 21-inch wheels, blacked-out trim, projector fog lights, a heated steering wheel, and…second row captain’s chairs.
Four down, six to go, and the next rung on the ladder is the $50,335 Telluride SX, which is only available with front-wheel drive. That sounds weird at first, but it’s going to still sound weird later. Anyway, this is where the extras start to ratchet up a level, with toys like a second sunroof, mood lighting, a 10-way power driver’s seat with memory, a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, a 360-degree camera system, a more comprehensive suite of advanced driver assistance systems, and the big 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Mind you, the Telluride SX does commit a sin because it costs more than the X-Line EX AWD and takes away the heated steering wheel, a move that’s frankly unforgivable.
If you’re wondering where the all-wheel-drive option suddenly went, allow me to introduce the $53,335 Telluride X-Line SX and the $55,235 Telluride X-Pro SX. These two trims might sound similar, but you have to be sure to pick the right one. While the X-Line SX focuses on Starbucks drive-through posing, the X-Pro SX focuses more on camping-down-a-gravel-road posing. The X-Line gets 21-inch wheels, the X-Pro gets 18-inch wheels with chunky all-terrain tires. The X-Pro gets recovery hooks, the X-Line does not. The X-Pro gets a household plug socket, the X-Line does not. Otherwise, they’re pretty similar, building on the SX trim with blacked-out trim, the aforementioned features, and a heated steering wheel.
Oh, but we’re not done yet. For some insane reason, there are still three trim levels to go. Let’s start with the $55,435 SX Prestige, where things actually get really nice. Think sueded headliner, heated and ventilated second-row seats, actual wood interior trim, part-suede upholstery, a power-adjustable steering column, a 12-inch head-up display, the sort of touches that take a car into luxury territory. Mostly material changes you can feel, plus the added sweetness of all-wheel drive. Effectively $2,100 over the X-Line SX for a much nicer interior seems money well-spent, but the pricing structure doesn’t top out there.
Yes, like with the regular SX, the SX Prestige also gets X-Line and X-Pro variants, ringing up at $56,435 and $58,335 respectively. You know the drill by now, blacked-out trim on both, all-terrains and recovery hooks on the X-Pro. At the SX Prestige level, the X-Pro adds “engineered carbon” trim, but that’s about it as far as unique bits go.
This is probably too many trim levels, especially considering how close the X-Line SX, X-Pro SX, SX Prestige, X-Line SX Prestige, and X-Pro SX Prestige are, five different trim levels all within a $5,000 spread. Oh, and we still don’t know how many hybrid trim levels Kia’s planning, as those won’t be announced until closer to Spring. There’s this concept of analysis paralysis, when consumers are overwhelmed by too many choices to the point of not choosing any of them, and I worry that’s going to be what happens when shoppers walk into a Kia showroom. Then again, knowing how the old Telluride sold, Kia probably won’t have any trouble shifting every last unit.
Top graphic image: Kia
Meanwhile, Canada gets zero trim levels…Kia Canada isn’t offering the new 2026 Telluride due to tariffs. Hyundai is offering the new Palisade, but thus far Kia has chosen not to offer their largest vehicle.
The real problem here is not enough engine choices. the NA v6 should still be an option, the Genesis 3.5 without turbos would be fine to replace it. add in the turbos to get it to Prestige territory, or to get one of these to tow 8,000 lbs would be good too.
Isn’t it getting the 3.5 without turbos? Should be the same as the Palisade.
That’s 1 more trim level than there are letters in “Telluride”! What value!
A trim level chart would be helpful to keep up with what’s offered.
As the wise ancient philosopher Devo once said “Freedom of choice is what you’ve got, Freedom from choice is what you want”
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. –Kris Kristofferson
Freeeeeedom! Yeah, right. –Zach De La Rocha
Janis took Kris’ song into the mainstream, though.
“Ten trim levels? Those are rookie numbers, bro!”
-Porsche 911
Do the previous nine hundred ten Porsche models also have as many trim levels?
Customer: The LX looks nice. It’s everything I need and it’s right in my budget.
Salesman: For just a few more bucks we can step you up to the S.
Customer: Nice! I like those extra features.
Salesman (halfway through paperwork): Actually, you’re really close to EX money here.
Customer: What the heck. I should live a little.
Salesman: Ok, I can put you in an EX, but you really should consider an EX AWD.
Customer: Makes sense. It does flood a bit in my neighborhood.
Salesman: While we’re looking at AWD, check out the X-Line AWD. It’s even cooler.
Customer: Wow! And just a few bucks more?
Salesman: I probably shouldn’t do this, but you really should drive an SX.
Customer: We’re pushing my budget now, but ok.
Salesman: We didn’t have an SX on the lot, so we’re going to test drive this X-Line SX. It’s just a bit more but you’ll like it.
Customer: Really because I don’t know about the color. I wanted something in green.
Salesman: I have green, but you’ll have to step up to an X-Pro SX.
Customer: Ok. My wife was insistent on green.
Salesman: Gotcha. If your wife is involved here, you’re going to want to try this SX Prestige.
Customer: I don’t want her to hate whatever I buy, so ok.
Salesman: Shoot. Someone took it on a test drive. That’s ok. I have an SX Prestige X-Line around back.
Customer: What kind of down payment am I going to need for this?
Salesman: Look, I probably shouldn’t show this to you since it just came in and we haven’t even removed the protective plastic yet, but how would you like to be the only person in southeastern Hampton with an SX Prestige X-Pro? Don’t answer… Just… just… touch it.
Customer: I give up. I didn’t really want to retire in my 50s anyway.
Bullshit attitude. All we ever do is talk about how rad it was that in the 70s you filled out an option sheet and got what you wanted exactly. This is about as close to that as you are going to get in 2026 and you are complaining?
No matter what permutation of options you desire, you still need to pick a package that will force you to pay for things you don’t.
You tell the sales person you really want a sunroof, heated steering wheel, and need the bench seat. Now you’re both staring at the spec sheets trying to figure to count how many trims fulfill those needs. And none of them will be on the lot anyway so let’s decide which “must” to cross off the list and start over. I suspect this will be maddening.
I have nothing to add except that I don’t think I’ve ever seen the same grille twice on the Palisade or Telluride. No other car even comes close.
The heck with trim levels, why does it look like an electric shaver? Or is that just all cars these days and I’m old?
Kia and Hyundai are clawing hard at the bottom of the ugly barrel these days.
It’s relative. Aren’t these things like the best-selling SUVs around?
Does all of this just cost them money they do not need to spend?
Like 20 years ago Chrysler had minivans with like 3 motors, 2 lengths and several(?) transmissions and countless trims and Honda had 1 motor/trans and base, premium and premium with nav and that was it. (going off memory)
Do they still make the Honda Vans? I thought Kia and Pacifica were basically it these days?
https://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey
After narrowly avoiding the Hyundai -Kia “self-destructive” engine scenario by dumping our last H/K product our driveway will ever see again after owning years of Kia and Hyundai products, they can have 100 different models and give them away and they will still remain a dead manufacturer to me and my family. Too bad there are 100,000’s of Americans willing to be new suckers to the lies and deflection of denied warranty claims on defective engines and transmissions. Beauty is said to be only skin deep, with a H/K product be careful what lies behind the curtain.
Always the answer.
Truthfully, two people I work with that have the Telluride have not had those problems. Three other people I work with, though, have indeed had those problems, and add in one repeatedly stolen Kia for their daughter.
So, no. Always the answer.
Could you, at least, help us all out with matching photos to the trim levels instead of the shotgun approach that car manufacturers like to do of “top trim” models only?
Yes!
to The Autopian,
I asked Mercedes about this in her tractor article too. Can you please caption the image with what is in it?! Image credit is necessary, but can you also add what exactly I’m looking at?
Does anyone else miss the good old days when there were NO trim levels and you could just order what options you wanted on the damned thing more or less individually? This is ridiculous, and guaranteed not one of these things matches how I would want it configured.
Trim levels are for econoboxes, not premium/premiumish cars.
When I can order down to adding a “tachometer” line item regardless of all other options I selected, you know there’s some severe inefficiencies in the manufacturing process going on.
Are there in this day and age though? The robots don’t really care what they deliver to the line or not, and getting the parts there is the supplier’s problem. BMW used to be very proud that there were over 1M possible variations on the 3-series. And then there is Porsche…
One of the perks of paying the money for “Premium” is having it your way. Rigid trim levels are not premium. But this is only pretend-premium anyway.
Yes, it forces increased stock levels, more SKU to manage, increased build complexity & troubleshooting, and vastly increases the difficulties in maintaining the equipment which now needs to handle model variants which add up to a massive number of combinations.
There are still manufacturers (mostly EU with their vast number of engine options) which mechanically identical vehicles are configured solely by software based on the order.
Not to mention challenges in spare parts later for warranty and maintenance.
Or maybe it is just extreme customer satisfaction with the company.
Honestly though, standard orders for lot fodder for the people who don’t have a big interest in some options is fine, but for those willing to pay the extra, I don’t see a single reason why they cannot spend the extra to get what you are willing to pay for.
Liner, Bed Covers, extra lights and even dog mats for the back seat are optional with some brands and that work is often done by secondary upfitters, so it would not even affect assembly line efficiencies really.
I’m kind of in the opposite camp, I prefer more trimlines and fewer standalone options — the latter might get you exactly what you want if buying new, but it makes used valuations harder for the bulk of buyers. Plus, at least from my experience, a la carte features end up costing a lot more than packages.
That said, I also hate the randomness of “you must have a sunroof to get the leather” or whatever. There needs to be a happy medium. If dealers were more reputable, I would say we could solve this through dealer-installed options — which is largely still true for things like roof racks, upgraded floor mats, etc.
You must like slippery seats. Those of us who prefer cloth always get fucked.
I’ve got two cars with non-perforated slippery leather and have grown to hate it. The one with perforated pleather is actually pretty great, just as grippy and cool as cloth. I’m still a cloth fan, but after 15 years of children in the car, I wrote it off pretty early just for stain control. But I agree it’s a travesty that nice cloth can’t even be optioned beyond middle trims, if at all.
Also, bad memories of all my high school years and the cigarette “dents” in cloth seats (mostly plush style, not woven — they’re worlds apart)
Interesting about effects on the used market. I figured options (aside from powertrain) just get ignored. For example KBB seems to value things like “premium sound” as being worth $20-40.
Still not enough, if that’s the base model in silver in the second pic. Where’s the bare steelies and blanking panel where the passenger side door mirror would go?
Those cost extra.
Oh, Thomas, do shut up, DON’T JINX IT !!!
More is better than less. Two factors heavily influence my kid-hauler SUV choices: number of seats, and tire size (provided that nothing but AWD will be considered anyway). And the third factor of course – 360 degree view. Which is always great with Ki-yundai.
The simple fact that they offer a model with a bench middle seat rather than the #$@#$ captains chairs in anything above base level is worthy of a monument. 99% of the 3 row SUVs in this price bracket can’t be bought with both a bench middle seat (8-passenger) AND 360 parking view. All switch you to captains chair somewhere in the middle or below.
It makes them into completely different vehicles. One can be used for taxis and rentals and whatnot, the other is a weird animal that always kicks two kids to the back living in a world different from the middle and front, where the 1% rot in luxury.
Still not perfect, can’t have the SX with 18 inch wheels rather than the pothole-loving 20s, but it is what it is. You can still have the MOST EXPENSIVE version with 18s !!! NYC roads, here I come (unafraid) !!!
AND, you can add pano roof to almost all versions.
I also hate that you’re forced into captains chairs once you hit mid trims in most family cars. The whole point of the thing is that its large enough to cram a bunch of humans into it. Why reduce that capability for freaking captains chairs?
Yeah, even on minivans of all things.
That’s the most baffling of all. Sienna does that, if you want anything mid-tier or above you’re forced into these ridiculous captain’s chairs that can’t be removed.
I don’t care if they recline, heat, whatever. It’s a minivan, they’re going to have car seats on top of them most of the time.
Right. I forget who offered built-in booster seats but that’s the sort of feature that matters. I assume regulations might make that impossible now.
Still, I’m sure a crack team of engineers could figure out how to make dealing with car seats less sucky rather than adding on seat heaters and leg rests that will never be used.
The stow and go seeting is why we took a chance with a pacifica over a sennia.
I think they look at birth rates and realize if the average family has 2.1 kids, the .1 can just fit in the center console.
Seriously though, for families with 2 kids, captains chairs keep the peace. I can also understand why, for families with 3+, this would be infuriating.
As a kid my favorite place to get an ice cream cone was Baskin-Robbins with their signature “31 Flavors”.
Way to go Kia!
Just a marketing plot to get buyers to pick a trim level instead of adding desired options. It is human nature to select from available options instead of customizing options even if it is available.
I bet if you look into it you can get a better deal choosing options
Hello, I would like a new porch.
“Sorry sir we do not have the porch you are seeking, maybe a Bentley or a Rolls Royce might suit sir”
I would like a new porch
“We have a Kia, would sir like to configure it?”
A new porch how difficult can this be?
“Ah, sir might might to try our sister company, Bodgit Scarper and Runne, you are talking to Weesaw u cumming and gotcha”
So no new porch then?
” Hold on sir, what colour of door were you looking for? we have a large variety of hinges and latches”
Damn, that’s a nice-looking big box.
Damn, that’s expensive.
I owned the first gen, few years after it came out. It was a great car. My brother’s family currently has one. I believe they enjoy it as well.
I wouldn’t own this one. It looks like a model for a fragrance commercial. Trendy and weak. It won’t look good in 5 years, if you even think it does today.
The first gen of this car, set the tone for Kia and was their breakout into the mainstream. I think this is backtracking. It’s cousin the Palisade, seemed to take a more conservative approach to this upgrade and rounded out the corners better.
Cool.
When are you doing a drive review to tell us how it drives and which of the ten flavors of driving you prefer?
There’s no publication anywhere with the resources or interest to try all 10 so you’ll never get the answer you seek.
Then again, I don’t think we need reviews of things like heated wheels or fancy headliners to decide whether we want them.
Still looks like the front fell off. I know it’s not very typical…
May as well go back to the American sales model of the 1950s-1980s where (most) every option was a la carte.
This.
I would love this. Really all I want is the safety suite, premium audio, and ventilated seats. It’s super frustrating that they’re all usually locked behind the most expensive package that’s full of stuff I don’t want or care about. I don’t give a shit about the screen size, the camera rear view mirror, the a billion inch wheels with no sidewall that are going to get destroyed in DC, etc.
You need the XXL Trim to buy the Sound and Fury package to get the nice speakers.
Aftermarket? Sorry, the audio is wired into the ADAS computer now, that would be unsafe.
“yeah, I’m looking for tires for my telluride. It’s a 265/.5R1000000000, whaddya have in stock? I’m looking for something around $100 a tire, ideally.”
Do a search for the tires for the Sierra EV Max Range Denali (275/50R24)
I’m sure either in a few years they’ll have boiled the frog and we’ll see those monstrosities on everything or you’ll have to retire your car because the two tire models currently offered are no longer available.
You wouldn’t believe (though I’m sure you would) the number of people that come in with <5 year old cars that are literally sweating, often nearly crying, at the idea of replacing a tire. And if they do have to, they aim for the $115 store brand turd of a tire, because they're car-poor. What good is a 2023 car if you're so fucking broke that paying $200 for a decent tire can ruin you? It turns out the 215/40R19 on your Camry – which soaked up one (1) pothole before bending the wheel, by the way – wasn't such a great idea after all.
Considering that they sold about 6 of them you are probably going to be correct.
Maybe it’s possible to put a more normal wheel on it?
Of course it is. Unfortunately, the overlap of Telluride buyers and aftermarket wheels are probably 1% or less.
/shopping aftermarket wheels for my Odyssey now
//I am the 0.01%
Does the Odyssey not share wheel sizes with the Pilot/Passport/Ridgeline?