Kia Cements Itself into the Ranks of SUV Royalty with Its Best Flagship Yet

The all-new 2027 Kia Telluride is here, and much to our excitement. After several teasers, the Korean automaker revealed its most anticipated vehicle of the year.

Continuing with the first-generation’s winning formula, the new Telluride coincides with the 2024 launch of its platform cousin, the Hyundai Palisade.

While we knew Kia had some big shoes to fill, particularly in the wake of the first model’s runaway success, we struggled to interpret how the company could one-up itself. Until now.

Premium looks, upscale vibes

Kia

As one can tell from the new second-gen Telluride’s appearances, it takes on a much cleaner, more refined, if not edgier look. The SUV’s traditional, upright, two-box remains.

But it accomplishes a much more upscale ambiance thanks to its cleaner panels, broadened shoulder line, thin profile tail- and daytime-running lights, and “floating” roof.

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Take away the badges, and the Telluride could almost pass for a full-size Range Rover, and we’re all for it.

Don’t fix what ain’t broke

The new 2027 Kia Telluride might look like an evolution of the previous model. But according to its product planners, that’s the entire point.

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With the previous model being so successful, keeping the momentum going while improving on the past is a much more difficult task. Which is part of the reason why Kia decided to go for an evolutionary approach rather than a revolutionary one.

Kia

Wholly representative of the automaker’s latest “Opposites United” design language, the Telluride blends Kia’s forward-thinking themes while balancing sophistication and restraint. Essentially, it combines conventional design elements with current trends, carefully treading the line of looking modern and up to date, without being too polarizing.

Kia

“With Telluride, it was a matter of being tailored and restrained – dare I say, anti-design,” Kia Design Center America’s VP and Senior Chief Designer, Tom Kearns, said in his statement. “With that approach, it was about capturing strength and luxury, tradition and modernness, into a single expression. That’s what Opposites United enabled us to do.”

Kia

But it’s not all the same. For instance, the new Telluride increases in length by a little more than two inches. The result is a much longer, yet, proportional silhouette. It also translates to more interior space.

Two forms at launch

Although Kia didn’t go into full detail about the new Telluride’s technical specs, we already know it rides on the same platform as the Hyundai Palisade.

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That means either front- or all-wheel-drive will be available. Powertrains are also likely to carry over, just like the previous generation.

There will also be two main versions at launch: the standard Telluride in various trim levels, and a continuation of the more rugged, all-terrain-biased X-Pro.

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Currently, the Palisade is available with two gas-only engine options, a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6 and a gas-electric hybrid system using the same 2.5-liter turbo-four, but in a different state of tune.

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While the rest of the world gets the regular 2.5-liter turbo-four as an option, North American customers get the smoother, more powerful V6 as the standard kit. The story will likely be the same for the Telluride, including the hybrid powertrain.

Kia

The outgoing Telluride, like the previous Palisade, shared the same, older 3.8-liter V6. Compared to the previous model’s 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, the new 3.5-liter version punches out 287 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque.

The V6 is paired only with an eight-speed auto, while the hybrid system gets a six-cog unit.

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