2027 Kia Telluride Looks Really Damn Good

Out of all the fantastic products that Kia has put out since its design and engineering revolution that started with the 2008 Optima, probably the most important (especially for the U.S.) has been the Telluride SUV. The first-gen Telluride went on sale in 2019, which means it’s pretty old by Korean automaker standards at this point, but not only did it instantly win accolades upon its release, the Telluride has continued to be one of the best overall three-row SUVs on the market, even against much newer competition.

Still, it really is time for a new one. We’ve known it was coming, especially as its Hyundai sibling, the redesigned Palisade, has already been on sale for a couple months, and recent teasers had us excited for the second-gen Telluride’s more futuristic styling. Ahead of its official reveal at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month, Kia on Monday released photos of the 2027 Telluride’s interior and exterior, in both high-end SX Prestige and off-road-oriented X-Pro trims. I think it looks fantastic, both strange and refined.

We don’t have exact specs yet but Kia says the new Telluride is 2.3 inches longer and an inch taller than the old one, and its wheelbase is almost 3 inches longer. Kia says the Telluride is “still proudly boxy,” and that’s definitely true. The greenhouse is more upright with flusher glazing, the front and rear ends are more bluff, and the surfacing and detailing is all straight lines and hard angles. But there’s still a lot of shape and drama here — look at how the fenders come to a triangular point, the soft chamfered curvature of the tailgate and D-pillar.

The Telluride’s distinctive vertical LED running lights are still amber but brought more in line with Kia’s current Star Map angular lighting motifs, and they placed right in line with the super wide grille, which doesn’t actually have that many cooling openings and uses shapes that echo the lights. I like the way the grille flows into the chunky bumper, and the strong bulges in the hood. Another great detail is the notched wheel arch cladding.

Kia says the new Telluride’s X-Pro trim “embraces a darker, more commanding character,” which is a bit funny (or scary?) for a family SUV. It does look pretty awesome, though, and it’s more differentiated from the standard Telluride than the old X-Pro was. Up front you get a grille pattern made from a gradient of rectangles, red tow hooks in the even chunkier bumper, matte black exterior trim, taller roof rails, and a more prominent rear bumper that also has a pair of red tow hooks. All-terrain tires give it 9.1 inches of ground clearance, an increase of 0.7 inches over the outgoing model.

The X-Pro gets a Ground Lighting feature that projects soft light from the side mirrors, under the rear doors, and underneath the rear bumper. If you raise the tailgate more lighting comes from there, and puddle lamps that say Telluride project under the front doors when opened. 

The electric Kia EV9 set a really high interior bar, but the Telluride looks even better. Kia says its design was “inspired by the vision of a boundless sanctuary,” and that it offers a space that’s both expansive and intimate. The tiered dashboard has a great wraparound look that continues onto the door panels, with a large trim panel, a continuous air vent trip, and a large pair of integrated screen. There are some physical climate control switches in the center of the dashboard, and a row of seemingly capacitive infotainment controls. The center console has a very cool floating grab handle design, a pair of wireless chargers and a covered storage space with cupholders, along with a few more real buttons for vehicle functions. Many of the surfaces have soft ambient lighting underneath.

Kia says there’s up to half an inch more headroom in Tellurides with sunroofs, and the new model’s taller stature means it’s easier to get in and out of the second and third rows. The second-row seats can be power-adjustable captain’s chairs, with the option of mesh headrests in the first and second rows. A center console between the rear seats can turn into a functional table, and the Telluride has a folding luggage table with integrated ruler markings and a removable partition in the cargo area.

On the outside the Telluride will be available in ten paint colors at launch, including Black Jade Green and Terrain Brown, the latter of which is offered with either glossy or matte finishes. But the interior is where things really get fun — Kia says “Grandioso” was the core theme of its Color, Materials and Finishes (CMF) team. As you can see above, there’s an amazing combination of Tuscan Umber and Deep Navy, which really shows off the different interior design elements. Another new option will be Blackberry, described as a rich purple, paired with Sand Beige. Kia says that combo “delivers a surprising harmony that’s sophisticated, daring, and distinctly flagship.”

In the X-Pro you can get your interior in all black, or, if you’re not boring, Deep Khaki or Saddle Brown. Different trim levels have their own accent pieces, including wood-look on the SX Prestige or a crushed carbon vibe on the X-Pro. The seats have different stitching, embossing and perforation patterns, too. 

While Kia hasn’t given out any information about anything but the Telluride’s design, it’s pretty easy to infer things by looking at the Hyundai Palisade. In the Hyundai, the old 3.8-liter V6 is replaced by a new naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 making 287 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Much more exciting will be the Telluride Hybrid, a first for the model, pairing a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-4 with a couple of electric motors. The Palisade Hybrid makes 329 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque, while delivering noticeably better fuel economy. Expect the Telluride to match the Hyundai’s numbers.

It will continue to be offered with front- or all-wheel drive, and though it rides on the same platform as before, there will be tons of changes under the skin. We’ll know more about the 2027 Telluride when it debuts in LA in a couple weeks, and Kia says it will reach dealers in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2026.