Since its launch in 2019, the Kia Telluride has been a true hit. Customers had to wait months for one at first, but sales have steadily increased since then. It set new standards for family three-row SUVs and continues to lead our midsize SUV rankings today. Following back on such popularity is difficult, but at first appearance, the revamped 2027 Telluride appears to be the greatest type of sequel, Empire Strikes Back. It retains everything of the original’s character and capability while advancing the story through more space, style, and technology.
U.S. News & World Report recently received an in-person sneak glimpse at Kia’s Irvine, California, design headquarters, before it was made public online today. Facilities like these are generally guarded like Fort Knox and full of trade secrets, yet the Korean business not only let me look around a pair of 2027 Telluride X-Pro prototypes, but they also brought along the designers who created the new SUV.
This visit did not include any driving or peeping under the hood. The carmaker has yet to provide specifics regarding the Kia Telluride’s mechanical components or price. That is anticipated to occur during next week’s Los Angeles International Auto Show. Kia will forgo the 2025 Kia Telluride in favour of the 2027 model, which will arrive at dealers in the first quarter of 2026. Here’s all we know thus far.
Inside the Design of the 2027 Kia Telluride
The first Telluride had no terrible lines, and it didn’t hurt that it exuded both luxury and ruggedness, similar to a low-cost Range Rover. Its boxy, tough appearance was subsequently strengthened with the advent of the X-Line and X-Pro variants in 2023, with the latter providing true off-road capabilities. Tom Kearns, head of Kia Design Centre America (KDCA), stated that the new model builds on this style.
“We envisioned the all-new Telluride as the ideal car for travelling to a luxury ski resort. It would be intimidating, yet upmarket, opulent, and restrained. The result is a completely new, sculpted external design that keeps the boxy, honest SUV appearance. It is a bigger car, with a 2.3-inch increase in length and a nearly 3-inch increase in wheelbase. It provides for a more spacious interior, easier entry and egress, and better ride quality.”
Usually, designers are given the vehicle’s main “hard points” by the engineers and modify their ideas around these, although there is usually some back and forth. The Telluride’s platform is intended for front- or all-wheel drive, which often results in a shorter hood and slightly stubbier proportions than rear-drive optimised vehicles, like as the Jeep Grand Cherokee L.
“The fundamental proportions we received were quite nice,” senior designer Berk Erner told me, “but we wanted to have this extended rear to have additional baggage and third row accommodation, as well as to give the car this lovely proportion. We wanted to make the windshield more upright to make the car appear more solid. You get a longer hood that way, which represents more power. It certainly works.
Then there’s the strong fenders, crisp angles, and tall vertical lighting. There are new flush door handles, similar to those on the EV9, which was also styled at KDCA. All of the features are influenced by Kia’s “Opposites United” design language, which has made the company’s portfolio significantly more coherent over the last four years. The large vertical cornering lights in the front make it appear more imposing, and they complement the X-Pro’s tough grille and enormous tow hooks, as well as the cleaner, more luxurious-looking designs on the other versions.
There are also some intriguing new motifs on the sides and lower body cladding, such as robust four-spoke wheels and little notches at the top of the wheelwells. “We were kind of looking at these toolboxes,” Erner said, “where the locking mechanism goes over the box and clamps down on it. We thought of [the notches] as a lock that held the bottom and top bodies together.” Look attentively, and you’ll notice them echoed throughout the design, such as the housings for the front towing hooks.
The three prototypes on hand were all X-Pros, which promise more toughness than the current model in at least one regard. Kia stated that the X-Pro will have 9.1 inches of ground clearance, which is much greater than the previous model’s 8.4 inches. Kia also shared a video of a camouflaged X-Pro in action, which appears to be ready for Baja battles.
A Look Inside the 2027 Kia Telluride
Kia has also completely redesigned the inside, rearranging the surfaces to create an open and airy atmosphere. The long horizontal dashboard, strongly slanted toward the windshield, houses a large sheet of glass with two displays, as seen on previous models like the Sorento and Sportage. I wasn’t able to test the infotainment system, but what I saw indicated it will be similar to the easy-to-use, sophisticated-looking systems in the other models.
The dashboard now has soft ambient lighting that highlights a new collection of interior materials, including wood and (on the X-Pro) forged carbon trim accents. While the X-Pro interiors I experienced were black, the new Telluride series as a whole features more colourful and lively interiors than the previous design. The buttons and knobs are all highly machined and detailed, and there are several easter eggs, such as a QR code on the door that leads to a website that explains the vehicle’s sustainable components.
Kia designers also improved the cabin’s comfort and ergonomics. The door knobs are positioned vertically in the armrest. They appear hidden at first glance, but are simple to use. “We wanted to focus on making it simpler and cleaner,” Minyoung Lee, director of Kia’s interior team, told me. “So some parts were removed or moved to different positions. That helps us and the client focus more on the looks of the materials, such as the stitching, but also makes things easier to use.”
Kia-inspired interiors include large wireless device charging trays and an open area beneath the console for a small handbag or pocketbook. With a focus on toughness, there are also large grab grips strategically placed to assist you in bracing yourself on off-road paths.
The Kia Telluride inside looks excellent, and the driver will spend the majority of their time up front, but the expanded size also allows for additional passenger and baggage capacity. Again, we don’t have exact proportions yet, but the second and third rows appear larger. That may result in a larger third row on paper, but it surely means less competition for space between second and third-row passengers. The little stairs to the third row, located immediately inside the rear door opening, are bigger and more convenient to use.
There is also extra cargo space; however, how much is uncertain. The space behind the third row appears somewhat larger, but the space when folded appears much greater. There is also a foldable baggage table with ruler marks and a retractable divider.
2027 Kia Telluride: Features, Release Timeline & Expected Price
Kia Telluride will unveil additional details about the new Telluride at next week’s Los Angeles International Auto Show, and we’ll update this piece accordingly, but even without all of the data, there are several things customers can expect.
First, the Telluride is still a corporate relative to the freshly remodelled Hyundai Palisade, so certain mechanical components will be shared. A V6 engine is expected to remain standard, and Kia announced earlier this year that a Hybrid Telluride will be available, so it may use a drivetrain similar to the one seen in the upcoming Palisade Hybrid.
Most of the trims will carry over from the previous Telluride, so there will be a mix of practical, elegant, and rough options. Again, Kia has not verified any technical specifications or pricing, but the Palisade’s revamp increased the basic price by more than $2,000; other trims saw only minor increases. Expect Kia to continue to price aggressively for value. Production will shortly begin at Kia’s facility in West Point, Georgia, and the 2027 Tellurides will enter showrooms in the first quarter of 2026.
Kia’s design centre is already working on other projects, since concepts are normally completed and handed off to the production team many years before they reach the “media introduction” stage, but it was a delight for almost everyone to see how the new Telluride came to be. I saw one designer snapping a photo with the clay models and asked him about it. “They’ve been in storage for a while, and it’s great to get them out. We seldom get to show off our things!”
Key Takeaways
- Type: three-row midsize SUV
- Seats: seven or eight, depending on configuration
- Drivetrain: front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
- Overall length: 199.2 inches
- Wheelbase: 117.3 inches (estimated)
- Final assembly: West Point, Georgia
- On-sale date: Q1 2026