With the revamped Hyundai Palisade getting its fair share of the spotlight this year, it wasn’t long before sister firm Kia would get in on the act with the Telluride. The outgoing model was a pretty handsome looking family vehicle but the 2027 model is finally pushing it into a more modern iteration that sharpens the core essentials.

Telluride is sharper and better looking than ever

The Kia Telluride has been a strong seller for Kia and designers knew they didn’t want to rock the boat too much when it came to designing the new one. As a result, some elements of the shape are carried over but designers also went all-in on on the modern touches with the front grille being wider and taller than before with the black colored piece meshing well with certain trims. Speaking fo trims, the grille, certain trim levels get different designs, the SX-Prestige gets a gloss black treatment while the X-Pro gets a mesh style treatment.

The head and taillights get a new vertical design and sharper body creases and tweaked elements in the roof make the Telluride look more upscale than it is. A 2.7-inch stretch in the wheelbase makes the 2027 model larger than before with this extra length going towards enhanced passenger room.

Meanwhile, the cabin gets a new layout with two screens that wrap from the steering wheel to the center of the dashboard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard. Kia interior designers have also added more premium materials for certain trims including real wood and metal accents. A new two-tone leather treatment is saved for higher trim levels with the headrests being made out of mesh.

Telluride going for broke with four-cylinder performance

The Telluride used to be known for having a simple engine lineup with only one engine, a 3.8-liter V6 being available. This time around, the V6 has been axed and the 2027 Telluride can now be equipped with two four-cylinder engines. A turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder is the base engine with the setup producing 274 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. Front wheel drive is standard but all-wheel drive is optional on most trims except for the X-Pro where it’s standard. An eight-speed automatic is standard.

The hybrid pairs the engine with a 1.65 kWh lithium ion battery pack and electric motors that allow it to produce a combined system output of 329 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque. Kia didn’t reveal final fuel economy numbers but these figures are more than the outgoing V6. The lone catch here is that the hybrid loses two gears thanks to the addition of a six-speed automatic.

Value quotient

Pricing for the 2027 model was not released yet but we suspect Kia will not raise prices too much when the 2026 and 2027 models are paired side by side in that department. It will be interesting to see where the floor price is but with the outgoing model having a base sticker of just over $37,000 we suspect that the 2027 model could hit the $40,000 barrier to reflect changing pricing conditions.

The 2027 Kia Telluride will begin making its way to dealerships in the first half of next year. We look forward to hearing more in the future and to also experience the new hybrid engine to see how much of an improvement it is over the V6.