2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Design-wise, the new 2027 Kia Telluride represents a bold reinterpretation, which could polarize some shoppers into love-it or hate-it camps. The grille in particular tends to divide opinions, with its flat, almost faceless look that spans the entire width of the front end.

The Telluride is also one of the few vehicles that seem to significantly change their personality depending on color and trim level, due to the body-colored vertical strakes at each edge. In lighter paint colors, they can seem a bit jarring, but in darker shades, they blend in more harmoniously. In the X-Line and X-Pro models, those strakes are gone, replaced by a series of rectangular grille blocks, and both styles feature distinctive amber accent lights flanking the grille.

From the side, the boldness continues, with unique faceted and angular fender sculpting and unusual black plastic tabs atop each wheel well. They're a bit of an odd novelty that seems a bit unnecessary, making us wonder if it might look cleaner without them. The profile view also highlights how boxy and truck-like the hood and grille are. The rear view adopts a different style, with rounded corners and vertical taillights that mimic the front accent lights. In some ways, it looks like a Range Rover from behind, and that's not a bad thing.

The Telluride's interior is far less controversial, with a simple horizontal dashboard layout and a rather stark, buttonless modern appearance. The Hybrid SX Prestige trim we evaluated came equipped with the optional SX Prestige Executive package, which swaps the interior from black to a lighter two-tone palette. It adds a more luxurious flavor, akin to something we'd see from Volvo, which is a good thing. The only drawback is that the labeling on the silver buttons and cream-colored infotainment shortcut buttons below the touchscreen is difficult to read.

The seats are covered in synthetic leather and suede, while other trims feature synthetic leather and a combination of fabric. The seats have somewhat flat and firm cushions, which can create some uncomfortable hard spots on longer drives. Surrounding materials quality is excellent for the class, and you can choose between a few different trim surfaces. These include the engineered wood shown here, which is a laminated wood cut crosswise, and engineered carbon with irregular bits of carbon fiber pressed into a smooth surface. There are also more traditional coverings in supporting trim levels.

The standard 2027 Telluride is powered by a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 274 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. It has less horsepower but more torque than the previous V6 engine, and should deliver similar performance. It's paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and in the base LX trim, it's exclusively front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is standard on the midrange trims and above, and for all other trim levels, it's a $2,000 option.

The Telluride Hybrid adds electric motors fed by a 1.65-kWh battery pack, increasing output to 329 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque. It's mated to a six-speed transmission and is not offered in the off-road-capable X-Pro trims. It is, however, available in the X-Line trim, which mimics the X-Pro's looks without the all-terrain equipment.

We spent most of our time driving the Hybrid, but had a brief off-road excursion in the top X-Pro Prestige model. In that setting, the power disadvantage did not make itself known, and the Telluride had plenty of power to climb moderately steep grades without having to rely on momentum. The engine remains pleasantly quiet, and when driven harder, it doesn't sound as though you're overstressing it. For those wanting all-terrain capabilities, the Telluride X-Pro should exceed most shoppers' expectations, as long as they're not expecting the kind of rock-crawling abilities of a Toyota 4Runner or Ford Bronco.

The Telluride Hybrid has more than enough power and is noticeably quieter. For the most part, we couldn't tell if the gas engine was running or not, and the transition between electric and gas was undetectable. There were a few rare occasions when the engine would spring to life and rev higher than a typical idle, but those instances only lasted a few seconds.

Both Tellurides are tuned for comfort and deliver a luxuriously smooth ride. The X-Pro Prestige trim was surprisingly comfortable, which is somewhat unusual for a model with a lifted off-road suspension. The 18-inch wheels with tall-sidewall tires easily soaked up bumps and ruts, while the Hybrid SX Prestige had a stiffer ride with its 20-inch wheels. It's especially noticeable over potholes, but the suspension manages to keep them from sending sharp jolts through the cabin. Midrange and higher trims add more and more sound insulation, and in our top SX Prestige trim, the interior remained pleasantly quiet over a variety of surfaces. Wind noise is also nearly imperceptible at highway speeds.

On a winding road, the Telluride is composed and controllable. Like most three-row midsize SUVs, it's not particularly sporty or inspiring, but it does instill plenty of confidence. When slowing, the brake pedal effort is rather soft and can take some getting used to. In panic stops, brake response is immediate and the vehicle tracks straight with an appropriate amount of nosedive.

There's ample space for adults in all three rows of the new Telluride, though smaller passengers are better suited to the rearmost row. The seat cushions are mounted low to the floor, greatly reducing thigh support for adult-sized passengers, but headroom and legroom are adequate. Those rearmost seats also don't feel as tucked away as some other midsize SUVs, thanks to an elevated seating position that gives a better view out the front.

In our Hybrid SX Prestige test vehicle with the optional Executive package, the second row featured power-adjustable seats with heating and ventilation. They're almost as comfortable as the front seats and also have a reclining feature that's comparable to a business-class domestic airline seat. The main drawback is that they take a long time to slide and tilt forward to allow third-row access. Without the Executive package, they manually slide and tilt much quicker.

Either way, the middle-row seats feature a lot of seat travel fore and aft, allowing for more cargo or third-row legroom if needed. Even with the seats slid past the midway point, there's ample legroom, and that's even with the Telluride Hybrid which shortens second-row legroom by 1.6 inches. Most models come with captain's chairs, and only the non-Hybrid LX and EX trims are available with a second-row bench, increasing seating capacity from seven to eight.

Behind the third-row, the Telluride can hold up to 22.3 cu-ft of cargo, which is slightly more than rivals. The fabric covering the seatbacks and cargo floor is difficult to keep from bunching up at the crease and requires a forceful tuck into the space, though. Folding the seatbacks is much easier, needing only a tug of a strap to release, increasing the volume to 48.7 cu-ft, which is about average for the class. All Telluride trims feature buttons in the cargo area to remotely fold the second-row seatbacks flat, offering up to 89.3 cu-ft of cargo capacity. The Hybrid models lose only about one cubic foot by comparison. Properly equipped, the Telluride can tow up to 5,000 pounds (4,500 for the Hybrid).

For smaller personal items, the front seats have a large center bin with deployable cupholders. There's also a shallow center armrest bin and medium-sized door pockets. A tray underneath the center console can hold larger items. The second row benefits from a tray and bin that slide out from the console, and even the third row has dual cupholders on each side.

Almost all Kia Telluride models come with a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, and a 5-inch touchscreen between them for climate controls. The LX and S trims come with a smaller 4.2-inch instrument panel, but they're all housed within a common panel atop the dashboard. A native navigation system is also included, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and dual wireless phone chargers. The rubberized charging pads easily accept Max-sized iPhones with a bumper case and keep them well anchored while driving.

The infotainment system is easy to use, thanks to logically arranged menus. We did notice a few delays between tapping the screen and when the system responded though, and the screen often required an unusually hard tap to register. The middle climate control screen was also difficult to use while driving, as the steering wheel blocks your view. Thankfully, there are physical temperature control buttons in the center of the dashboard, and the system required very few adjustments once set. The row of capacitive-touch shortcut buttons below the screen were also prone to some inadvertent and frustrating activations if your hand brushed them while using the touchscreen.

Thanks to Kia's many brand collaborations, you can customize the infotainment screen's look with several themes. These include your favorite NBA team, wildlife images from National Geographic, and characters from the Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel universes.

A 14-speaker Meridian premium audio system comes with the Telluride SX trim and above, and delivers powerful bass and clear tones. At higher volumes, the sound quality remains distortion-free. Supporting trims are equipped with an eight-speaker system.

At the time of writing, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has published crash test scores for the 2027 Kia Telluride. Standard advanced safety features for all models include frontal collision warning with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, parking proximity sensors, highway driving assist, and rear passenger sensors/reminders. On higher-trimmed Tellurides, other features include a surround-view camera system, a blind-spot camera system, side parking proximity sensors, and automatic reverse braking.

The Telluride also includes a driver attention monitor, which was the only feature that had any operational issues. At night, the system was often triggered even though our eyes remained on the road. We're also not entirely sold on the blind-spot cameras that project a rearward-looking side view into the instrument panel. We find it more distracting than helpful, especially at night. By contrast, the highway driving assist was particularly helpful on longer trips, keeping the vehicle centered in its lane while maintaining a consistent gap to vehicles ahead. Speed changes were also smoothly executed.

With the gas powertrain, the 2027 Kia Telluride has a starting price of $40,735 for the entry-level LX trim, including the $1,545 destination fee. At the top of the lineup, the off-road-capable X-Pro SX Prestige will cost you $58,335 to start. The Telluride Hybrid's entry-level model is the non-Hybrid's midrange EX trim with a starting price of $48,035 and maxes out with the X-Line SX Prestige trim at $59,135. Between the gas and Hybrid models, the price difference remains consistent at $2,700, which is a reasonable sum considering you're getting more power and improved efficiency.

The efficiency leader in the Telluride lineup is the front-wheel drive Hybrid EX, with an EPA-estimated 35 mpg combined in city and highway miles. With all-wheel drive, the estimate drops to a still-impressive 31 mpg combined. The non-Hybrid Telluride is rated at 22 mpg combined with front-wheel drive, and 20 mpg with all-wheel drive. The X-Pro Prestige drops to 19 mpg combined. These figures are comparable to other midsize three-row SUVs in its class.

These estimates definitely favor the Telluride Hybrid when you consider the reasonable price premium. With gas at $4 per gallon and with 15,000 miles driven annually, the math works out to only about 2.5 years to recoup the Hybrid premium, after which, you'll be saving more than $1,000 per year in fuel costs.

Compared to the competition, the 2027 Telluride is priced similarly for feature content and competitive in regard to fuel economy, with direct rivals including the Hyundai Palisade, Toyota Grand Highlander, and Honda Pilot. Only the Pilot is not available as a hybrid.