2027 Kia Telluride review: Quick drive
It’s related to the Hyundai Palisade and has echoes of the Kia Tasman ute, but should you be upset that the Kia Telluride isn’t sold in Australia?
CarExpert's take
Very Good
What we love
- Stunning looks and road presence
- Excellent efficiency and straight-line performance
- Quiet and surprisingly luxurious
Worth a thought
- Not one for ‘enthusiastic’ driving
- Third-row access isn’t as good as in a people mover
- Can't get one in Australia
Are there other rating labels?
- Excellent
- An outstanding car in almost every way. A joy to drive, packed with great features, and highly recommended.
- Very Good
- A well-rounded car that's enjoyable to drive, offers great value or features, and is easy to recommend.
- Good
- A solid choice that does most things well. Comfortable, capable, and worth considering in this segment.
- Average
- Meets the standard for this segment. May not stand out, but still a dependable and reasonable option.
- Below Average
- Falls a bit behind others in the segment, but still passes safety checks and may suit specific needs or budgets.
Introduction
There’s always been a healthy undercurrent of interest in the Kia Telluride in Australia, despite the fact it's never been sold here – making this handsome large SUV forbidden fruit, to some degree. We always want what we can’t have.
Unveiled in late 2025 and related to the Hyundai Palisade, the all-new, second-generation Telluride is a three-row SUV – slightly longer than the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, but with some echoes of Range Rover styling outside, and a Kia badge up front.
Unlike the Palisade, the Telluride is only built in North America for left-hand drive markets, meaning it’s unlikely to be offered in Australia unless a right-hand drive production line is carved out for it in South Korea. That only happens if there’s enough interest and pressure from buyers to establish a business case.
In the metal, the Telluride looks fantastic. Even with the unashamed Range Rover influence at the rear, the whole vehicle has some real presence. It’s very well proportioned, and the black accents on our test car look especially slick.
Kia advertises an astonishing 18 different variants of the Telluride in the US, with a choice of petrol and hybrid powertrains and front- or all-wheel drive. Among them are the X-Line and X-Pro – with the latter giving off-road vibes.
As the range-topping hybrid, this one is the Kia Telluride HEV X-Line SX Prestige AWD, offering plenty of premium features, a large SUV body that Americans love, all-wheel drive, and the efficiency that comes with an electrified powertrain.
The Telluride is a cooler alternative to minivans (read: people movers), with the choice of either seven seats – with captain’s chairs in the second row – or an eight-seater, in a 2+3+3 arrangement.
Even with the third row in use, there’s still more than 600 litres of boot space, making it an attractive choice for those needing to carry a big family and all their things.
As a tourist in Los Angeles, we wanted to see what the Kia Telluride was like to live with – and whether Australians should be upset that it’s not available to them. Let’s get into it.
How much does the Kia Telluride cost?
The Kia Telluride is only available in North American and Middle Eastern markets, with no right-hand drive production plans for the model – ruling it out for Australia currently.
In the US, the Telluride range starts at US$39,190 before on-road costs for the LX FWD grade, while the cheapest hybrid starts at US$46,490 – or roughly A$56,000 and A$66,300 respectively.
Our Telluride HEV X-Line SX Prestige AWD is the most expensive of the 18 variants in the US range, and is currently priced from US$57,590, or around A$82,100.
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What is the Kia Telluride like on the inside?
The first thing that struck me about the Telluride was how much the inside reminded me of the Kia Tasman ute.
While the Tasman is a bit more rugged and off-roady, the Telluride has more of a luxury hotel vibe going on, but there are some undeniable similarities. Given the interior of the Tasman is one of the best parts about it, that’s no bad thing. The Telluride does lean more toward a premium feel, particularly in this variant, with big slabs of engineered woodgrain and black buttons rather than brushed aluminium as found in the ute.
It’s typical Kia in here, with dual 12.3-inch screens for the digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen, and a 5.0-inch climate panel sandwiched between (which can be difficult to see from behind the steering wheel). There’s also a 12-inch head-up display ahead of the driver, and a drive selector nubbin at the four o’clock position behind the steering wheel.
The infotainment software is also typical Kia, meaning it works well and is easy to use. It’s hooked up to a 14-speaker Meridian audio system which is particularly excellent and had us turning the stop-start traffic into a karaoke show. Thankfully, our Telluride had acoustic rear door glass to keep us from embarrassing ourselves.
Being the X-Line SX Prestige HEV AWD, there’s a long list of additions on our vehicle, like a digital rear-view mirror, auto wipers, the special glass, and SynTex suede headlining, adding to the standard SX features of front and rear sunroofs, the aforementioned Meridian sound system, alloy-faced pedals, puddle lamps, and ambient lighting, among other equipment.
All of which makes for a very comfortable cabin. It was hot and humid during our time in LA, and despite the black interior and large sunroofs, it felt like an insulated oasis every time we jumped in – helped by the powerful climate control, ventilated seats, and insulated glass with privacy tint.
As with other Kia models, the large amount of adjustability in the seats and steering wheel meant finding the ideal driving position was easy. There’s always a degree of stress when getting off a long flight and immediately driving an unfamiliar car, in an unfamiliar city, and on the wrong side of the road – so being instantly comfortable behind the wheel took a little bit of that edge off.
We can’t quite decide if we like the slightly squared-off steering wheel, but the buttons and thumbwheels are all properly great, with a lovely action to them. The driver also has quick access to both drive and terrain modes from the wheel.
I was curious to see whether I would notice any differences between a US-made Kia and the cars we get from South Korea, but the quality is consistently excellent throughout the cabin.
Like the Tasman, the seats don’t look all that special, but they’re quite well built and shaped, offering good comfort and support – something we particularly appreciated in LA’s famous gridlocked traffic. The faux suede trim at the shoulder of the seats is pretty smart, as it reduces the chances of absorbing yoghurt stains, but helps keep the torso from sliding around during cornering.
There’s a tonne of space for second-row occupants, with the captain’s chairs adding some special sauce to the experience. The cupholders at the rear of the centre console are smart, and there are some USB-C ports for charging devices on long drives.
Almost everyone may prefer an SUV to a people mover, but it makes accessing the third row of seats more difficult if you don’t have a sliding door and a large aperture. But there is a button on the shoulder of the second-row chairs to have them power-tilt out of the way. The third row is surprisingly spacious, but the bench seat isn’t as wide – due to the wheel-arches – and is only really suitable for two human-sized humans.
Our Telluride had a beautiful shade of Black Jade Green outside, with black highlights and a black faux leather interior. However, Kia does offer a black with grey faux suede interior colourway on some of the hybrids (paint-dependent), with some funkier upholstery choices available in the non-hybrid variants – including a grey faux leather with purple suede, if you’re chauffeuring guests to a Las Vegas hotel in the 1970s.
| Dimensions | Telluride HEV X-Line SX Prestige |
|---|---|
| Length | 5060mm |
| Width | 1990mm |
| Height | 1790mm |
| Wheelbase | 2970mm |
| Cargo capacity | 603L (all seats up) 1351L (3rd row down) 2500L (2nd & 3rd row down) |
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What's under the bonnet?
Kia offers a 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine in the Telluride, with the option of hybrid technology – both of which can be had with front- or all-wheel drive.
| Specifications | Telluride | Telluride HEV |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.5L 4cyl turbo-petrol | 2.5L 4cyl turbo-petrol hybrid |
| Outputs | 204kW / 422Nm | 245kW / 460Nm |
| Battery | - | 1.65kWh Li-ion |
| Transmission | 8sp automatic | 6sp automatic |
| Drive type | FWD / AWD | FWD / AWD |
| Weight | 1987-2064kg (FWD) 2095-2152kg (AWD) | 2114-2171kg (FWD) 2180-2296kg (AWD) |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 10.7L/100km (FWD) 11.8-12.4L/100km (AWD) | 6.7-7.1L/100km (FWD) 7.6L/100km (AWD) |
| Fuel tank capacity | 69L | 69L |
| Fuel requirement | 91-ctane standard unleaded | 91-octane standaerd unleaded |
| Braked tow capacity | 2268kg | 2041kg |
While the 2.5-litre puts out a respectable 204kW of power and 422Nm of torque, the hybrid system boosts performance to a healthy 245kW and 460Nm – and drops claimed fuel consumption by around 30-40 per cent.
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How does the Kia Telluride drive?
Even with the wider lanes and bigger parking spots, the Kia Telluride initially felt pretty massive on LA’s streets and freeways – but after a couple of days behind the wheel, that feeling dissipated.
We were pleasantly surprised by the response to steering and pedal inputs. Kia’s done a good job of balancing lightness and responsiveness, making the vehicle very easy and predictable to wheel around the city and parking structures.
It’s no featherweight, but in the context of electrified SUVs of this size, the Telluride isn’t overly heavy, coming in at less than 2300kg. The ride is composed and covers up the sins of LA’s worst streets, thanks to a softer suspension tune and a long wheelbase.
Despite using a four-cylinder engine, its 245kW and 460Nm (!) outputs get the Telluride up to speed very well indeed, with the hybrid system doing a great job of torque-filling off the line and delivering near-instantaneous performance when the throttle is squeezed. Unlike the non-hybrid model, which gets an eight-speed automatic transmission, our hybrid had a six-speed auto – though it makes the most of having fewer ratios with its torque output.
On the freeway, we were very impressed with how quiet the cabin is, really elevating the experience to that of a premium vehicle.
A drive up into LA’s canyons did start to show some of its shortfalls. To be sure, the Telluride isn’t designed to replace your Porsche 911, but tipping it into corners at speed quickly exposed its soft underbelly and subpar tyres. Even with all-wheel drive and all the electronic gubbins doing their best to keep the car in its lane, the Kumho rubber just couldn’t keep a handle on its torque, steering angle, and mass at the same time, with gobs of understeer being the main takeaway.
Obviously, most people won’t be using the Telluride in this way, but we do this to see how sophisticated the chassis is and how quickly we can find its limits. In this case, very. No matter.
Despite using almost no fuel in the days prior – and impressing us no end – we ended up eating almost a quarter of a tank on one enthusiastic run halfway up and down Angeles Crest Highway.
So, take it down a notch or two, don’t bother with sport mode or fun roads, and keep it chill. The Kia Telluride is very good at what it’s designed to do, but don’t ask any more of it than that.
This SUV is clearly optimised for the efficient and comfortable transportation of families, and that’s its sweet spot. The Telluride was perfect for cruising around in and doing airport runs, thanks to plenty of space, a high level of comfort and luxury, and a strong and efficient powertrain.
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What do you get?
Given there are 18 different variants of the Kia Telluride, the features list grows pretty long by the time you get to the range-topping Telluride X-Line SX Prestige AWD.
2027 Kia Telluride X-Line SX Prestige AWD standard equipment highlights:
- 21-inch alloy wheels
- X-Line exterior styling with black trim
- High-utility roof rails
- Self-levelling rear suspension
- LED headlights and fog lights
- Opening front sunroof and fixed rear glass roof
- Hands-free powered tailgate
- Seven-seat layout with second-row captain’s chairs
- SynTex and SynTex suede seat upholstery
- 10-way powered driver’s seat with memory and massage
- Eight-way powered front passenger seat
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Powered driver’s-seat side bolsters
- Heated and ventilated second-row seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Electrically adjustable steering column with memory
- Three-zone climate control
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with satellite navigation
- 12-inch head-up display
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- 14-speaker Meridian sound system
- Dual wireless phone chargers
- Digital rear-view mirror
- Digital Key 2.0 smartphone key
- Ambient interior lighting
- Second-row window sunshades
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Is the Kia Telluride safe?
The Kia Telluride has not yet been tested by ANCAP, Euro NCAP, or the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However, the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) lists the 2027 Telluride as a 'top safety pick', scoring it highly across all categories.
2027 Kia Telluride X-Line SX Prestige AWD standard safety features:
- 10 airbags
- Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
- Junction collision avoidance
- Oncoming collision avoidance
- Lane-change collision avoidance for oncoming and adjacent-lane traffic
- Evasive steering assistance
- Blind-spot monitoring with collision-avoidance steering assistance
- Blind-spot camera display
- Rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking
- Lane-departure warning
- Lane-keep assist
- Lane-centring assistance
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go and navigation-based curve-speed adjustment
- Highway Driving Assist 2 with lane-change assistance
- Driver-attention warning
- In-cabin driver-monitoring camera
- Steering-wheel hands-on detection
- Intelligent Speed Limit Assist
- Safe Exit Assist
- Radar-based rear-occupant alert
- Automatic high-beam assistance
- Front, side, and rear parking sensors
- 360-degree cameras
- Reverse parking collision-avoidance braking
- Remote Smart Parking Assist
- Anti-lock brakes
- Electronic stability control
- Traction control
- Trailer stability assistance
- Hill-start assistance
- Hill-descent control
- Tyre-pressure monitoring
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How much does the Kia Telluride cost to run?
Kia North America offers a five-year, 60,000-mile (96,600km) new-car warranty with roadside assistance, and a 10-year, 100,000-mile (161,000km) hybrid powertrain and battery warranty.
Service intervals are listed as 12 months or 8000 miles (13,000km) for both standard and hybrid powertrains.
Unlike most Australian brands, Kia North America doesn't offer capped-price servicing, but does have prepaid maintenance plans available to owners.
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CarExpert's take on the Kia Telluride
The Kia Telluride might be a step-sibling to the Hyundai Palisade, but it’s absolutely its own thing.
US buyers have a dizzying array of choices across the Telluride lineup, with our range-topping variant bringing a very long list of features as standard – and making our short time in the City of Angels that much more enjoyable.
Our foray up Angeles Crest Highway may have exposed its performance shortcomings, but it also highlighted what this SUV really is: a comfortable, relaxed vehicle designed primarily for family duties. And to that end, it does an exceptional job.
All the while, our biggest disappointment was knowing that the Kia Telluride isn’t available to the Australian market. The Palisade is a suitable proxy, but if you’re not in love with Hyundai’s styling, the good news is we’re seeing the Telluride’s design language adopted to some degree across other Kia SUVs, like the Sorento, Sportage, and Seltos. We can only hope it gets adopted by the Tasman…
The Telluride offers a tonne of space, real-world luxury appointments, and a powertrain with a good level of performance – without compromising fuel efficiency. (Unless you drive like a bing bong…)
It’s also a very handsome vehicle, exuding genuine presence on the road. Our particular vehicle looked pretty amazing in its Black Jade Green paintwork with black exterior badging and trims, like it could be a ‘subdued’ cop car used by state troopers.
The fact that it has a Kia badge on the nose seems like a plus, too. The Telluride on its own is a statement, but it arguably doesn’t carry some of the pretence that some other, more premium badges can – and it has some appeal given Australia’s ‘tall poppy syndrome’.
We became quite enamoured with the big Kia, being a calming, easy-to-drive, and supremely comfortable large SUV, making the Telluride the perfect companion for Los Angeles.
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