For the past seven years, Kia’s midsize SUV has been the leader of its pack when it comes to size, luxury and capability.
In other words, it’s a serious enough SUV that the X-Pro really is capable of going off road as well as coddling its passenger and driver.
Now, after only one generation – albeit one that got a mid-cycle refresh in 2023 – Kia chisels its way into a very in-your-face look for 2027’s model. At 199.2 inches in length atop a 116.9-inch wheelbase (2.3 and 2.7 inches longer respectively), it takes the Telluride to the next gold mine.
Tellurides have sold very well, with over 73,000 sold though June of this year, after just over 123,000 sold nationwide in 2025, and 115,500-plus in 2024. And if the 2025 model I tested last year was a boxy, no-nonsense design, the 2027 model (Kia skipped a year) just introduced chisels its way right into the spirit of the Rocky Mountains.
The blunt grille goes all-cubist for 2027, with rows of flat black squares capped with vertical LED lights and amber DRL slashes. A blunt black bumper gets gold tow hooks over a deep lower intake, all under a broad hood ‘tween angular, faceted front fenders. It’s an in-your-face, face.
Under those triangular creased fenders live P255/60R18-inch Continental CrossContact rubber on faceted black alloy wheels, with suspension visible between tread and gloss black fender trim. There are square accents atop each wheel arch hooked into chunky black lower side sills. Flush door handles are almost invisible on flat flanks between faceted fender flares, leading to a pretty slick – for an SUV – drag coefficient of .33 on our X-Pro, Kia says.
Black roof rails are on top. In back there’s a hint of Range Rover with tall, slim LED taillights athwart a flat tailgate over a sculpted black bumper, again with prominent tow hooks.
The 2025 model looked purposeful – this one, with 9.1 inches of ground clearance and upgraded suspension, does look ready to get muddy. Reviews were mixed at various car events I attended in this misty gold SUV. Some liked the look, especially the grille, while someone called it a “Transformer.” I like the softened 90-degree angles, its long wheelbase and its chunky-yet-smooth aesthetic, with a 2-inch longer body design.
Despite X-Pro’s off-road height and more ground clearance, it’s easy to slide into its pleated black faux leather bucket seats with suede uppers, X-Pro embossed on each. The driver faces a padded leather squircle steering wheel with paddle shifters in back, and the usual audio, cruise and gauge configuration buttons, plus drive and off-road mode selection.
There’s a wide curved dash display incorporating two 12.3-inch screens. It’s an evolution of the slightly smaller 2025 version. Straight ahead is a configurable display that shows speed, rpm, even off-road pitch and roll, plus an info screen with trip, front/rear power split and more. To the right there’s a climate control screen, which is partially hidden by the steering wheel rim. Then comes the navigation screen, or a split showing map, audio and more.
Cool stuff here: one configuration starts with a lightspeed star field when you turn the Telluride on, then each screen function – entertainment, phone, audio, etc. is a Star Wars character. And the map icon that shows where you are is the Rebel Alliance insignia – Red Leader standing by! And dig those rubber floor mats for if/when you get in the dirt.
Don’t look for the Start/Stop button on the dash or center console. It’s almost hidden on a right-side stalk with a twist control to engage Drive, Reverse or Park. And there’s only a handful of real buttons here. The main screen has Home/Map/Search/Media/Setup above the center air vents, and climate controls below, with USB ports nearby.
Plus, the color head-up display showcases surrounding traffic, including in blind spots, aided by a widescreen video rear-view mirror.
The interior is done in stitched black pleather with shredded carbon fiber-like accents on the dashboard, doors and center console, along with accent lighting. There’s dual inductive phone charge plates at the head of the center console, then buttons for auto-hold brakes and the like, plus a sliding door over cup holders and a storage tray. The wide center armrest hides more storage.
Back doors open wide to access twin captain’s chairs with center armrests, cup holders, and manual side window shades. You can slide the seats fore and aft for more rear seat room. And it’s easy enough to get to the third-row bench seat of this 7-seater, with good head room. Third-row leg room is tight unless the second row moves forward.
At least there are heated outboard seats and USB plugs.
There’s plenty of cargo space here too, especially as the back rows fold flat, plus space under the floor, and a self-leveling rear suspension for heavier loads.
Like many Kia and Hyundai SUVs, there’s a built-in intercom so the driver can talk to the rear seat passengers in addition to blind spot cameras that display in the gauge package.
It also has SmartPark, which allows you to move the Telluride forward and backward via the key fob to move it in or out of a tight parking spot.
The interior has a cleaner, updated look that lacks a number of physical buttons, but with fairly easy access to most screen menus via the steering wheel or dash buttons.
More changes have been made under the skin of this totally redone second-gen 2027 model, as compared to the first-gen 2025.
First, lift that hood and find not the 2025 Telluride’s 3.8-liter V-6 with 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque, but instead a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder producing 274 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. It’s hooked to an 8-speed automatic transmission, capable of towing up to 5,000 lbs., compared to the V-6’s 5,500 lbs.
Tapping one of two steering wheel buttons accesses Eco, Normal, Sport, and My Drive modes – the other handles off-road Snow, Mud, and Sand. That’s handy since our X-Pro has higher ground clearance than the 2025 model we tested.
We did most of our driving in the 4,744-lb. Telluride in Eco mode, noting that all-wheel-drive auto kept it in mostly front wheel drive except under acceleration, when rear rubber kicked in, and during some of the off-road modes. In Eco it launched moderately, then the turbo smoothed in to hit 60 mph in a decent 8.1 seconds. In Sport mode, which routed a bit more to the rear wheels in most cases, we launched quicker. There were faster up shifts en route to 60 mph in 7.9 seconds. The four-cylinder engine has a bit more vocality than the last-gen’s V-6, but it’s not unpleasant, and is mostly quiet during suburban and highway driving.
We scratched 18 mpg in mostly Eco mode driving. Sport mode resulted in a slightly sportier exhaust note, a tighter and more responsive steering feel, and quicker downshifts when power was requested, sort of fun for an SUV.
The 2025 Telluride we tested then – remember, there are no 2026 models – had that V-6, doing 60 mph in 6.9 seconds in Sport mode, with an indicated 22 mpg.
That relatively long wheelbase gets an independent suspension with MacPherson Struts up front, and independent multi-link in back, with that self-leveling rear suspension. The result was a comfortable ride, just taut enough, but with a supple feel over bumps. It only showed a bit of after-bounce following some larger speed bumps. And for an SUV, it handled suburban curves and interstate ramps nicely, fairly neutral without a lot of body roll. And when pushed in steady state cornering, only a bit of controllable understeer could be felt, but nothing driver and safety nannies couldn’t smooth out.
Our 5,900-lb. SUV had a nice bite and decent control on the pedal working its 13.6 in. front/12.8-inch rear disc brakes, offering solid stops with minimal nose-dive at full stop. There was some ABS chatter under full pedal threshold from 60 mph, but no fade.
We did do some off-roading, tapping in the off-road page on the main screen with an image of the X-Pro showing steering, tilt and climb angles, which wheels are getting how much power, plus engine gauges. In grass overlying sand, traction was solid in Sand mode, the gas pedal backing off input just a bit as we cruised through easily. Then we tackled bumpy sand in a pine wood with lots of branches, roots and depressions around, and again, traction was fine. Nothing tapped the underside due to higher suspension, and there was nary a body creak. But some roots did transmit a sharper bump through the suspension. X-Pro will probably handle a bit more Mother Nature without an issue.
The Telluride doesn’t have autonomous driving yet, but it will execute a lane change in cruise control with a tap of the turn signal stalk. The lane-keep system is insistent. Better steering wheel feel is there with it off on side roads.
A base Telluride goes for $39,190; our Telluride SX Prestige X-Pro starts at $56,790, the only options the Terrain Brown Matte paint and floor mats, for a final price of $59,580.
Bottom line: the Telluride X-Pro we tested is a near-luxury SUV with a distinctive and clean exterior design, near-luxury interior with serious attention to detail and equipment, and a solid engine with powe, and some decent off-road travel. It’s a solid choice for a traveling family with stuff.
2026 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Pro AWD Specifications
Vehicle type – mid-size 7-passenger all-wheel-drive SUV
Base price – $53,685 ($56,240 as tested)
Engine type – Turbocharged direct-injection DOHC aluminum inline 4
Displacement – 2.5-liter
Horsepower (net) – 274 @ 5,800 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 311 lb.-ft. @ 1,700-4,000 rpm
Transmission – 8-speed automatic with manual shift
Wheelbase – 116.9 inches
Overall length – 199.2 inches
Overall width – 78.3 inches
Height – 71.5 inches w/roof rails
Front headroom – 40 inches
Front legroom – 41.4 inches
Middle headroom – 38.9 inches
Middle legroom – 43 inches
Rear headroom – 37.4 inches
Rear legroom – 32 inches
Cargo capacity 22.3 cu. ft./48.7 w/3rd row folded/89.3 w/all rows folded
Towing capacity – up to 5,500 lbs.
Curb weight – 4,736 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 18.8 gallons
Mileage rating – 17 mpg city/ 22 mpg highway