I'm Rarely Surprised by Redesigns of Already Great Vehicles. The 2027 Kia Telluride Blew Me Away

There are tons of examples of bad car designs gone good with a generational redesign. There far fewer that take an already great design and make it level best. The 2027 Kia Telluride, in both gas and hybrid variants, is one of those, having to follow on the heels of the brand's hugely praised and hot-selling 2020-2025 Telluride. It was a stratospheric bar, but Kia cleared it with room to spare.

The original Kia Telluride was already one of the segment's best-spacious, comfortable, and shockingly premium. It was also so attractive that it turned more heads than Land Rovers, BMW SUVs, and even G-Wagens. So I expected the 2027 redesign to be a careful evolution, maybe just a smidge better than the original. Instead, it genuinely blew my expectations away.

Boxier is Beautiful

The old Telluride held up remarkably well over the course of six years. Last year, my neighbor bought one in stunning Moss Green paint, and I often marveled at how good it looked even at the end of its life cycle. It thought to myself, "How will Kia top this?" After seeing photos of the 2027 redesign, my initial reaction was one of mild concern largely due to the more squared off look and the loss of the iconic boomerang-style taillights.

Then, I started to see new ones on the road, and I thought it was much better looking in person. Despite making it slightly larger, Kia didn't alter proportions so dramatically that it loses its familiar silhouette, but the detailing-the unique (and almost polarizing) fender surfacing, the chunkified wheel designs, the sci-fi spacecraft lighting-gives it a more expensive, almost concept-car-like vibe. It's the Kia model that most exemplifies the brand's premium leanings, and that's saying a lot given the recently facelifted Sportage and the new K4 Hatchback.

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The Stunning Interior

When I stepped into the cabin, I realized Kia had given its flagship SUV the best of everything. It's both evolutionary for the brand and revolutionary for the model. The previous Telluride already punched above its price class with materials and design, and it set the bar for what a $40k three-row SUV could look and feel like inside. But the 2027 cabin takes that ethos and modernizes it without completely upending what made it great in the first place. Styling, space, comfort, and technology have all been improved.

Twin wide screens and a climate panel blend seamlessly into a clean and more minimalist dashboard. Physical controls are in clean rows. Ambient lighting changes your mood and looks premium. Frankly, the system is so attractive, it wouldn't look out of place in a six-figure Range Rover. The Telluride's new squircle steering wheel might just be one of the best-looking in the industry, and it's functionally excellent, too. Standard twin wireless phone chargers utterly eclipse competitors. Physical controls for core functions like climate and audio have been refined, and the ergonomics don't alienate those who like to focus on the road.

The materials-such as leather-like perforated SofTex on the seats, faux suede trim and headliner, engineered matte wood, and genuine-looking metallic trim-make the interior feel like something you'd expect from a near-luxury brand. The center console is masterfully executed for utility and design. It also cossets in comfort and silence. The sound insulation and overall refinement have been improved; the Telluride now isolates you better than before, and the ride and smoothness are commensurate.

The Driving is Sublime

The new Telluride is more than the sum of its looks. Kia paid a crap ton of attention into how the 2027 Telluride drives. Losing the naturally aspirated V6 could have been a deal-breaker for loyalists who love the sound and the fury, but the new hybrid powertrain strategy isn't a one-trick pony. It saves on fuel while providing genuine thrust. 339 horsepower and 329 lb-ft mean it eclipses the V6. 0-60 mph in 6.4 seconds is more than commendable. Geez, that's not much slower than my E46 BMW 325Ci with the Sport Package.

Even the standard 2.5-liter turbo-four gas-only variant delivers more low-end shove than the old V6 did, giving the Telluride a relaxed confidence in city driving and highway merging. It feels less strained, more modern, and better matched to the kind of loaded-family, full-cargo use this vehicle sees in the real world. The 5,000-lb tow rating for the gas model is more than sufficient for most drivers, too.

When you sample the hybrid, the driving experience ratchets up a level. The integration of electric assist transforms the character of this big three-row. Off-the-line response is immediate and smooth, the handoff between electric and gas power is virtually unnoticeable. The Telluride now glides through traffic with an almost luxury-sedan serenity, yet it still has enough power to handle acceleration demands for sprints, on-ramps, and passing manuevers. Combined with the improved 35 mpg combined fuel economy and extended range of up to 637 miles (!) in FWD guise, the hybrid powertrain is a three-row miser.

Final Thoughts

The 2027 Telluride preserves everything that made the original so great-space, comfort, daily family usability-while leveling up in design, technology, refinement, and efficiency. Kia set out to prove that a mainstream three-row SUV can be both pragmatic and aspirational, and they did it in a way that was fresh. In a market crowded with "new and improved" badges that oftentimes just deliver minor tweaks, the 2027 Telluride is a rare case where the redesign of an already great vehicle is a master stroke.

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 4:00 AM.