Key Points
- The 2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid combines family-friendly space with 329 horsepower and improved fuel economy.
- Five hybrid trims cost $46,490–$57,590, while the tested fully equipped model reached $61,180.
- It offers a comfortable third row, extensive safety technology, quiet ride, and up to 637 miles’ range.
The Kia Telluride has been a family-focused SUV since its inception back in 2020. It was built to be a luxury-leaning, big but not-too-big, yet spacious option for families that didn’t want a minivan, but not something as gargantuan or expensive as a Chevy Suburban or GMC Yukon. For once, Americans had a “happy medium” choice. Because it sat perfectly in the middle, it sold, and sold well—and so far, it’s the only model Kia’s designed, engineered, and built for the American market. So, obviously Kia’s R&D did their job, and did it well.
Cole Attisha
For 2027, Kia implemented the hybrid drive and powertrain that was introduced on the redesigned 2026 Hyundai Palisade—a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that, when combined with the two electric motors, puts out 329 horsepower and 339 lb-ft of torque. So, not only do you get close to 30 MPG with all-wheel drive, but the power balance is much nicer than that old V6 Kia basically beat to death. The redesign also brought more space, more utility, and a truly unique look. Here’s what else parents should keep in mind.
Let’s talk money
By now, we know that the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride are industry twins. Even though they share the same platform and powertrain, Kia’s approach to marketing the Telluride hybrid is… Interesting. On the homepage, the first words you see are, “Turbo-Hybrid,” not just “Hybrid.” Right away, we’re getting images of the Telluride with an alpine lake in the background, with messaging about “637 miles of total driving range,” and 329 horsepower. So, they’re trying to attract the folks that want something both practical and fun.
Cole Attisha
Therefore, even though the Palisade is much more posh and polished, the Kia Telluride is more expensive. There are five trims of the hybrid version, starting with the EX, a mid-level trim—completely separate from the Palisade hybrid’s much more bare-bones base trim. Here are the trims and their base MSRP, before destination fees:
- EX ($46,490): The mid-level entry trim. Kia describes it as “refined” with “daily comfort.” Front-wheel drive is standard, unless you want to pay extra for all-wheel drive—but you still get all the fancy safety features, convenience features, and comfort features. The only thing you really don’t get standard is a heated steering wheel. You still get heated seats in the front, heated side mirrors, and an acoustic windshield at that price, though. Pretty impressive.
- SX ($51,490): This one’s marketed as “advanced with modern tech and interior,” as it comes with the dual sunroofs (the EX only has a single sunroof), blind spot and 360-degree surround view monitor to help with parking, the memory seat function, and the premium sound system.
- X-Line SX ($54,490): This is where the Telluride starts to lean more into the “off-road” image. The different front bumper, the tow hooks, the blacked-out body cladding and side skirts, raised roof rails, all-wheel drive is standard, and then you get a terrain mode selector, with a heavier focus on interior technology.
- SX Prestige ($56,590): This is the off-road-focused, but luxury-adjacent trim. The second row gets built-in heaters in the seats, HomeLink, a heads-up display, and the Digital Key 2.0 feature.
- X-Line SX Prestige ($57,590): This is the highest trim level, with every fancy bell and whistle Kia has available, with all of the off-road features, too. Unlike the Hyundai Palisade, the highest-level trim is the company’s most capable while also being the fanciest, with a synthetic leather upholstery that also happens to be water-resistant and remote parking assist. This was the model I tested, and with optional packages, it totaled to $61,180.
You don’t get a bench seat option for the hybrid model
One of the first things I look into with 3-row SUVs is the availability (or lack thereof) of a bench seat for the second row. In the Kia Telluride hybrid’s case, no trim level offers a bench seat because the hybrid is considered the higher-end, fancier model compared to the gas-only model. If you want a bench seat, you have to get the gas-only model. For me, the lack of a bench option means you’re limited to seven seats instead of 8, but… That’s more than five, so I guess I should pick my battles a little better. I have two kids, both of whom are in car seats—so they take up the entire second row. If we do need to move another adult, they’re banned to the rear seat.
Kristen Brown
Though you could put them in the rearmost seats, as all three seats in the rear have top tether anchors, and the outboard seats have lower LATCH anchors, you could put them in the third row if you wanted to—you would just have to secure the kid in the middle with the seatbelt and top tether.
Speaking of third rows… It’s a good one
The third row of the Kia Telluride, both the gas-only and hybrid model, has a very sizable third row. The standard legroom figure of the third row is 32.1 inches of legroom, which is more than enough for adults and lanky teens. And it can be expanded if needed, as the second row seats can scoot forward. The visibility is excellent, thanks to the dual-sunroofs (only in the higher trims, which are worth the investment if the third row is going to be used full-time), large porthole windows on each side—that are thankfully tinted—and everyone gets their own cupholders, ceiling-mounted A/C vents, and a dedicated USB-C charging port. So, no one’s feeling left out or like they’re the least favorite if they’re sitting back there.
Kristen Brown
If you live in a cold climate, the second and third row seats can be configured with heaters if you go for the optional Executive Package on the higher SX-Prestige and X-Line SX Prestige trims. This is a nice option for families since no minivan has that option.
Mileage, obviously, is a very attractive feature
Obviously a big factor is whether or not you go with front- or all-wheel drive, but mileage in the hybrid is notably better. With front-wheel drive, the Telluride hybrid is rated for up to 36 MPG on the highway and 35 MPG combined, while the all-wheel drive version is rated up to 32 MPG on the highway and 31 MPG combined. The gas-only version, by comparison, achieves up to 26 MPG on the highway with FWD, and 24 MPG on the highway with AWD. Combined, either configuration ranges between 18–22 MPG.
Cole Attisha
In today’s economy, getting between 11 and 13 miles per gallon more is a huge win. Especially if you do a lot of commuting or city driving, since you benefit from the hybrid battery’s EV mode at slower speeds or at stops. And, because of the increased mileage, you can go a lot further before you start dreading the pumps. Kia’s very obnoxious about advertising that the hybrid has a maximum driving range of 637 miles with FWD. Which is quite a jump from the gas-only’s maximum range of 418 miles with FWD, and 380 miles with AWD.
The interior is simple yet effective, and the technology is easy
This is where you could tell the Kia Telluride Hybrid was a product made by people with families. Aside from the dual 12-inch screen setup that stretches across the dashboard, starting from the driver’s door to the center console, the first thing I noticed was the adjustable cup holders in the center console. You can have them “out” to hold your usual cup of coffee, energy drink, or standard water bottle. Or you can push them in and have them “stowed” to make room for your larger 32 oz water bottle, sunglasses case, purse, wallet, or whatever else you need to have in a grabbable vicinity. The center console pocket is deep and easy to access, and there’s a passthrough underneath the cupholders that I regularly used for my purse to keep it out of anyone’s footwell. The pockets in all four doors were large enough to hold water bottles, so I’d say there are technically four cupholders up front. For parents (or a beverage goblin like myself), the more cupholders the better. Especially up front.
Kristen Brown
Mine had an all-black interior layout with black synthetic leather, but you can get it in a few different colors: tan and white, dark blue and light brown (gorgeous), and if you get the Executive Package, you can unlock Blackberry & Sand Beige—which is an almost-purple and tan setup. Any color other than black makes the Telluride hybrid feel so much more expensive than $61K (sorry not sorry).
I have always been a fan of Kia’s native software, because it feels very much like a PC in the Mac vs. PC argument in the sense that everything is customizable, any setting you’ll ever need is where you think it’d be, the layout and menu surfing makes sense, and the UX is fantastic. It’s responsive, too—I never felt like I had to “dig” through other menus to find the setting I needed. My trim also had the premium sound system, which in my opinion is a non-negotiable.
The Kia Telluride Hybrid’s driver assistance tech feels unmatched for the price
Kia’s definitely making a name for itself as far as driver assistance technology is concerned. The all-new Telluride SX Prestige Hybrid feels like an all-inclusive package here, because it truly comes with everything: Kia’s highway driving assist 2 (HDA2) tech, which will do the low-speed following, stopping, going, and lane keep while you’re stuck in traffic. It also comes with lane change assist, which can be toggled to automatic or on-demand (meaning you have to toggle your blinker to activate it), and more. It’s also packed with the usual, like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking in the front and rear, cross traffic alert and auto braking, that fancy feature where you can make the car roll forward or backward with your key fob if someone’s parked too close to you, and remote start.
Kristen Brown
My favorite feature, especially with kids, is the safe exit alert, which is standard on all Telluride hybrid models. Using the radar detectors in the rear bumper, it’ll alert the rear passengers to a car approaching from the rear—either on the left or the right side—and will issue an audio warning and illuminate a special light on the door most likely to be affected by the oncoming car. If the car thinks you’ll open the door anyway, the door will lock and won’t unlock until the car is no longer detected. This, obviously, is to keep your kids from opening the rear door and being struck by a car as they’re getting out of the car. So, in case you forgot to activate the child safety lock (which is as easy as pressing a button on the driver’s window switch panel), the Telluride’s got your back. Or whatever other body part is facing the oncoming car.
In the Bay Area, an essential feature is the blind spot collision avoidance system, which will not only warn you that a car is in your blind spot, but will actively steer you away from a car if you start to drift towards it or into the other lane when a car is detected. Which you probably won’t have happen to you anyway, since there’s a camera in each side mirror that will show a live feed of your blind spot when you toggle the associated turn signal—another feature that I wish more manufacturers incorporated into the cars.
The ride is so smooth, my kids fell asleep every time
The only other car I’ve said this about was the Land Rover Range Rover Sport: it’s so smooth and quiet, my kids were lulled to sleep every time they rode in it, even if it was a 10-15 minute drive to the grocery store. The Kia Telluride hybrid doesn’t have electronically adjustable dampers that coincide with the drive modes (Snow, Sand, Mud, Sport, Eco, Normal, and Custom), but the SX, X-Line SX, and X-Line SX Prestige have the company’s hopefully trendsetting self-leveling suspension in the rear. The name kind of gives it away, but what it does is simple: it’s designed to keep the rear end level with the front end. So, if you pack the Telluride hybrid full of kids, gear, dogs, or all three, the rear end will always rise to meet the front end.
Cole Attisha
Why is that important? It keeps those boxy, futuristic headlights from blinding the people driving in front of you, for one; it keeps the ride quality consistent, and it helps keep it steady at highway speeds. It’s something people don’t really think about, but when you drive a 3-row SUV that doesn’t have that feature, it’s something you learn you’ve taken for granted. Trust me on that one.
Anyway—despite having a fixed suspension setup, the interior sound dampening, larger wheels, and nice all-season tires help keep the interior incredibly quiet. I live in the Bay, so the roads look and feel like they’ve been bombed, but the Kia Telluride hybrid was quiet, smooth, and confident. Plus, I very much appreciated the extra horsepower that comes from the turbocharger and twin electric motors.
Final thoughts: 10/10, would put my family in one again
My husband and I quite liked the Kia Telluride Hybrid. There wasn’t much we didn’t like. For the price, you get nearly everything—a comfy third row, a tech-forward interior, all the comfort and convenience features you could think of to ask for and then some, a cozy and quiet ride, good looks, and great mileage for a reasonable price. There isn’t much that competes with it on those levels, except its industry twin (which I liked just as much). My kids loved it, and my in-laws loved it. My oldest daughter was especially fond of the exterior styling, which she likened to a toy car.
I originally gave it a 9.5, but then I changed my mind because I couldn’t think of a reason to deduct half of a point. It’s nearly perfect. Now, if only I could get my family off of the “Kias are super unreliable” train…
About the author
Kristen Brown
Contributing Writer, Autoblog