2027 Kia Telluride X-Pro Review: Moving Up a Class

The 2027 Kia Telluride X-Pro SX Prestige is the new establishment: a 274 hp turbocharged three-row with 9.1 inches of ground clearance, 30 inches of screen, heated AND cooled second-row seats, and came with an as-tested price of $59,580 in matte Terrain brown. This thing has freakin everything. It is almost overwhelming, and even though this Kia is practicality $60,000, somehow it felt like a deal. After a week, the verdict can be summed up in just one sentence. Kia should frame: sitting in it, you feel like your purchase moved you up a class.

Telluride X-Pro Spec Strip

Spec	Figure
As-tested price	$59,580 including $1,545 destination
Powertrain	2.5L turbocharged four, AWD standard
Output	274 hp / 311 lb-ft
Transmission	8-speed automatic
Ground clearance	9.1 inches (X-Pro)
Towing	5,000 lbs
Paint	Matte Terrain (a sort of matte gold)
Seating	7 with second-row captain’s chairs

How capable is the Telluride X-Pro off-road?

The X-Pro is Kia’s Trailhunter-esque trim, the most off-road-capable Telluride, and Kia claims you can do some serious damage with it. The hardware tries to back the talk: 9.1 inches of clearance, AWD with a full set of terrain modes, a self-leveling rear suspension, an electronic limited-slip differential, all-terrain tires, front and rear recovery hooks, and a 5,000-pound tow rating to boot. The software backs it too, with a ground-view monitor, dedicated off-road displays, and cameras everywhere, with off-road modes.

Now, can it go where the Trailhunter 4Runner can? In most scenarios the buyers will find themselves in, sure. God knows it can traverse the mall parking lot just as well if not better, and thanks to it’s turning radius it handles the Starbucks drive-through better too. In all seriousness: it will be fine for most trails, some lunatic has probably pitched one through Moab already, and for everything a real owner will throw at it, it will do just fine.

Does the new Telluride look like a Range Rover?

Kia took a drastic departure with this generation. The overall shape is familiar, but the look and feel are VERY different, and remember, the outgoing Telluride was already a really good-looking machine that brought new style to this space. This one changes almost everything, but keeps the Kia ahead of the pack. Do some say it looks like a Range Rover? Sure, there is some inspiration. But in my book this design is all Kia: different enough to stand on its own, and parked next to each other you would be hard pressed to confuse the two. The fact that they are even in the same conversation is a big pro for Kia, and something they should hang their hat on.

The matte Terrain paint is an interesting choice, I was a big fan at first and I still am. It is different, it accentuates the off-road nature, and SUVs attempting this kind of thing should come in a fun color, the same rule that applies to the Trailhunter 4Runner: if you buy one of those in black, you are lame in my book. The four-spoke wheels are fun too, my second Kia wearing them, and the DRL signatures front and rear are doing real work. This thing costs about $4,500 more than the Pilot Elite I just tested, and on the outside, it feels it.

How is the Telluride’s interior?

The same approach continues inside. The engineered carbon trim is interesting, it looks great and the quality is solid. The front seats are supremely comfortable. It does share the Pilot’s suede problem, synthetic suede of unclear long-term durability in a family hauler, but like the Honda’s, it feels genuinely nice today.

And the tech is everything you could possibly want: digital rear-view mirror, head-up display, and the massive panoramic display. Sitting in this thing, you feel like you have arrived. You feel like you are driving one of the nicest cars on the road. You feel like the purchase you made advanced you up a class. That is awesome, and I hope the fine folks at Kia read this, because that sentence could not have been said about these cars 5 or 10 years ago.

How practical is the Telluride for a family?

The second row keeps the party going. Unlike the Pilot, you get heated AND cooled second-row seats, which is insane at this price point, plus plenty of room for a car seat. The captain’s chairs run a little wider than the Honda’s, which makes them noticeably more comfortable for someone like me pushing 300 pounds at 6 feet tall. The third row is legitimately nice too: good legroom, and thanks to the Telluride’s shape I still had the headroom to be decently comfortable back there.

The trunk tells the same story as the Pilot, honestly. Behind the third row, a full-size stroller does not fit. Smaller ones are fine, but if you are traveling with all three rows up, leave the full-size at home.

How does the Kia Telluride drive?

On the road, Kia’s objective becomes crystal clear: all the tech, all the presence, none of the feel. AND THAT IS OK. As I have said before, these things do not need to be driver’s cars. I do not need a three-row with a personality on the road. I need it comfortable, with passing power and low road noise, and the Telluride delivers all three.

Kia will tell you the 2.5L turbo four with 311 lb-ft is quicker than the outgoing model, and they might be right, but cars like the Pilot do feel a little faster, and the spec sheet quietly agrees: the Honda’s V6 carries 285 hp to the Kia’s 274. The steering is better than the Pilot’s without being all the way there, the brakes are nice, the 8-speed behaves. Overall, a great thing to drive for exactly what it is.

The take: the son test

Given everything above, the one thing left to learn was what my son would think. After the Trailhunter, I thought there was a world where he would love this too. I ignored one thing: character. The Telluride looks cool, rides supremely comfortably, has enough pep, and carries an awesome interior, but it does not have the X-factor a Trailhunter has. That makes it good, and honestly better for more people. It also means my son was not as obsessed with it as he was with the 4Runner.

The head-to-head this whole month has been building toward, the old friend Pilot versus this new establishment Telluride, is coming next. One rubric, two philosophies. Stay tuned.

Verdict Scorecard

FAQ

Kia Telluride vs Honda Pilot: which should I buy?
The full head-to-head comparison is coming next on MoneyShift. Short version: the Telluride carries more tech and presence for about $4,500 more, the Pilot counters with a V6 that feels quicker and buy-it-once simplicity.

Is the Telluride X-Pro actually good off-road?
It has real hardware: 9.1 inches of clearance, an electronic limited-slip differential, terrain modes, all-terrain tires, recovery hooks, and a 5,000-pound tow rating. It will handle most trails its buyers will realistically attempt.

Is there a hybrid Kia Telluride X-Pro?
No. The new Telluride offers a 329 hp turbo-hybrid on other trims, but the X-Pro and X-Pro SX Prestige are gas-only.

How much does the 2027 Telluride X-Pro SX Prestige cost?
It starts at $58,335 including destination, and my matte Terrain tester stickered at $59,580.

Does a stroller fit in the Kia Telluride?
Not a full-size one behind the third row. Smaller strollers fit fine, and with the third row folded there is plenty of space.

Does the new Telluride look like a Range Rover?
There is some inspiration, but the design stands on its own as all Kia, and being in that conversation at all is a win Kia should hang its hat on.

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