- Second-generation Telluride becomes Kia’s flagship gas-powered SUV, setting a new benchmark for the brand’s design and ambition
- Telluride blends Kia’s Opposites United design philosophy with its own signature design DNA
- Global debut set for 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show
Today, Kia turned the page to the next chapter of its iconic design narrative with an exclusive look at the reimagined 2027 Kia Telluride. Since its debut six years ago, the Telluride midsize SUV has become a defining success for the brand, lauded for its balance of refined luxury and rugged capability. This deft combination helped Telluride redefine family adventure with inspirational style, resort-level comfort and an unmatched on-road experience.
The challenge for the second-generation Telluride wasn’t to reinvent, but to evolve. For Kia’s design team, the goal was clear: preserve the essence and design DNA that made the original such a standout in its segment, while elevating its presence and sophistication. This wasn’t a blank slate. They were building on a legacy.
The result is an all-new Telluride that’s bigger, bolder, and still proudly boxy. Now 2.3 inches longer overall, with a wheelbase stretched by nearly three inches and a height increase of one inch, it’s a confident evolution that stays true to its roots while embracing a more modern edge. Guided by Kia’s global Opposites United design philosophy, the Telluride blends strength with elegance, toughness with sophistication, and innovation with restraint. It makes the statement that sequels can unabashedly transcend the original.
The all-new 2027 Telluride will make its official world debut later this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show with a wide breadth of trim levels including the X-Pro trim. The second-generation SUV is expected to arrive in showrooms during the first quarter of 2026.
Unexpected Pairings with the Opposites United Philosophy
Since 2021, Kia’s Opposites United philosophy has been the guiding principle for the brand’s design language. In Telluride, this approach comes to life through the interplay of contrasts where sharp angles meet smooth curves and rugged durability blends with refined sophistication.
“With Telluride, it was a matter of being tailored and restrained – dare I say, anti-design,” said Tom Kearns, VP and Senior Chief Designer, Kia Design Center America. “With that approach, it was about capturing strength and luxury, tradition and modernness, into a single expression. That’s what Opposites United enabled us to do.”
Exterior Design – Dreamer’s Companion
Inspired by the untamed beauty of its namesake Colorado town, the Telluride’s chiseled exterior design captures the spirit of the Rocky Mountains, with every angle and surface crafted to convey strength, security, and confidence. The front end sets an unmistakable tone: bold, robust, and ready for anything. A broad hood with clean, straight lines establishes a powerful stance, while vertical headlamps frame the high-gloss grille, giving the SUV an assertive yet sophisticated face. Precision grille patterns and advanced lighting signatures create a high-tech, futuristic impression that feels at home on city streets as it does at a mountain lodge.
Fluid body contours lend an elegant shape to the side profile, while aggressively defined triangular creases in the fenders resemble the chiseled facets of a diamond. Upward-flowing character lines give the impression of lifting the vehicle, emphasizing the SUV’s proud, athletic stance. Floating wheel cladding adds refinement while also insulating against the elements, and the tapered roofline contributes dynamic flow while preserving interior room. Breaking convention, sculpted notches in the wheel wells are a smart and deliberate interruption – a confident design detail that catches the eye and is poised to become another signature of the Telluride’s identity. Flush door handles, as offered on the Kia EV6 and EV9 models, lend to a clean and modern appearance.
At the rear, a rising beltline meets broad fender surfaces to give the vehicle a planted, powerful presence, while the sculpted bumper suggests the SUV’s trail-ready narrative.
X Factor
The Telluride X-Pro embraces a darker, more commanding character. Staying true to the design language of Kia’s X-series, these variants wear blacked-out wheel arches, side mirrors, beltline trim, and D-pillars. Raised roof rails reinforce an adventurous profile, ready to carry the gear that takes you off the grid. Up front, a bold mesh-type grille is paired with a squared-off lower black bumper, delivering a look that feels equal parts tactical and aggressive. The X-Pro pushes beyond the aesthetic with all-terrain tires and 9.1 inches of ground clearance, eager to go where the pavement ends. And for those moments when form truly meets function, the X-Pro adds standard front and rear recovery hooks, a subtle detail that tells a story of readiness for whatever lies ahead.
Art of Illumination
While sculpted lines and bold proportions set the foundation of the new Telluride, its unique lighting brings it to life.
“The original Telluride has these instantly recognizable vertical bar tail lamps. In the second generation, we reinforced this strong light signature by applying it to the front as well,” said Kurt Kahl, Chief Designer, Kia Design Center America. “The twin LED vertical strips that frame the grille and sharpen the Telluride’s face feature Kia’s Star Map lighting graphic. The amber-hued DRL lighting returns with this sleeker, more modern expression. Their crisp geometry not only modernizes the SUV but also provides a beacon-like quality, recalling trail markers that guide the way through changing terrain. At the rear, the tail lamps adopt an architectural character. Body color separates the twin light bars, accentuating their graphic clarity. Overall, the front and rear lights appear flush and precise, evoking the high-tech illumination of a digital display screen. The lighting signature evolved, but the essence stayed. It’s still geometric, vertical, clean and unmistakably Telluride.”
Unique to the Telluride X-Pro, the new Ground Lighting feature enhances both form and function. Soft light projects from the rearview mirrors, beneath the rear doors, and from the rear bumper, illuminating the surrounding area of the vehicle. Additional lighting from the raised tailgate assists with tasks like tire changes or cargo access in low-light conditions. It’s a design detail that goes beyond aesthetics, offering real-world utility while accentuating the SUV’s commanding silhouette. When the front doors open, puddle lamps illuminate ‘Telluride’ on the ground beneath. Further defining the Telluride’s bold identity are wheels (available in 18- , 20- and 21-inches) with contrasting finishes and D-shaped patterns that create a balance of sophistication and strength. For the X series, the blacked-out wheels have thicker spokes to project confidence and capability.
Interior – A Tech Sanctuary
Inside the new Telluride, design becomes experience. Inspired by the vision of a boundless sanctuary, where urban living meets the natural world, the cabin invites passengers into a space that feels both expansive and intimate.
A wide, horizontal layout conveys a sense of grandeur, while a bold wraparound design offers a sense of enclosure. Flowing surfaces echo natural contours, while wood-like textures add warmth and an organic feel. Real metal accents emphasize precision and width, while sturdy grab handles signal rugged intent.
Subtle lighting beneath the center console casts a soft glow that enhances calm and reinforces the cabin’s premium feel. In the rear, the passenger console transforms into a functional table while available mesh headrests in the first and second rows combine a modern look with everyday comfort. Even utility is redefined, with the reconfigurable cargo area featuring a folding luggage table with integrated ruler markings and a removable partition, a nod to outdoor adventure that merges form with function.
Thanks to its increased overall length and height, the 2027 Telluride offers improved interior packaging with enhanced access for easier entry and exit into the second and third rows. Taller dimensions also contribute to increased headroom (up to half an inch more in models equipped with sunroofs) enhancing comfort without compromising the Telluride’s bold proportions.
At the core of the interior’s Color, Materials and Finish (CMF) story is a single concept: Grandioso. Defined by a magnificent yet restrained elegance, the cabin draws from the world of luxury interiors with rich hues and tactile details. Colorways like Deep Navy with Tuscan Umber create a bold duality, while an all-new Blackberry – a rich purple hue –paired with Sand Beige delivers a surprising harmony that’s sophisticated, daring, and distinctly flagship. For the X models, the interior color palette becomes more grounded with all-black, deep khaki, or saddle brown tones that feel both durable and refined. Texture plays a key role, with seating surfaces detailed in a variety of embossed lines, diagonal flourishes, and V-shaped motifs that add depth.
The same attention to color and finish extends to the Telluride’s exterior, where new paint options like Black Jade Green and Terrain Brown (available in both glossy and matte finishes) join a broader palette of ten colors. Each shade reflects the Telluride’s confidence and versatility: bold enough for the trail, refined enough for the showroom.
