Kia might not be the brand you think of if someone asked you to name a luxurious SUV, but the new Telluride appears to be just that.
Revealed ahead of its full technical unveiling at the upcoming 2025 LA motor show, the Kia Telluride is entering its second generation, and it continues to be based on the Hyundai Palisade – both being the flagship petrol-powered SUVs for their respective brands.
Kia’s first-generation Telluride was a success in the US and North America, where it is also made at Kia’s West Point, Georgia factory for the local market.
While it’s a Hyundai Palisade underneath, Kia has gone to great lengths to make sure the Telluride looks nothing like its twin-under-the-skin, with an even boxier exterior design accentuated by its upright LED headlights, unique and bold grilles, slim vertical tail lights, a unique D-pillar and even flush-mounted door handles.
Now 58mm longer than its predecessor while riding on a 69mm extended wheelbase, the Telluride has been previewed in road-oriented SXP and off-road focused X-Pro guise.
The Telluride X-Pro stands out as a much tougher design, with its blacked-out wheel arches, a mesh-type grille, squared-off bumpers with recovery hooks, raised roof rails, and all-terrain tyres on its 18-inch wheels to help it take on most surfaces frequented by owners.
Inside there are two themes previewed, based around carbon fibre and wood trim, respectively. The former scores black interior upholstery, while the latter is more of a terracotta finish.
As with the Palisade, the Telluride gets twin 12.3-inch screens for the digital instrument cluster and infotainment systems, while seating options range from seven-seat (2-2-3) to eight-seat layouts (2-3-3).
Kia is yet to announce what powers the Telluride, though it’s more than likely the Palisade’s turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder (hybrid and non-hybrid) and N/A 3.6-litre V6 petrol engines will carry over.
Sadly, the Telluride will remain off bounds for Australia, as it is only made in left-hand drive for the North American market.
However, the new Hyundai Palisade is now on sale locally, offered only in fully-loaded Calligraphy guise.
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