I Stopped Test-Driving The 2027 Kia Telluride, Left for San Francisco, And Returned 4 Days Later To Conclude This Family SUV That Actually Off-Roads

Key Takeaways Before You Read:

1. Kia redesigns the Telluride from the ground up, and the X-Pro's new off-road hardware finally earns that name.

2. Dealerships are breaking from years of markups, and some buyers are now landing deals below MSRP.

3. After seven days of driving, one buyer type clearly needs the X-Pro SX-Prestige top trim, and one clearly does not.

4. Scroll to see the comments or be the first to voice your opinion.

Here is a review you probably cannot find anywhere else: a seven-day test of the 2027 Kia Telluride X-Pro SX-Prestige AWD, interrupted by a trip to San Francisco, completed by an automotive journalist who had already taken this exact truck off-road a month earlier in Santa Barbara. That first-hand combination of trail time and street time gives me a perspective on this SUV that a single-day press drive simply cannot provide. With over 15 years covering the automotive industry for Torque News, I can tell you plainly: this second-generation Telluride is not an update. It is a fundamental shift in what a family three-row SUV can actually do.

Early last week I started driving and seven-day testing the 2027 Kia Telluride X-Pro SX-Prestige AWD. Suddenly I received an invitation to travel to San Francisco to participate in the Dreame event, where the Chinese vacuum cleaner company was making the global debut of the Nebula Next 01 Jet Edition. I came back after four days and continued this unfinished business, but I knew the car well, because I had personally off-roaded it a month ago in Santa Barbara.

Dealerships Are Starting to Drop Their Markups, and Buyers Are Moving

Before we get into the review itself, here is something that directly solves a problem many buyers have been struggling with: the markup. For years, the Kia Telluride was one of the worst dealer markup offenders in the country, regularly selling tens of thousands over sticker. That era appears to be shifting. Social media discussions are now filling up with buyers reporting that Kia dealerships are starting to drop their markups on the 2027 model. One Reddit user put it plainly, after another commenter noted that dealers are starting to price more fairly: "We're buying one this week. Our local dealer is about $3000 below MSRP on gas version, and $1000 below MSRP on hybrid (higher trims), $3800 below MSRP on hybrid trims with FWD."

That is real money. If you have been sitting on the fence about the 2027 Telluride because of dealer premiums, now may be the window you have been waiting for.

The Exterior: Boxier, Bolder, Built for Both Worlds

The first thing you notice about the new Telluride is its bold, boxy shape. It is a little bigger in every dimension and heralds the latest iteration of Kia's "Opposites United" design language. This is not accidental. When I sat down with Kia's chief designer at the Santa Barbara media event, he told me the design team deliberately exaggerated the boxiness so the X-Pro trim would feel native to the shape, not bolted on. You can read that full conversation in our earlier coverage of which SUV Kia benchmarked most heavily when designing the 2027 Telluride's exterior.

The X-Pro and X-Line variants wear blacked-out wheel arches, side mirrors, beltline trim, and D-pillars. Raised roof rails reinforce an adventurous profile. Up front, a bold mesh-type grille is paired with a squared-off lower black bumper. Flush door handles, borrowed from the EV6 and EV9, clean up the body and reduce drag. The overall drag coefficient drops from 0.33 to 0.30 on the standard models, we learn from Kia America.

The front grille has divided opinion. Some reviewers find it too blunt. I came around to it after a week. When you park this SUV next to a Jeep Grand Cherokee L or a Toyota 4Runner, it holds its own visually. It looks like it belongs in the dirt. And on the X-Pro SX-Prestige, all that black cladding pulls the look together.

Engine Options: The V6 Is Gone, and the Numbers Prove Why

This is the powertrain question everyone is asking. The 2027 Telluride departs from the previous V6 engine in favor of a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, delivering 274 horsepower and a substantial 311 lb-ft of torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. That torque arrives at just 1,700 rpm. The old V6 made 291 horsepower but peaked torque much higher in the rpm range. In everyday driving, the turbo four pulls harder off the line and feels more responsive in the mid-range. I sat with Kia's product planning chief and asked him directly about this decision. You can read that full technical explanation in our earlier report on why the V6 is gone for good in the 2027 Telluride.

Here is the engine of the 2027 Kia Telluride X-Pro SX-Prestige AWD, and from the image you can see it's the high pollen time in Charlotte, NC.

Recognizing growing demand for more efficient performance, Kia has also introduced a hybrid powertrain pairing the turbocharged engine with an electric motor system, producing a combined output of 329 horsepower. The Telluride Hybrid is rated for 31 mpg combined in the AWD configuration, and Kia claims a driving range of 637 miles. You'll see 35 mpg in combined driving for the FWD EX trim. The hybrid is smooth and quiet at low speeds, with acoustic glass helping the cabin feel genuinely serene on the highway.

One important note for X-Pro buyers: the X-Pro only comes as a nonhybrid. You cannot spec a hybrid X-Pro. That is a trade-off worth knowing before you walk into a dealership. You are choosing between trail capability and fuel economy. The new Kia Telluride Hybrid consistently ranks first among publications for good reason, but the X-Pro buyer has a different set of priorities. 

Interior: A Three-Row Cabin That Finally Gets All Three Rows Right

Step inside the 2027 Telluride X-Pro SX-Prestige, and the cabin resets your expectations for what a non-luxury brand can deliver. The dash, instrumentation, and infotainment feature a curved, wrap-around design. Wood-based textures add warmth, and hidden door handles tucked into the armrests blend function into form. 

Dual 12.3-inch displays are easy to use and well integrated, along with dual wireless chargers that work and make sense for how people travel today. The SX-Prestige trim specifically adds a 14-speaker Meridian surround sound system with a subwoofer and external amplifier. A 12-inch head-up display with built-in navigation is also available.

New available front relaxation seats feature leg rests and a driver massage function. Power-operated and available climate-controlled second-row captain's chairs are standard on the SX-Prestige. The second row also gained 0.6 inches of legroom over the outgoing model. 

The third row is not an afterthought. Wide door openings make access to the second and third rows easier, the ride height makes it easy to slide into the front seats, and the third row offers surprisingly good knee room and headroom.

The 2024 Kia EV9 raised the bar for what a Kia interior could feel like, and the 2027 Telluride interior borrows that upscale energy and applies it to a vehicle that seats up to eight. It is a genuine achievement.

Trunk and Cargo: More Space Than You Expect

With all seats occupied, you'll find 22.3 cubic feet of space behind the third row. With the third row folded down, this grows to 46.3 cubic feet. Folding all seats reveals a massive 86.9 cubic feet. That is a meaningful jump over the previous generation.

The X-Pro SX-Prestige adds ground lighting that illuminates the front, sides, and rear of the exterior. The LED lighting integrated into the tailgate is adjustable for brightness and tone. If you are loading gear after dark at a campsite, that detail earns its keep.

How the 2027 Telluride Handles the Road

On pavement, the 2027 Telluride handles with more composure than its size suggests. Kia moved the electric power steering from the column to the rack. The idea is to give the Telluride more steering feel and better driving dynamics overall. The result is steering that feels weighted and connected, a meaningful upgrade over the previous generation's lighter, vaguer feel.

The Hybrid's steering is weighty and precise and offers fair road feedback by the standards of family SUVs. Mountain inclines are no challenge. The ride is composed despite a curb weight approaching 5,000 pounds. The gas X-Pro I drove behaved similarly on the road, though with slightly more tire noise from the all-terrain rubber at highway speeds.

Off-road, the X-Pro SX-Prestige justifies every dollar of its premium. The X-Pro now has 9.1 inches of ground clearance, an electronic limited-slip differential, front and rear recovery hooks, dedicated terrain modes, off-road data displays, and a surround-view camera with a see-through-the-hood trail view. There are specific shocks tuned for the tires and suspension with additional stroke for better wheel articulation.

It is not a Rubicon Trail conqueror, but it is as capable as the most basic 4Runner models and far roomier and more practical. One reviewer forded an 8-inch-deep stream, took it over big moguls, ran it over light rocks, and along sharply angled slopes. I did similar work in Santa Barbara a month before this review, and the X-Pro handled every obstacle without drama. The Ground View Monitor, which displays a composite camera view of the ground below the front of the vehicle at speeds under 6 mph, is one of the most practical off-road tools I have used in this segment. It changes how you approach a blind drop-off.

Why the X-Pro SX-Prestige Is the Right Trim for the Right Buyer

Here is where the conversation gets specific. The X-Pro SX-Prestige is the top expression of the Telluride's off-road identity. The flagship X-Pro model distinguishes itself with specialized off-road upgrades, including wider all-terrain tires, increased ground clearance, and an electronic limited-slip differential, making it the ultimate choice for outdoor enthusiasts seeking rugged performance without compromising on Kia's signature comfort.

Who needs this trim specifically? The buyer who actually uses a three-row SUV the way its name implies. A family that camps twice a month does not need a slightly nicer infotainment system. They need recovery hooks, terrain modes, skid plates, and a suspension that was tuned for the trails, not just for the highway. The SX-Prestige layer on top of that adds the Meridian audio system, relaxation seats, and the full suite of luxury features, so you are not sacrificing anything for the capability.

Compared to the Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the Telluride X-Pro offers more rear-row space and a quieter, more composed road ride. The Telluride makes a genuine rival for rugged three-rows like the Jeep Grand Cherokee L, GMC Acadia AT4, and even the Toyota 4Runner. The 4Runner remains more capable at the extreme end. But the Telluride carries three rows of actual adults to the trailhead first. That is the trade-off most buyers actually need to make.

The gas-only X-Pro SX-Prestige starts at $58,335. Kia backs it with a 10-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. Few brands in any segment offer that kind of coverage. As my earlier coverage of the Kia Telluride's long-term reliability and the turbocharged engine's engineering explains, Kia has addressed the concerns buyers raise about turbo longevity with a modern direct-injection system that operates with far more precision than older turbo architectures.

A Word on Ethics and Value in a Segment Chasing Luxury

There is something worth naming here. Family SUVs have been drifting steadily upmarket for a decade. The average transaction price of a three-row SUV now competes with entry-level luxury. Kia has made a consistent decision to deliver luxury-adjacent features at a non-luxury price, and the 2027 Telluride extends that commitment. But buyers need to be honest with themselves: the top trim costs nearly $60,000. At that price, you are choosing this vehicle because of what it genuinely does, not just because of the badge. The moral of this story is straightforward. Know what you actually need before you configure a vehicle. The buyer who camps four times a year and hauls a small boat to the lake needs every dollar of this X-Pro SX-Prestige. The buyer who drives only in a suburb and never sees dirt would do very well at a trim level three steps below this one. Smart buying is buying with specificity, not aspiration.

I went to San Francisco and came back to finish this review. The Telluride was waiting in my driveway. It had not become a different vehicle while I was gone, but I came back with fresh eyes. And what I saw was a family SUV that actually keeps its promises, whether the road ends or the pavement does. You can also follow my ongoing Telluride coverage including whether Kia will keep the Telluride as a complement to the EV9 or eventually phase it out, and read Kia's own long-term outlook for the gasoline Telluride if the hybrid takes over.

Two Questions For You

If you are shopping for a 2027 Kia Telluride and you have a family that actually takes outdoor trips, would you choose the X-Pro trim for its off-road hardware, or would you stay with a lower SX-Prestige trim and keep the hybrid powertrain option? And for those of you who have already driven or purchased the 2027 Telluride, have the dealerships in your area dropped their markups, and what did you pay relative to MSRP? Tell us in the comments below.

Images by Armen Hareyan

About The Author

Armen Hareyan is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Torque News and an automotive journalist with over 15 years of experience writing car reviews and industry news. Now based in the Charlotte region (Indian Land, SC, he founded Torque News in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News on X, Linkedin, Facebook, and Youtube. Armen holds three Masters Degrees, including an MBA, and has become one of the known voices in the industry, specializing in the landscape of electric vehicles and real-world stories of actual car owners. Armen focuses on providing readers with transparent, data-backed analysis bridging the gap of complex engineering and car buyer practicality. Armen frequently participates in automotive events throughout the United States, national and local car reveals and personally test-drives new vehicles every week. Armen has also been published as an automotive expert in publications like the Transit Tomorrow, discussing how will autonomous vehicles reshape the supply chain, and emerging technologies in vehicle maintenance.