New 2026 Kia Telluride.
Last Updated:
The spy shot above shows the all-new upcoming Kia Telluride for 2026.
2024 was the Telluride’s best year ever, with over 115,500 of them sold. Sales have been increasing every single year since its introduction in 2019. That means Kia cannot mess this up with some crazy different design.
While its close cousin, the Hyundai Palisade, got a drastic design change for its second generation, I’m pretty sure Kia will make sure the new Telluride looks familiar.
from the recent spy shots we have seen of the Telluride, it seems it will share even more with the Hyundai Palisade. The side windows look to be exactly the same for both models. Which wasn’t the case before. I guess saving a bit of money on new ICE models is a game everyone has to play these days.
The production version of the current Kia Telluride was unveiled just a couple of months after the current Palisade. That means we could see the real thing very, very soon. Since the second-generation Palisade was introduced early last December.
Just like the recurrent generation, the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade will share many things. Basically, everything you can’t see will be the same in both. While for the second generation, both designs might be even more similar than they currently are.
The new Palisade uses an updated version of the current platform. And, at least for the Korean market, it has given up on the good old V6. Which is not replaced by a 2.5 2.5-liter turbo. With a new Hybrid powertrain being an option.
These will probably be the same powertrains offered in the 2026 Kia Telluride as well.
The Hybrid Telluride is rumored to use a 2.5-liter engine with around 300 HP. Gas mileage is expected to average between 25 and 30MPG. Which, to me, isn’t a fantastic improvement over the current V6 22MPG average. Especially if the Hybrid is not standard but ends up being an expensive option. You also don’t get the smooth V6 power.
I think replacing the fantastic V6 engines with high-powered 4-cylinder turbos is not such an improvement for Kia. Since the average MPG in daily driving is usually almost the same.
I personally think Honda is right to keep their creamy smooth V6 on their large models like the Pilot and Passport. In a sea of 4-cylinder Turbo engines, they will soon stand out as much more refined options.
The illustration above shows what the 2nd generation Kia Telluride could look like. However, the spy shots seem to show something even more angular than the 1st generation.
And not as sleek as this new illustration…