2026 Kia Telluride.
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You would think that by now, after seeing the new 2026 Hyundai Pallisade for a while, the 2nd generation Kia Telluride would be out. And yet ,all we have are these 2 illustrations. And more recent spy shots.
If the images above are close to the real thing, the second generation design won’t be an improvement over the one we have now. A big part of the Telluride’s sucess is due to its very attractive design. This just looks quite clumbsy ant toyish.
Even though it is over 5 years old, last year 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 could share even more with the Hyundai Palisade.
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 any day now. Since the second-generation Palisade was introduced early last December.
The new Palisade uses an updated version of the current platform. While a V6 is no longer offered in its home market, the US will be getting a standard 3.5 Liter V6 with 287HP as the standard powertrain. A new Hybrid poweretrain with a 2.5 Liter engine and 2 electric motors will produce 329HP in the US version. The Hybrid comes with a 6 speed automatic with FWD or AWD.
These will probably be the same powertrains offered in the US version of the upcoming Telluride as well.
These will probably be the same powertrains offered in the 2026 Kia Telluride as well.
I personally think keeping a super smooth V6 as standard is a great move from Hyundai/Kia.
Honda is also right for keeping their creamy smooth V6 on large models like the Pilot and Passport. In a sea of 4-cylinder Turbo engines, these will soon stand out as much more refined options.
Another downgrade. The 1st gen Telluride was a great design. When they refreshed it, it made it look worse and now this 2nd gen model looks even worst still. This is the problem of trying to force the same “design language” onto ALL your models, from small compacts up to larger SUVs. It just doesn’t work.
V6s arent just for their power and refinement, people are continuing to choose them because of reliability concerns over the small 4cyl turbos hybrids and CVTs being overloaded weight wise. 4cyl turbos are fine for compact cars, but when they’re put into larger trucks will they last to 100k miles? This is the question a lot aren’t wanting to be the guinea pigs that find out.
Hopefully, it doesn’t look like these illustrations! Definitely NOT an improvement on the great looking current version!
I hope KIA sees these comments because making all your SUVs look the same is boring! The EV9 is nice looking EV but to make the SPORTAGE , SORENTO and the TELLURIDE all look the same is cowardly!! KIA be interesting and interesting again. Great amber lights ,unconventional headlight placement , NICE EMBLEM. KIA come back!!
Looks better than new Palisade but the wheels look so clunky and cheapy. Not enough for me to move from Japanese cars.
The current Sportage and Sorento look nothing alike. This render of what the new Telluride might look like, looks nothing like the Sportage or Sorento. There is plenty of distinction between the models.
The current V6 absolutely blows! The fact that they never released a v6 Turbo version like the one in the (now discontinued) stinger makes zero sense! The current naturally aspirated… is so sluggish and not quick at all!
I am looking forward to seeing the new Genesis GV90! I’m done with these weak engines!
The boring box look with no style…boring. I’m glad Kia continues to innovate. Having some distinction from the crowd is what’s needed. That’s why I took the plunge into the SUV world with purchasing the 2023 Sportage. Be bold, be unique, and not boring. If the new Telluride looks like these images, Bravo. Welcome to style and vibe.
Kia need a better selections of colors…you don’t need 3 shades of gray…and what happened to red. In Florida and all southern states would benefit from lighter color interiors also.
I have a 2020 Kia Telluride,i have NOT had any problems with this car,i have over 81,000 miles on it and it still runs the same way when i first got it. I think this is the best one out there.
Lastest spyshots of next generation Telluride and it doesn’t look anything like this. I was wrong about it looking like EV9. And i was right the greenhouse looks nothing like Palisade either. It isnt as heavily covered anymore.