Walk into any Kia Dealer next year and you won’t find a 2026 Telluride. The model year simply doesn’t exist. Instead of dragging out the first generation with one more year of minimal updates, Kia made the unusual call to jump straight from 2025 to the completely redesigned 2027 version arriving in showrooms during early 2026. The company figured nobody would want a placeholder year once they saw what was coming next.

• Kia’s skipping the 2026 Telluride entirely because the redesign was ready earlier than expected, letting them avoid selling a placeholder year that would instantly become outdated.
• A new hybrid option delivers 329 horsepower with an estimated 600-mile range and 35 mpg combined, paired with a standard turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder replacing the old V6.
• Design-wise, expect a boxy Range Rover-inspired look with flush door handles, vertical lighting elements, and upscale interior materials borrowed from Kia’s electric EV9 SUV.

Why Skip a Whole Model Year?

Skipping model years isn’t common, but it happens. Acura did it with the MDX between 2020 and 2022. Jeep dropped the Cherokee for two years before bringing back a completely different version. When automakers have a redesign ready to go and timing lines up right, sometimes jumping ahead makes more sense than limping through another year.

For Kia, the math worked out pretty simply. Their original Telluride launched in 2020 and won awards while flying off dealer lots. Six years later, the redesign was done and production was ramping up faster than originally planned. Why flood dealers with leftover 2025 models, then release a token 2026 that nobody would want once the 2027 hit showroom floors? Better to sell through remaining 2025 inventory and launch the new generation fresh.

Timing plays into this too. Official debut happens at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late November 2025, with first deliveries hitting in the first quarter of 2026. That’s earlier than most model years typically arrive. Instead of watching a short-lived 2026 collect dust on lots, customers get the completely redesigned version right away.

What Makes the 2027 Worth the Wait

This isn’t some light refresh with updated headlights and a couple new paint colors. Kia went back to the drawing board and redesigned pretty much everything about their best-selling SUV.

Here’s the big news: hybrid power. A turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine teams up with a 1.65-kWh battery pack and dual electric motors for 329 horsepower and 339 lb-ft of torque. Compare that to the outgoing 3.8-liter V6 making 291 horses and 262 lb-ft, and you’re getting noticeably more punch. Kia estimates 35 mpg combined with about 600 miles of range between fill-ups. If you skip the hybrid, you still get the turbo four-cylinder but without electric assist, good for 274 horsepower and 311 lb-ft.

Styling takes a much boxier, more upright approach that borrows heavily from Range Rover. Kia’s own designers called it “unapologetically boxy” with vertical lighting elements, flush door handles that pop out when unlocked, and a tall hood that gives the whole thing a more commanding presence. Wheelbase grows by 2.7 inches and overall length stretches 2.3 inches, which means noticeably more legroom in both the second and third rows.

Inside, dual 12.3-inch screens handle the instrument cluster and infotainment duties. Real wood and metal accents show up throughout instead of cheaper plastics, and top trims get relaxation seats with power leg rests plus massage functions. Kia even added “Stay Mode” for the hybrid, letting you run climate control, lights, and the stereo for up to 20 minutes without firing up the engine.

X-Pro Gets Properly Serious

Off-road fans will want to check out the X-Pro trim, which gets most of the attention in the new lineup. Ground clearance jumps to 9.1 inches, wider all-terrain tires come standard, and there’s an electronic locking differential that helps with traction when you’re stuck in mud or one wheel is hanging in the air. Kia added front and rear recovery hooks, a multi-terrain drive mode, and a ground view monitor showing what’s directly under the front bumper at low speeds. It’s not quite Jeep Wrangler territory, but way more capable than your average family hauler.

X-Pro also gets its own interior treatment with engineered carbon fiber trim instead of the wood found in other models. Suspension tuning gets tweaked for off-road use with more travel and better damping over rough terrain. Towing capacity hits 5,000 pounds for non-hybrid models, though hybrids drop to 4,500 pounds.

Should You Wait or Buy Now?

Shopping for a Telluride today gives you two choices. Grab a 2025 model still sitting on dealer lots, probably at a discount since everyone knows the new one is coming. Or wait a few months for the 2027 to arrive with all the new tech, better fuel economy, and updated styling. There’s no awkward in-between 2026 model to worry about tanking resale value the second the new generation shows up.

Kia hasn’t announced pricing yet, but expect the 2027 lineup to start around $40,000 given inflation and all the upgrades. Current 2025 models start at $37,885, so a bump of a couple thousand wouldn’t be surprising. Hybrids will likely command a premium of several thousand more, putting them somewhere in the mid-40s. If you want the latest updates or to lock in a preorder, check in with your local Kia dealer, they’ll have the most current MSRP information as soon as it’s released.

For shoppers who want the latest and greatest, waiting makes sense. For those who just need a solid three-row SUV right now and don’t care about having every new feature, grabbing a leftover 2025 at a good price isn’t a bad move either.