Payne: Struttin’ the streets in the knockout Kia Telluride

Posted by Talbot Payne on June 18, 2026

The 2027 Kia Telluride shies with sharp side stampings for its second-generation.

The 2027 Kia Telluride shies with sharp side stampings for its second-generation.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Detroit — The mainstream three-row SUV class is having a moment. Sexy family haulers? You bet. Check out the rugged Chevy Traverse ZR2, Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro and rock-scaling Honda Pilot TrailSport. Or the hot-rod Dodge Durango Hellcat, Mazda CX-90 inline-6 cylinder and Ford Explorer ST.

Now comes the knockout Kia Telluride X-Pro SX-Prestige that I drove all over Detroit during Detroit Grand Prix week.

I see you staring at it.

“Now that’s my kinda color,” said a passer-by on Campus Marius of the Terrain Brown Matte paint job.

“Don’t mind me,” said another. “I’m just waiting here because I want to see if those door handles that just popped out when you parked go flush again.”

Matte paint and pop-out door handles like a Mercedes? On a three-row Kia? You bet.

As Telluride proves, the line between luxury and mainstream SUVs has been all but obliterated by modern electronics and design. Climb into my halo $60K Telluride and it echoes a halo $115K Mercedes GLS interior for half the price: hoodless digital screens, head-up display, console grab handles, twin wireless chargers (standard) and acres of leather.

The Merc looks classy, Telluride oozes character.

If Durango and Explorer lean into their brand’s sporty vibe with intimidating Hellcat and ST trims, the Telluride X-Pro takes the SUV’s signature off-road vibe to another level.

This thing looks like it rolled out of a Mad Max desert scene. Chain-fence maw, black wheels, all-terrain tires, ambient-lighting, broad shoulders. What, no cow catcher on the front? If Charlize Theron showed up in the X-Pro to pick up the kids at school with black mascara smeared across her eyes, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Read full article here.

Comments are closed.