Key Factors
- Kia’s Chief Designer reveals an sudden however particular benchmark for the 2027 Telluride’s exterior design.
- Kia’s VP of Advertising and marketing explains why the 2027 Telluride bought a premium inside improve.
- The brand new design philosophy immediately impacts which 2027 Telluride trim is best for you.
You’d assume that when a automotive firm is designing the second technology of its most celebrated SUV, the automobile that put Kia on the map as a critical participant within the American midsize SUV phase, they might look in every single place. Examine the competitors. Benchmark the Germans. Obsess over what Toyota and Ford are doing. That will be the anticipated transfer.
However that’s not what occurred with the 2027 Kia Telluride.
On the Kia Telluride media drive occasion in Santa Barbara, California, I spent the day speaking with the individuals who truly formed the way forward for one in all America’s most talked-about three-row SUVs. Earlier, I sat down with Kia’s product planners to know why the V6 engine disappeared within the new technology. In the event you missed that dialog, you possibly can learn the total clarification right here in my earlier report, Kia explains why the V6 is gone for good within the 2027 Telluride. However after that dialogue ended, one other query popped into my thoughts – one which many SUV patrons might not have thought-about but: What automobile did Kia truly research essentially the most when designing the outside of the second-generation Telluride?
So I sat down with Russell Wager, Vice President of Advertising and marketing at Kia America, and Kurt Kahl, Chief Designer at Kia Design Middle America, and requested them immediately which SUV Kia benchmarked most closely whereas growing the design of the 2027 Kia Telluride.
I requested Kahl and Wager, “Which SUV did Kia benchmark most closely when growing the design of the second-generation 2027 Telluride?“
Kahl’s reply was very quick, clear and straight to the purpose. He mentioned “The primary technology Telluride.” Then he continued saying, “and constructing on that, and evolving it, and you already know, from an exterior design viewpoint we had a brand new philosophy are available known as ‘Opposites United.’
“So it is bringing collectively contrasting components to create one thing new, to create rigidity, but additionally to have some concord, to create some dynamic high quality. One thing we did not have on the primary Telluride. It wasn’t our philosophy at that time, however we did have the large, daring, boxy components that we felt like there was extra story to inform about.
“So we used that components, after which the ‘Opposites United,’ after which actually upped – form of exaggerated – the boxiness and the rugged facet in order that we might create not solely an X-Professional trim that felt actually pure to the general form, but additionally the extra refined X-Line hybrid trims and the wish to create extra of a form of a bookend of various flavors.”
At this level Wager joined the dialog and mentioned, “along with that, we noticed with the earlier technology that individuals had been shopping for the best trim ranges, whether or not it was our Dusk Version or X-Traces. So we began additionally trying and benchmarking a few of the premium manufacturers as effectively, which is why once you’re contained in the automotive, you see loads of different new addition refinements making it much more upscale along with the outside.”
That reply is unexpecting for one easy cause. Kia didn’t chase one other model when designing the brand new Telluride. They chased their very own success.
These two responses collectively are extra important than they could initially sound. And that is the place it will get actually attention-grabbing.
Why Benchmarking Your self Is Truly the Smartest Transfer
When Kahl mentioned “the primary technology Telluride,” I used to be form of stunned because it was an uncommon reply. Different automotive corporations on this scenario level to a competitor they’re making an attempt to beat. They are saying issues like “we benchmarked the Explorer” or “we regarded very rigorously on the Highlander.” Kia mentioned: we checked out ourselves.
That isn’t vanity. That’s self-discipline. It tells you that Kia understood one thing very particular: the primary technology Telluride was already distinctive, and the chance of chasing opponents was the chance of shedding what made it particular within the first place. The massive, daring, boxy components was not only a type selection. It was an id. And Kahl’s crew determined that id was price amplifying, not abandoning.
That is truly a invaluable lesson that goes far past automotive design. When you may have constructed one thing that genuinely works, the wisest transfer is to not discard it for novelty’s sake. It’s to know what made it nice after which have the braveness to go additional with it. Whether or not you’re designing an SUV, constructing a enterprise, or elevating a household, defending the core of what works whereas truthfully evolving what doesn’t – that’s the form of decision-making that creates lasting worth.
What “Opposites United” Truly Means for Your Shopping for Resolution
Now let me translate Kahl’s design philosophy into plain language, as a result of it issues on to your pockets and your satisfaction as a possible 2027 Telluride purchaser.
“Opposites United” is Kia’s overarching design language. Consider it this manner: it’s the concept rugged and refined, daring and stylish, angular and clean, can all exist in the identical automobile with out preventing one another. On the 2027 Telluride particularly, Kahl mentioned his crew exaggerated the boxiness and ruggedness on function. Why? In order that the X-Professional trim, the off-road targeted mannequin, feels utterly pure and native to the form of the automobile. It’s not a sticker bundle slapped on a tender crossover. The X-Professional appears to be like prefer it belongs there as a result of your entire design was conceived with that intentional rigidity in thoughts from day one.
However right here is the flip facet, and that is what Kahl meant by “a bookend of various flavors.” As a result of the form is genuinely rugged and daring at its core, the extra refined trims, the X-Line Hybrid and the upper luxurious trims, additionally look acceptable and credible. They don’t look tender or misplaced. The identical bones that make the X-Professional take a look at dwelling on a path make the top-tier hybrid trims look genuinely upscale reasonably than merely costly.
That may be a design achievement price noting. It’s not simple to tug off. Most SUVs on this phase drift one course or the opposite. They both look too tender for off-road responsibility or too tough for premium patrons. Kia discovered a center floor that serves each audiences with out compromising both.
Over time, Torque Information has watched the Telluride’s design id develop from its earliest days. After we coated the primary take a look at the brand new Kia Telluride as a sensible choice within the midsize SUV wars, the large, boxy silhouette was already turning heads. What Kahl and his crew have finished with the 2027 technology is take that silhouette and make it unimaginable to disregard.
The Premium Model Benchmarking: What It Means Contained in the Cabin
Now let’s discuss what Wager mentioned as a result of that second half of the reply is the place the 2027 Telluride turns into much more compelling for critical patrons.
Wager revealed that Kia noticed a transparent sample with first-generation patrons: they had been persistently gravitating towards the best trim ranges. Dusk Editions. X-Traces. The loaded SX-Status configurations. Consumers weren’t purchasing the bottom Telluride and strolling away happy. They had been reaching for the top quality. Each time.
That knowledge level advised Kia’s advertising crew one thing essential. The Telluride was competing in an area the place patrons had expectations that had been creeping into near-luxury territory. So Kia responded not simply by making the outside bolder, however by benchmarking premium manufacturers for the inside expertise.
Wager didn’t identify these premium manufacturers particularly in our dialog, and that’s tremendous. What issues is the intent and the consequence. If you sit contained in the 2027 Telluride, you’re alleged to really feel that the supplies, the format, the main points, and the refinement mirror one thing aspirational. Not simply aggressive with the Pilot or the Pathfinder, however truly aggressive with autos that value considerably extra.
This connects to one thing Torque Information famous after we reviewed the 2024 Telluride SX-Status X-Line V6 AWD, which rivaled the easiest in its phase. Even the outgoing technology punched above its weight class on the higher trims. The 2027 model is designed to shut that remaining hole utterly, notably contained in the cabin the place premium patrons discover each element.
The Opposites United Philosophy and the EV9 Connection
What makes this design strategy particularly significant is that it’s not only a Telluride story. It’s a Kia story. If in case you have seen the Kia EV9, you already know this language. Torque Information coated how Kia’s new flagship electrical SUV that can assist redefine its phase was one of many first autos to totally specific the Opposites United philosophy in manufacturing kind. The angular physique, the digital lighting grille, the strain between mass and element – that’s the similar vocabulary Kahl’s crew introduced into the 2027 Telluride, tailored to a body-on-frame-adjacent SUV reasonably than an EV platform.
This issues to you as a purchaser as a result of it means the 2027 Telluride isn’t a one-off design experiment. It’s the expression of a totally realized, brand-wide visible id that Kia has been constructing and refining throughout a number of autos. If you drive it, you’re driving a Kia that is aware of precisely what it desires to be.
What the X-Professional Purchaser Must Know Particularly
In case you are trying on the 2027 Telluride X-Professional specifically, Kahl’s clarification ought to offer you actual confidence. The off-road trim was not an afterthought. The whole exterior structure was designed with the X-Professional in thoughts from the very starting. Which means the broader fender flares, the aggressive decrease fascia, the commanding stance – none of it feels compelled or tacked on. It feels just like the automobile was all the time going to finish up there.
Torque Information has lengthy documented why the X-Professional trim is a standout selection for patrons who truly use their SUVs in demanding circumstances. Again after we examined six methods Kia designed the Telluride X-Professional to be superb in winter, the potential was already there. Now that functionality is wrapped in a design that was architected round it from the bottom up.
What This Means if You Are Procuring Proper Now
Right here is the sensible takeaway for potential patrons sitting on the fence in regards to the 2027 Telluride.
Design of the automobile influences:
- visibility
- cargo area
- inside consolation
- and long-term resale worth
A well-proportioned SUV tends to age higher visually and maintain its attraction longer.
The design of this automobile was not constructed by trying sideways on the competitors. It was constructed by trying truthfully at what the primary technology bought proper, figuring out the place the story had not been absolutely advised, after which telling it with extra conviction. That form of self-awareness in a product growth course of isn’t frequent. And it tends to provide autos that age effectively, as a result of they don’t seem to be chasing a pattern. They’re deepening an id.
In the event you had been a purchaser who liked the look of the primary technology however all the time wished it had been just a bit bolder, slightly extra commanding, slightly extra upscale inside, the 2027 Telluride was designed with you particularly in thoughts. And if in case you have been watching Torque Information monitor the Kia Telluride’s journey from a handsomely styled SUV at a discount value level to probably the most refined three-row SUVs at any value, this second technology feels just like the pure fruits of that whole journey.
The Greater Lesson Right here
I need to go away you with one thing past the automotive itself, as a result of I believe Kahl and Wager demonstrated one thing genuinely price carrying into your individual life and selections.
Probably the most tempting factor, if you find yourself redesigning one thing profitable, is to desert what labored in favor of what’s new. Novelty can really feel like progress. However Kia’s design crew did the more durable factor. They went again and requested: what’s the soul of this automobile? What promise did we make with the primary technology that we’ve not absolutely stored but? After which they constructed the second technology round that reply.
That form of sincere, inward reckoning earlier than a giant resolution – whether or not it’s a product redesign, a profession change, or a significant buy – tends to provide higher outcomes than chasing what everybody else is doing. The 2027 Telluride is the results of Kia having the self-discipline to belief its personal instincts. That’s price greater than any benchmark research of a competitor.
Now I need to hear from you immediately within the feedback beneath.
In the event you owned or presently personal a first-generation Telluride, does realizing that Kia benchmarked its personal automobile reasonably than opponents make you kind of assured in what the design crew has delivered with the 2027 technology?
And for these of you contemplating the 2027 Telluride, does the revelation that Kia studied premium luxurious manufacturers when growing the inside expertise change how you are feeling in regards to the worth proposition on the prime trim ranges?
Inform us your private expertise and your ideas within the feedback part beneath. Your perspective is precisely what this neighborhood is constructed on.
Photographs by Armen Hareyan.
About The Writer
Armen Hareyan is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Torque Information and an automotive journalist with over 15 years of expertise writing automotive critiques and business information. Now primarily based within the Charlotte area (Indian Land, SC, he based Torque Information in 2010, which since then has been publishing skilled information and evaluation in regards to the automotive business. He could be reached at Torque Information on X, Linkedin, and Youtube. Armen holds three Masters Levels, together with an MBA, and has turn into one of many recognized voices within the business, specializing within the panorama of electrical autos and real-world tales of precise automotive house owners. Armen focuses on offering readers with clear, data-backed evaluation bridging the hole of advanced engineering and automotive purchaser practicality. Armen continuously participates in automotive occasions all through the USA, nationwide and native automotive reveals and personally test-drives new autos each week. Armen has additionally been printed as an automotive skilled in publications just like the Transit Tomorrow, discussing how will autonomous autos reshape the provision chain, and rising applied sciences in automobile upkeep.
Comply with us right this moment…
