3-Row SUV Showdown · All-New Kia Telluride

Kia Telluride vsHyundai Palisade

Q: Which has more power — Telluride or Palisade?

On gas, the Palisade's 3.5L V6 makes 287 hp to the Telluride turbo's 274 hp — a real Palisade edge. But the Telluride's standard turbo makes more torque, 311 lb-ft vs 260, for stronger everyday pull. On hybrid, it's a dead heat: both the Telluride Hybrid and Palisade Hybrid produce an identical 329 hp and 339 lb-ft combined.

Matched warranty terms. More torque. Hybrids tied on power.

Two of the Gulf Coast’s most cross-shopped three-row SUVs, head to head. The redesigned Kia Telluride matches the Hyundai Palisade’s excellent factory warranty terms, then pulls ahead with more torque from the standard engine and hands-free-ready highway driving on SX trims. Here’s an honest look at how they stack up at Dean McCrary Kia in Mobile, AL.

Shop Telluride Inventory See Trims & Offers

10yr/100kKia powertrain warranty

329 hpTelluride Hybrid — matched by Palisade’s hybrid

$39,190Starting MSRP*

8Seats standard

5,000 lbMax towing, properly equipped

6×KBB Best Buy winner

The Quick Verdict

Four Honest Reasons the Telluride Wins

The Telluride and Palisade are corporate siblings and it shows — this is one of the closest matchups in the segment. Here’s where the Telluride genuinely pulls ahead.

Hands-Free Ready

HDA2on SX trims & up

vs Palisade’s hands-on Highway Driving Assist

On SX trims and up, the Telluride offers hands-free-ready Highway Driving Assist 2 on the highway — a capability the Palisade’s Highway Driving Assist, which keeps your hands on the wheel, doesn’t match. On the factory warranty, the two siblings are a genuine tie: 10 years/100,000 miles powertrain, both.

Torque Leader

311lb-ft standard

vs Palisade V6’s 260 lb-ft

The standard Telluride turbo trades a little peak horsepower for real everyday pull — 311 lb-ft vs the Palisade’s 260, useful for merging, towing, and a full cabin of passengers.

Hybrid, By a Hair

35MPG combined

vs Palisade Hybrid’s 34 MPG

Both hybrids make an identical 329 hp / 339 lb-ft combined — genuinely tied on power. The Telluride Hybrid edges ahead on EPA-estimated efficiency and tows 500 lb more.

Award Leader

6×KBB Best Buy

Plus World Car of the Year

World Car of the Year, MotorTrend SUV of the Year, and #1 J.D. Power Initial Quality — a deeper trophy case than the Palisade has assembled to date.

Shop the Winner

See Every Telluride Trim — & This Month’s Offers

Convinced? Pick a Telluride trim to see what it adds over the Palisade — and this month’s live offers on it, straight from our inventory.

Pricing & Configuration

Trim Range & Starting MSRP

Both open within a few hundred dollars of each other — this is genuinely close on paper. The real separation shows up in torque, hybrid towing, and what’s included after the sale.

Configuration

Kia TellurideAll-New

Hyundai Palisade2026

Starting MSRP*

$39,190

~$38,935–$41,035⚠

Trim Range

LX → X-Pro SX Prestige + Hybrid

SE → Calligraphy + XRT Pro + Hybrid

Powertrains

Gas + Hybrid

Standard Touchscreen

12.3″Dual 12.3″ Available

12.3″

Off-Road Trim

X-Line, X-Pro (9.1″ clearance, e-LSD)More Clearance

XRT Pro (8.4″ clearance)

Drivetrain

FWD standard, AWD available

Engines & Efficiency

Nearly Identical Hybrids. A Torquier Standard Engine.

Both hybrids make the same 329 hp combined — call that one a tie. On gas, the Palisade’s V6 has more peak horsepower, but the Telluride turbo answers with more torque.

Kia Telluride

2 Powertrain Options

2.5L Turbo I4 — 274 hp / 311 lb-ft
1.6L Turbo Hybrid — 329 hp / 339 lb-ft combined, ~35 MPG
8-speed automatic (gas), 6-speed automatic (hybrid)
Standard FWD, available AWD (standard on X-Line / X-Pro)

Hyundai Palisade

2 Powertrain Options

3.5L V6 — 287 hp / 260 lb-ft
1.6L Turbo Hybrid — 329 hp / 339 lb-ft combined, ~34 MPG⚠
8-speed automatic (gas), 6-speed automatic (hybrid)
Standard FWD, available AWD

Powertrain Spec

Kia Telluride

Hyundai Palisade

Base Gas Horsepower

274 hp (turbo)

287 hp (V6)

Base Gas Torque

311 lb-ft+51 lb-ft

260 lb-ft

Hybrid Power

329 hp / 339 lb-ft

329 hp / 339 lb-ft — Matched

Hybrid Fuel Economy

~35 MPG combinedSlight Edge

~34 MPG combined (targeted)⚠

Hybrid Max Towing

4,500 lb+500 lb

4,000 lb⚠

Gas Max Towing

5,000 lb

Room, Efficiency & Peace of Mind

The Differences You Live With Daily

Seating and cargo run close, and so does most of the spec sheet. Here’s what actually separates ownership day to day.

Peace of Mind

10yr/100kpowertrain warranty

Matched by the Palisade — a genuine tie

Ten years or 100,000 miles of powertrain coverage from both brands, plus 5 years/60,000 miles of basic coverage — on warranty, these siblings are a true tie.

Hybrid Towing

4,500lb hybrid tow

vs Palisade Hybrid’s 4,000 lb⚠

Both hybrids make identical power, but the Telluride Hybrid is rated to tow 500 lb more — useful if a small trailer or boat is in the picture.

Capability

9.1″clearance

X-Pro vs XRT Pro’s 8.4″

Telluride X-Pro adds more ground clearance than the Palisade XRT Pro, plus an electronic limited-slip differential and Terrain Modes.

Technology & Safety

Both Bring Big Screens. Only One Goes Hands-Free.

Screen sizes are a wash. Where the Telluride separates is hands-free-ready highway driving on SX trims and up — a capability Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist doesn’t match on the Palisade.

Kia Telluride

12.3″ touchscreen standard — available dual 12.3″ panoramic displays

Available Highway Driving Assist 2 — hands-free-ready highway driving

Available 14-speaker Meridian premium audio

Full driver-assist suite standard from base LX

Standard wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto

Available 360° camera & Blind-Spot View Monitor

10-year / 100,000-mile powertrain warranty; 5-year / 60,000-mile basic

Hyundai Palisade

12.3″ touchscreen standard⚠ — no dual-display option confirmed

Highway Driving Assist available — requires hands on the wheel, not hands-free⚠

Available premium audio system⚠

Hyundai SmartSense driver-assist suite standard

Standard wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto

Available surround-view camera⚠

10-year / 100,000-mile powertrain warranty; 5-year / 60,000-mile basic — identical Kia/Hyundai terms

Independent Recognition

The Awards Don’t Lie

Analysts have measured both nameplates for years. The Telluride keeps collecting the hardware the segment gets judged against.

World Car Awards

World Car of the Year

The Telluride’s crown — alongside MotorTrend SUV of the Year and North American Utility of the Year. No Palisade generation has matched that trio.

Kelley Blue Book

Best Buy, 6 Straight Years

KBB’s midsize SUV Best Buy every year it was eligible — a near-luxury feel at an honest price.

J.D. Power · 2025 IQS

#1 in Initial Quality

Fewest reported problems in the first 90 days — top of the upper-midsize SUV segment.

NHTSA & IIHS

Safety Pedigree — Both Strong

The 2026 Palisade earned IIHS’s Top Safety Pick+ award (units built after November 2025). The outgoing Telluride earned the same distinction in 2025; the redesigned 2027 model is engineered to that standard and awaits its own IIHS testing.

Cross-Shopping the Palisade? Drive the Telluride First.

See every Telluride and Telluride Hybrid in stock, get a real number on your current SUV, and feel the difference yourself — all in one stop in Mobile.

Shop Telluride Inventory Value Your Trade

Telluride vs Palisade — Common Questions

Is the Kia Telluride better than the Hyundai Palisade?⌄

It’s close — these are two of the most evenly matched three-row SUVs on the market. Both back their gas and hybrid powertrains with the same 10-year/100,000-mile factory powertrain warranty, and both hybrids make an identical 329 hp combined. The Telluride’s real edges are its 51 lb-ft torque advantage on the gas engine and hands-free-ready Highway Driving Assist 2 on SX trims. The Palisade counters with a genuinely upscale cabin and a few more peak horsepower on the gas V6. See live Telluride inventory.

Which has more power — Telluride or Palisade?⌄

On gas, the Palisade’s 3.5L V6 makes 287 hp to the Telluride turbo’s 274 hp — a real Palisade edge. But the Telluride’s standard turbo makes more torque (311 vs 260 lb-ft) for stronger everyday pull. On hybrid, it’s a dead heat: both the Telluride Hybrid and Palisade Hybrid produce an identical 329 hp and 339 lb-ft combined.

Do both the Telluride and Palisade offer a hybrid?⌄

Yes — this is one of the closest calls in the segment. Both offer a hybrid rated at 329 hp combined. The Telluride Hybrid edges ahead with an EPA-estimated 35 MPG combined vs the Palisade Hybrid’s targeted 34 MPG, and tows up to 4,500 lb vs the Palisade Hybrid’s 4,000 lb.

Is the Kia Telluride cheaper than the Hyundai Palisade?⌄

They’re close enough to call a toss-up. The Telluride LX starts at $39,190 MSRP; the Palisade SE starts at roughly $38,935 by Hyundai’s own published figures (before destination) — though some retail listings show the Palisade’s starting sticker nearer $41,035. Neither brand holds a clear price advantage here; comparably equipped, compare standard features trim-by-trim.

What’s the warranty difference between Kia and Hyundai on these two?⌄

There isn’t one — Hyundai and Kia are sibling brands, and both back the Palisade and Telluride with an identical 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty. On warranty, these two are a genuine tie.

What does the Hyundai Palisade do better?⌄

The Palisade has real strengths: reviewers consistently praise its cabin quality and design, especially in Calligraphy trim, and its 287-hp V6 has a peak-horsepower edge over the Telluride’s standard turbo. The 2026 Palisade also earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award (units built after November 2025). If interior polish and outright horsepower matter most, it’s worth a look. For torque, hybrid towing, and hands-free-ready highway tech, the Telluride leads.

Where can I compare them near Mobile, AL?⌄

Dean McCrary Kia at 1733 E I-65 Service Rd S in Mobile stocks the full Telluride and Telluride Hybrid lineup — convenient to Daphne, Spanish Fort, Saraland, Fairhope, and the Gulf Coast. Come drive one and see the difference in person.

Telluride vs Palisade · Gulf Coast

Shopping a 3-Row SUV Near Mobile?

Dean McCrary Kia serves Gulf Coast families from Mobile to the Eastern Shore with the area’s deepest Telluride selection. If you’re cross-shopping the Hyundai Palisade, here’s why to start here.

Live inventory of every Telluride trim — LX through X-Pro SX Prestige, plus Hybrid
A fair number on your trade — value your current SUV in minutes
Upfront pricing and Kia’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty on every new Telluride
Kia-certified service, factory maintenance, and genuine parts

Dean McCrary Kia

Address1733 E I-65 Service Rd S, Mobile, AL 36606

Sales(251) 471-3326

Sales HoursMon–Sat 8:30 AM–6:00 PM

Get Directions

Sources & Verification

Comparison reflects the all-new Kia Telluride against the 2026 Hyundai Palisade. Specifications and pricing compiled from manufacturer materials (kia.com, hyundainews.com, hyundaiusa.com), Kelley Blue Book, and Edmunds, and are current as of publication. MSRP shown is base, excluding destination, taxes, title, and dealer fees; AWD, hybrid, and higher trims add cost. Figures marked ⚠ reflect internally targeted or secondary-source estimates that were not confirmed against a single primary source at time of publication and should be verified before this page is used publicly. Horsepower, torque, towing, and payload are independent attributes and may not be achieved simultaneously. EPA-estimated fuel economy is for comparison only; your mileage will vary.

Hyundai, Palisade, SmartSense, Highway Driving Assist, and XRT Pro are trademarks of Hyundai Motor America. Kia, Telluride, and Meridian references are used for descriptive comparison. Awards include prior- and current-generation Telluride honors. This comparison reflects the dealer’s perspective and is intended for informational purposes only. Pricing and offers subject to change — contact Dean McCrary Kia for current pricing.