2019 Kia Telluride Spotted Undisguised (Again), Remains Pretty Faithful To The Concept

The Kia Telluride concept received a warm welcome when it debuted at the North American International Auto Show in 2016 and it appears production model will remain pretty faithful to the concept.

In a series of photos posted by The Korean Car Blog as well as on Auto Tribune, we can get an undisguised glimpse of the all-new crossover which is expected to debut early next year.

As you can see in the photos, the Telluride has a bit of a GMC Yukon vibe as both models have a wide grille, vertical headlights and rounded front fenders. This probably won’t make General Motors happy, but there are plenty of unique styling details further below. These include a silver skid plate, vertical air intakes and a split lower fascia.

While the front fascia is different than the one used on the concept, the sides are virtually the same. However, there have been a handful of minor changes as the production model eschews the front fender vents and adopts traditional door handles.

Moving to the rear, the concept’s distinctive taillights carryover but that’s about it. The tailgate has been significantly modified and there’s a new lower bumper which unfortunately doesn’t feature the concept’s split dual exhaust system.

While we now know what the exterior will look like, the interior remains a mystery. The concept’s cabin was heavily influenced by the Mercedes S-Class, but it’s doubtful that production model will have such lofty ambitions.

The interior isn’t the only mystery as it remains unclear what platform will underpin the model. While the concept was based on a modified version of the Sorento’s platform, Kia officials have suggested it could ride on the same architecture that underpins the K900. If it does indeed ride on that platform, the model may be offered with a twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6 that produces 365 hp (272 kW / 370 PS) and 376 lb-ft (509 Nm) of torque.

However, it seems more likely that the model will ride on the same platform as the Hyundai Santa Fe and feature similar engine options. As a result, we can likely expect a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 235 hp (175 kW / 238 PS) and 260 lb-ft (353 Nm) of torque.

* Article updated with more revealing images

Thanks to Jose and Jowon for the tip!