Kia has dropped a couple of teasers for the facelifted 2023 Telluride and it looks like the new SUV is going to look far more different on the inside than it does on the outside.
The Korean brand’s popular three-row off-roader will make its world debut at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) next week alongside the also-facelifted flagship Pallisade, and Kia promises it will offer bold new design elements, plus a rugged X-Pro trimline.
But from what we can tell by looking at the deliberately darkened teaser images, the exterior design doesn’t look radically different from current vehicle’s, which was updated for 2022. We can see the same kicked up line at the base of rear side window, although the boxy nose and grille shape, look more similar to what we saw on the 2016 Telluride Concept.
That 2016 concept featured a wide digital dashboard that combined a TFT gauge cluster and touchscreen infotainment system, but the 2020 production Telluride arrived with a much more conventional set of analogue dials and tablet-style touchscreen that’s still present on the 2022 car.
Related: Hyundai Teases 2023 Palisade’s Tuscon-Like Facelift Ahead Of NY Auto Show Debut
But the interior teaser for the 2023 car reveals that the Telluride is finally living up to 2016’s promise. The clean-looking interior features a four-spoke steering wheel and a console with what appears to be grab handles on either side of the tunnel below the dashboard. The standout feature though, is the wide, slim digital display that stretches from behind the steering wheel to the far side of the center tunnel, much like the one on the electric EV6.
Kia says the facelifted Telluride will offer a choice of seven- and eight-seat layouts and a choice of front- or all-wheel drive. The 2016 concept’s hood hid a hybrid V6 making a combined 400 hp (405 PS), but the only engine offered in the current SUV is a 3.8-litre V6 making 291 hp (295 PS), and that’s likely to be carried over.
But one new feature will bet the availability of an off-road-focused X-Pro trim. Kia hasn’t released any details about it other than to confirm its existence, but knowing what we know about the Sportage X-Pro, the toughest Telluride could get get matte black wheels, chunky B.F. Goodrich tires and revised driving modes.
Kia has a stack of new SUV content this year, and the 2023 Telluride is just one component. The Sportage has already been revised and we recently posted spy shots of the facelifted flagship Pallisade.
