Kia Telluride vs Hyundai Palisade vs Honda Pilot
Summary
All three tow 5,000 lb, seat eight, and publish third-row legroom between 32.1 and 32.5 in — children-and-short-trips rows across the board.
Each takes one axis. The Telluride holds the most behind the third row, 22.3 cu ft against 19.1 and 18.6. The Palisade has the biggest front row, 44.2 in of legroom against 41.4 and 41. The Pilot has the tallest third row, 39.3 in of headroom against 37.8 and 37.4.
Starts run $39,190 Telluride, $39,735 Palisade, $42,395 Pilot. The twins sell hybrid lines above their gas bases; the Pilot is gas only — with the only fully verified third-row safety record of the three.
The numbers, side by side
| Spec | Kia Telluride | Hyundai Palisade | Honda Pilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | |||
| MSRP range | $39,190 – $57,590 | $39,735 – $57,680 | $42,395 – $55,195 |
| Space | |||
| Row 1 legroom | 41.4" | 44.2" | 41" |
| Row 2 legroom | 43" | 43" | 40.8" |
| Row 3 legroom | 32.1" | 32.1" | 32.5" |
| Row 3 headroom | 37.4" | 37.8" | 39.3" |
| Cargo behind row 3 | 22.3 cu ft | 19.1 cu ft | 18.6 cu ft |
| Cargo behind row 2 | 48.7 cu ft | 46.3 cu ft | 48.5 cu ft |
| Max cargo | 89.3 cu ft | 86.7 cu ft | 87 cu ft |
| Exterior | |||
| Length | 199.2" | 199.2" | 200.1" |
| Width (excl. mirrors) | 78.3" | 78" | 78.5" |
| Height | 69.9" | 69.5" | 71" |
| Capability | |||
| Max towing | 5,000 lbs | 5,000 lbs | 5,000 lbs |
| Seating | |||
| Max seats | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Second row | Captain’s chairs or bench | Captain’s chairs or bench | Captain’s chairs or bench |
Where the twins are twins
The shared platform shows: both are 199.2 in long, both publish 43 in of second-row legroom and 32.1 in in the third row, and both ladders run gas at the base to a hybrid at the top — $39,190 to $57,590 for the Telluride, $39,735 to $57,680 for the Palisade.
Where they separate is cargo and the front row. The Telluride carries more at every position — 22.3 vs 19.1 cu ft behind row 3, 48.7 vs 46.3 behind row 2, 89.3 vs 86.7 maximum. The Palisade answers with 44.2 in of front-row legroom to the Telluride's 41.4. The full two-way treatment is in Telluride vs Palisade.
Where the Pilot breaks from both
Overhead, decisively: 39.3 in of third-row headroom against 37.8 and 37.4 — the one dimension where the Honda simply has more vehicle. Its 32.5 in of third-row legroom also edges both twins' 32.1, though at 0.4 in the tape measure is doing the deciding, not your knees.
It gives space back amidships: 40.8 in of second-row legroom against the twins' 43, and the smallest cargo hold of the three — 18.6 cu ft behind the third row, 87 at maximum. And it keeps the lineup simple: gas only, no hybrid rung, with the lowest price ceiling here at $55,195.
Safety: hardware count vs paper trail
The twins document more child-seat hardware — two LATCH lower-anchor sets and three top tethers in each third row, against the Pilot's one set and three tethers. But both twins' records stay marked partial for the same reason: neither maker states third-row curtain-airbag coverage in words, so those values are read from the makers' own cabin illustrations, which is weaker evidence than prose.
The Pilot's record is the only one of the three verified entirely from stated text, curtain coverage included. More anchors on the Korean side; a cleaner paper trail on the Honda side.
Price
Entry prices: $39,190, $39,735, $42,395 — the twins within $545 of each other, the Pilot $3,205 above the cheapest. The ceilings invert: $55,195 for the gas-only Pilot against $57,590 and $57,680 for the hybrid-topped twins. Cross-shop at the trim level, not the nameplate level; the ladders overlap almost completely.
When each one fits
Kia Telluride: Cargo at every position, the cheapest start, and the second row shared with the Palisade. The default pick when the vehicle hauls things as often as people.
Hyundai Palisade: The biggest front row of the three, the same second row, effectively the same money as the Telluride. The tall-driver's twin.
Honda Pilot: The tallest third row, the fully verified safety record, the simplest lineup. The pick when adults ride in back and you want the record in writing.
Compare legroom yourself
Find your match
Six questions, deterministic scoring, top three matches across the full directory.
Take the quizWill you fit either third row?
Open the fit estimator preloaded with the Kia Telluride and check both models against your height.
Best-value family 3-row
The guide lens closest to this pairing — the whole cohort re-sorted on that axis, answer stated up top.
Deciding across the whole segment, not just these models? See Best Family 3-Row SUVs — every published model, ranked from verified specs. A cross-segment pairing gets both rankings, because neither one alone covers the models on this page.