Kia Telluride vs Hyundai Palisade
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Summary
Second-row legroom (43 in), third-row legroom (32.1 in), overall length (199.2 in), seating (eight), and the 5,000 lb tow rating are the same on both.
The Telluride holds more at every seating position: 22.3 vs 19.1 cu ft behind the third row, 48.7 vs 46.3 behind the second, and 89.3 vs 86.7 maximum. The Palisade answers with front-row space — 44.2 in of legroom to the Telluride's 41.4 — and slightly more third-row headroom, 37.8 in to 37.4.
Both sell a hybrid line above a gas base, and both price ladders top out within $90 of each other. Neither third-row safety record is complete, and for the same reason on both sides.
The numbers, side by side
| Spec | Kia Telluride | Hyundai Palisade |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| MSRP range | $39,190 – $57,590 | $39,735 – $57,680 |
| Space | ||
| Row 1 legroom | 41.4" | 44.2" |
| Row 2 legroom | 43" | 43" |
| Row 3 legroom | 32.1" | 32.1" |
| Row 3 headroom | 37.4" | 37.8" |
| Cargo behind row 3 | 22.3 cu ft | 19.1 cu ft |
| Cargo behind row 2 | 48.7 cu ft | 46.3 cu ft |
| Max cargo | 89.3 cu ft | 86.7 cu ft |
| Exterior | ||
| Length | 199.2" | 199.2" |
| Width (excl. mirrors) | 78.3" | 78" |
| Height | 69.9" | 69.5" |
| Capability | ||
| Max towing | 5,000 lbs | 5,000 lbs |
| Seating | ||
| Max seats | 8 | 8 |
| Second row | Captain’s chairs or bench | Captain’s chairs or bench |
Cargo is the Telluride’s
The Telluride leads at all three cargo positions: 22.3 cu ft behind the third row against 19.1, 48.7 behind the second against 46.3, and 89.3 maximum against 86.7. The behind-row-3 margin is the one that matters day to day — 3.2 cu ft is the difference between a week's luggage for a full cabin fitting or not.
Both makers publish these on their own spec surfaces, and Kia labels its figures “Cargo Volume (SAE)”, so the two are measured on comparable bases.
The Palisade takes the front row
Hyundai publishes 44.2 in of front-row legroom against Kia's 41.4 — the largest single gap on this page, and the one a tall driver will notice immediately. Third-row headroom also goes to the Palisade, 37.8 in to 37.4, though that margin is small enough to disappear behind seat design and headrest position.
Everything between those rows matches. Second-row legroom is 43 in on both, and third-row legroom is 32.1 in on both — which is a children-and-short-trips row in either vehicle, not a full-size third row.
Both safety records are partial, for the same reason
Both rows carry a third-row curtain-airbag value we read from the makers' own cabin illustrations rather than from prose, and both stay marked partial because of it. Kia describes its curtain airbags by door — “along both sides of the roof rails above the front and rear doors” — and the third row sits behind the rear doors, so that sentence alone never supported the claim. Hyundai names no rows at all.
What each maker does publish clearly is the child-seat hardware: two LATCH lower-anchor positions and three top tethers in the third row, on both vehicles. Those came from the makers' own manual figures, which enumerate per-row counts their PDF prose does not.
A note on sourcing rather than on the cars: the Palisade is a 2027 model whose safety record cites Hyundai's 2026 manual, because no 2027 book is published yet. Same generation, so a current document — the model page states the gap rather than hiding it.
Price and powertrain
The Telluride runs $39,190 to $57,590; the Palisade $39,735 to $57,680. That is $545 apart at the floor and $90 apart at the ceiling — close enough that price should not decide this.
Both ladders top out on a hybrid trim rather than a gas one, and both start on a V6. Towing is 5,000 lb on each. If an electrified version is the goal, both offer one and neither offers a plug-in.
When each one fits
Kia Telluride: Cargo decides it. More room behind every row, and the gap behind the third row is large enough to change what fits on a family trip.
Hyundai Palisade: A tall driver decides it. Nearly three inches more front-row legroom, plus a little more third-row headroom, for effectively the same money.
Compare legroom yourself
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