THE FIRST CREASE IS THE DEEPEST! Why Kia’s 2027 Telluride Embarrasses The ‘Flagship’ Battery-Field, Battery-Sure EV9 From Each Angle.

Kia has spent the final decade rewriting its repute, reworking from a funds also-ran right into a design powerhouse that turns heads on each continent. The Telluride, launched in 2019, turned the poster little one for that ascent—an angular, imposing three-row SUV that regarded prefer it value twice its sticker. Now, recent spy photographs of the 2027 Telluride reveal Kia is doubling down on what labored: sharper creases, a wider stance, vertically stacked LED headlights that echo the unique’s daring grille, and a greenhouse that tapers aggressively towards the rear. Renderings based mostly on these prototypes present a truck that would moonlight as a Vary Rover in case you squint.

In the meantime, the EV9—Kia’s self-proclaimed “future flagship”—sits in showrooms at present. It’s undeniably bold: a 99.8-kWh battery, as much as 379 miles of vary, and a cabin that seats seven in near-luxury trim. But stroll round one and the proportions really feel… off. The cab-forward design mandated by the E-GMP skateboard platform leaves a towering brow and a slab-sided midsection that photographers battle to like. The lighting signature is busy, the wheel arches cartoonishly flared, and the rear three-quarter view collapses into visible litter. Critics have referred to as it “a fridge on wheels,” and the phrase stings as a result of it’s not completely fallacious.

This isn’t about gasoline versus electrical; it’s about silhouette self-discipline. The 2027 Telluride retains an extended hood and a dash-to-axle ratio that screams powertrain freedom. Designers might sculpt damaging house, carve deep shoulder strains, and steadiness mass with out the tyranny of a flat floorpan. The EV9, shackled to battery placement, finally ends up with a tall beltline and a greenhouse that appears grafted on. Kia’s personal Idea EV9 from 2021 promised origami-sharp drama, however manufacturing actuality softened each edge into anonymity.

Gross sales inform a part of the story—Telluride routinely outsells the EV9 three-to-one within the U.S.—however aesthetics clarify the remainder. Consumers cross-shop the Kia in opposition to Grand Cherokees and Explorers, not Ioniq 5s. They need rugged theater, not effectivity minimalism. Kia is aware of this; the Tasman pickup heading to world markets proves the model can nonetheless swing for conventional fences.

So right here’s the query that ought to maintain Kia’s design VP awake at night time: Why is the 2027 Kia Telluride so significantly better trying than their supposed “future” flagship, the EV9? Drop your idea within the feedback—structure excuse, committee cowardice, or one thing else completely?

Particular due to Spies common Mesa West for posing this this query in our feedback a pair days in the past.