2023 Hyundai Palisade vs. Kia Telluride Comparison Test: Anything But a Carbon Copy

Arriving in 2019 for the 2020 model year, the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride three-row SUVs took the world by storm. Demand quickly exceeded supply and the automakers have ever since scrambled to keep up. It surely didn't help the problem when we named the Telluride our 2020 MotorTrend SUV of the Year, either. Not resting on their laurels, the South Korean automakers gave both the 2023 Hyundai Palisade and the 2023 Kia Telluride facelifts and mild interior refreshes for this model year. In a category awash with choice, both the Palisade and Telluride continue to top our list of best three-row SUVs.

So, which is the one to have? As it turns out, landing on an answer might be more complicated than it seems at first glance.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade and the 2023 Kia Telluride share a base platform, engine, drivetrain, and even the same essential interior and exterior dimensions. Both three-row SUVs come equipped with Hyundai/Kia's 3.8-liter V-6 engine, which produces a respectable 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission routes power to the wheels through an intelligent all-wheel-drive system. AWD is standard on Kia's Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line, while Hyundai's functionally identical HTRAC AWD system is a $1,900 option on the top-tier Calligraphy trim.

On the downside, neither vehicle delivers stellar fuel economy, with the all-wheel-drive Palisade receiving an EPA-estimated 19 mpg city, 25 highway, and 21 combined. The Telluride does slightly worse, dropping to 18 mpg city and 24 highway. These are among the lowest scores in the class and, sadly, it doesn't appear that any electrified options (hybrid, PHEV, or fully electric) will be coming in the near term.

That said, year-over-year, the Hyundai Palisade's EPA highway rating improved by one mpg for both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models. Kia's Telluride retains the same EPA ratings from 2022 to 2023 for FWD models, but those equipped with AWD drop 1 mpg city. When we reached out to company representatives for clarification, it was explained that although the two vehicles are mechanically similar, differences in aerodynamics, weight, and options result in the minor discrepancies in economy.

Chief among these differences—and the largest contributor to Telluride's loss of AWD economy—is the addition of the off-road-oriented X-Pro and X-Line packages for 2023. Because of this, we suspect that opting for a standard Telluride trim, without the X-Pro or X-Line package, should return Palisade-level fuel economy. Of course, your mileage may vary (just don't expect it to ever approach that of the quicker four-cylinder Ford Explorer and mild-hybrid Mazda CX-90).

If you get a thrill out of racing from stoplight to stoplight and ripping the canyons to soccer practice, you might want to turn away now. Both of these three-row SUVs sprinted from zero to 60 mph in an unexciting 6.9 seconds. The 2023 Hyundai Palisade ran the quarter-mile in 15.1 seconds at 93.2 mph, which was an insignificant 0.1-second quicker than the 46-pounds-lighter 2023 Kia Telluride. The Palisade pulled ahead slightly when it came to our braking and handling tests, stopping from 60 mph in 118 feet and completing our figure-eight course in 27.0 seconds at 0.63 g (average). The big Kia stopped from 60 in 122 feet and completed the figure-eight test in 27.5 seconds at 0.61 g. We attribute these slight performance differences to tire choice. Though both SUVs featured 245/50 20-inch rubber, the Palisade boasted high-performance Hankook Ventus S1 Nobel2 tires, whereas the Telluride wore all-season Michelin Primacy LTXs.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride share chassis and drivetrains, but it's the tuning of each that begins to set them apart.

The Kia was the livelier of the pair. The Telluride felt as though it accelerated quicker from a standstill and the transmission shifted gears swiftly and firmly. It still tried to get into the highest gear as quickly as possible, but wasn't shy about downshifting when commanded. The Telluride's suspension tuning also skewed to the sporty side of neutral, exhibiting very little body roll on twisty roads, and it tackled broken pavement and freeway expansion joints with relative ease.

By contrast, it's easy to see that Hyundai took a more comfort-oriented approach to tuning the Palisade. The Palisade exhibited a bit more body roll than the Telluride, and its steering didn't feel quite as precise. Overall, the Hyundai wasn't quite as tidy driving along winding roads as its counterpart, and there wasn't an appreciable gain in ride quality for these trade-offs. Really, though, how sporty does a large three-row SUV need to be, anyway?

What's more impressive is the suite of available driver-assistance technologies shared by both vehicles. To the already long list of standard functions (forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and more) both Hyundai and Kia have added traffic-sign recognition and a left-turn warning function that can intervene in the event that you try and turn left into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Highway Driving Assist 2, a more capable version of the standard HDA 1.5 system, is now available, and can even handle automated lane-changes. The vehicle's head-up display is larger, a digital rearview mirror is available, Apple CarPlay and Android auto can now be used wirelessly, and a Wi-Fi hotspot is standard. And most interesting, the 2023 Hyundai Palisade is fitted with a feature that allows owners the ability to move the car forward and backward from outside using the key fob—it's great for getting the big Palisade in and out of tight spaces (and it's a slick party trick, too).

Exterior styling is the most immediate differentiator between the 2023 Hyundai Palisade and 2023 Kia Telluride. Both SUVs received updates for the 2023 model year. Kia sharpened the Telluride's exterior with new headlight and taillight internals (RIP, orange DRLs), front and rear bumpers, and lower bodyside cladding. New wheel options adorn each trim. Rugged new X-Line and X-Pro trims were added as well, which give the Telluride more aggressive tires, a locking center differential, and, for the X-Pro, a 500-pound increase in max towing and a 0.4-inch increase in ride height.

Hyundai took a similar approach with the Palisade. The original model's diagonal lines and curves are replaced with rigidly vertical cues. The Palisade now features a large, square grille and stacked rectangular headlamps pushed to the far edges of the front fascia. The whole refresh gives off vibes of the company's futuristic Ioniq 5 electric crossover. Around back is a new bumper, which—you guessed it—features long horizontal lines to emphasize the vehicle's width. New 20-inch wheels are added to the fold as well.

We're not overly sold on the 2023 Palisade's new exterior look, but to be fair we weren't the biggest fans of the outgoing model's appearance either. At least not when compared to the Telluride, that is.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade and 2023 Kia Telluride both offer nearly identical interior passenger and cargo space. However, much as with their exterior designs, both take different approaches to the way that everything looks, feels, and works. For 2023, the three-row SUVs received large, 12.3-inch displays for both driver information and infotainment. Hyundai opted for a more traditional staggered-and-separated approach to mounting the screens on its updated instrument panel. Kia, however, mounts both screens on the same plane to create one massive unit more akin to what you get in Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac SUVs than others in the Hyundai/Kia price class.

Look at the instrument panel and center console and you realize the Palisade and Telluride play to different audiences. Following their respective exterior designs, the Telluride X-Line utilizes darker tones with metal and wood accents to create a more rugged and industrial feel. A low center console with a traditional transmission shifter and rotary drive-mode selector work to accentuate the Telluride's "trucklike" vibe. The Palisade, on the other hand, creates a much warmer and more inviting atmosphere. Its dashboard features fewer hard edges, instead opting for more curves and angles. The lighter color schemes are accented with wood but also large swaths of piano-black plastic. Hyundai raised the center console higher and gave it an upward sweep to meet the dash just below the infotainment screen. The transmission shifter is a series of buttons which are jumbled in the sea of HVAC and drive-mode controls. A massive, reconfigurable cupholder and storage space is the centerpiece of the Palisade's Range Rover-esque console. Remove the logo on the Palisade's steering wheel and it could almost pass for a Genesis … almost.

Moving rearward, the second-row offers nearly the same comfort and convenience as the front-seat passenger experiences. Both the Palisade and Telluride now offer USB-C charging, located conveniently in the driver and passenger seatbacks. Both also offer heated and ventilated second-row seats. There's a slight variance in the placement of the rear-zone HVAC controls. Hyundai moved the control panel to the rear of the center console where it is easily accessible from either middle-row seat. Kia, however, left the controls in the ceiling, which allows for a pair of cupholders for middle-row occupants.

Getting into the third row of both vehicles is made remarkably simple by a single button that activates the middle row's flip, slide, and fold function. Climbing out of the way-back is just as simple thanks to a second button, located on the top of the middle seats, specifically for the rear-seat occupants. However, the Hyundai wields an advantage in third-row amenities. Both the Palisade and Telluride give USB-C charge ports to the cheap seats, but Hyundai also offers heated-leather seating surfaces to the rearmost occupants, which is largely unheard-of in this category. The Palisade also offers power lifting and lowering third-row seats, along with a power folding second row. Kia outfits the Telluride with manually operated third-row seats, which can turn into quite the wrestling match should the pull-strap flip in an unfortunate way.

In this three-row-SUV comparison, value comes down to what you're looking for. As tested, the 2023 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line checks in at $54,070, or just $770 more than the 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy's $53,300. This is an exceptionally good value if you're looking for a midsize three-row SUV with a bit of rugged flair. A more apples-to-apples comparison would be the standard Telluride SX-Prestige, which carries a price tag of $51,955, or $1,130 less than the similarly equipped base Palisade Calligraphy. At that price point, the Hyundai Palisade is still a great value, given the vehicle's near-luxury feature set and slightly superior fuel economy.

While we're busy writing pretend checks, if you're serious about zipping down dirt roads, stepping up to the chart-topping Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line Pro adds all the off-road goodies for just $1,000 more than the standard SX-Prestige X-Line. But if you're after a base model, then the Palisade SE is $20 cheaper than the $37,255 Telluride LX.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade wins this comparison test, if only by the slightest of margins. With the SUV's most recent update to its technology suite, interior amenities, and exterior styling, the Palisade is better than ever. As it was, Hyundai's flagship SUV didn't need any help selling out, and this most recent rejuvenation should only boost buyer interest.

Verdict: We've been fans of the Kia Telluride since its debut, and this 2023 update has only made it better.

Verdict: The Palisade is a fantastic choice in the three-row SUV segment and does a great impersonation of a luxury vehicle.