SUVs are in right now. The combination of flexible interior space, luxury features, and great performance specs makes it hard to find a negative. An SUV that’s taken off in popularity in a particular way over the past several years is the Kia Telluride. Kia has crafted a brand image of efficiency, tech-forwardness, and high-end, creative design; the Telluride captures this very brand image, and as such, it’s become one of the most popular SUVs you’ll see on the road. You may be among the crowd trying to hop on the Telluride train and experience first-hand the excellence of Kia’s leading SUV. But, if you’ve ever visited a Houston Kia Telluride dealer like us, you may have noticed that there are quite a few options with an array of features and differences.
The 2025 Kia Telluride lineup includes ten trim levels. That’s a lot! With more trim levels than most other vehicles, it’s important to understand how these Tellurides differ. Depending on your focus, you may or may not be attracted to certain trims; those focused on budget will prefer certain options, while those focused on having the best luxury features will be focused on different ones. All of the different offerings can sometimes make it difficult to cut through the noise and determine what you’ll get in any given trim and how to proceed. So, let’s take a deep dive into the 2025 Telluride, see what’s at the foundation, and how you can navigate the trim offerings to maximize its features and get exactly what you want.
The Telluride’s Foundation
The Telluride has an interesting position in the market as a three-row SUV. It offers seating for up to eight people, but its body is not quite that of a full-size SUV. As such, it provides essentially the capabilities of a full-size SUV but with less bulk, making it easier to fit into a garage or park on the street. The Telluride is Kia’s biggest SUV to date, taking a step up from Kia’s usual focus on more compact vehicles.
The Telluride was first released for the 2020 model year. It was an instant hit, and demand immediately took off. Showcasing the best of Kia’s engineering, design, and technology, the Telluride was a key turning point for the brand as it opened up a new market of drivers seeking something closer to a full-size SUV. Alongside other popular vehicles like the Kia Carnival minivan, the Telluride serves as a more luxurious and capable option. Kia really leans into the classic SUV style with the Telluride, capturing the muscular and boxy appearance of a strong and capable SUV. The idea behind the Telluride is to provide an on-road and off-road model that’s flexible, athletic, and luxurious. That’s a combination that’s hard to accomplish well, but it’s a combination with a great deal of market demand, as proven by the Telluride’s popularity. Given that the Telluride is now entering its sixth model year, it’s clear that Kia does the combination well.
For the 2025 model year, the LX trim lays the Telluride’s foundation. With this entry-level trim, the Telluride offers a 3.8L V6 engine, which is capable of delivering 291 hp and a towing capacity of 5,000 lbs. Those are highly impressive specs for a three-row SUV, with many midsize trucks offering specs in that range; given that the Telluride is an SUV, more weight should be given to such specs given its vehicle type. In keeping with Kia’s commitment to efficiency, the baseline LX trim has an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 20 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway. Those are solid numbers for a three-row SUV, meaning you’ll save some money on gas over time.
The Telluride, at its core, is a high-quality, performance-oriented premium SUV, perfect for an area like Houston. It’s meeting the market right where the demand lies, and it’s committed to diversifying itself for all kinds of drivers. On that note, let’s see what the options are for 2025 and how you can maximize your Telluride experience.
2025 Telluride Trim Lineup
The Telluride received some significant updates for the 2023 model year. The 2023 changes included some exterior design updates to take the Telluride into a new era of refinement (if you’ve ever seen a side-by-side of the original model vs the 2023 model, you’ll definitely notice the difference). The 2023 model year also welcomed two new trim levels—the X-Line and X-Pro—both of which are designed for those seeking off-road adventure. With the arrival of these new trims, the Telluride now offers ten trims, making it versatile and flexible for all kinds of drivers.
The first four trims of the lineup, which include the LX, S, EX, and SX, focus on providing a well-balanced package with varying degrees of exuberance. As we discussed, the LX is the entry-level trim, but while it surpasses the features of most entry-level trims, it doesn’t include some of the finer details that a trim like the SX does. The LX, EX, and SX are all eight-passenger models, meaning the second row is a bench seat. The LX provides standard features like a 12.3-inch touchscreen and offers Kia’s Syntex seats, meaning the baseline trim includes synthetic leather as opposed to cloth. The EX is essentially the more luxurious version of the LX trim, offering actual leather seating, heated and ventilated front seats, and an eight-way power-adjustable driver seat.
In contrast, the S is a seven-seat model. Rather than a second-row bench seat, the second-row seats are captain chairs; what is lost in terms of passenger capacity is made up for in terms of passenger comfort. This configuration is also available for the EX and SX as an option and comes standard on all higher trims. The S trim includes the eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat and a power sunroof. The SX trim offers higher-level features like a 10-way power-adjustable driver seat and dual power sunroofs. The SX trim also offers some additional performance-oriented features, such as self-leveling rear suspension.
As to the previously-mentioned X-Line and X-Pro trims, there are variations of both, including the EX X-Line, EX X-Pro, SX X-Line, SX Prestige X-Line, and SX Prestige X-Pro. Across these various X-Line and X-Pro trims, you’ll find approach and departure angles better suited for off-roading, roof rails, and a Tow Mode (with X-Pro trims offering up to 5,500 lbs of towing capacity). Working your way up the X-Line and X-Pro lineup, you’ll find increasingly luxurious features, including trim-specific design elements. These trims are ready for action and luxurious at the same time—a combination that is hard to beat.
Driving the Industry
The 2025 Kia Telluride showcases the current state of the industry by providing excellent luxury and off-road features in an SUV body. In response to a growing market for such vehicles, the 2025 Telluride offers an impressive lineup of trim levels with different focuses and price points for different types of drivers. Since the addition of the X-Line and X-Pro trims, the Telluride has proven itself as a capable and adventurous off-road vehicle, catering perfectly to Houston drivers who want something luxurious for city streets and outdoor-ready for country trails. As the industry continues to become more SUV-oriented, the Telluride continues to cater to a key piece of the market, and 2025 may just be the SUV’s best year yet.