Hyundai and Kia typically reveal their models at home in South Korea before showing them to the rest of the world. That’s not always the case as models like the Palisade and the equivalent Telluride usually get updates in North America ahead of other regions. The largest SUVs the two brands sell in the United States have been around for three years and will bring their facelifts next week at the New York Auto Show.
Less than 24 hours after Hyundai previewed the 2023 Palisade, Kia is now doing the same with its 2023 Telluride. As spy shots have already revealed, the three-row SUV will gain redesigned headlights with a different LED signature for the daytime running lights consisting of two vertical lines that run parallel. The shadowy exterior image doesn't depict an existing trim level as we're looking at the rugged X-Pro arriving with the mid-cycle refresh.
The Telluride X-Pro was only a matter of time considering Kia trademarked the suffix for the big SUV (and the Sorento) at the end of last year, hinting at an X-Pro lineup expansion beyond the Sportage. In the compact crossover's case, the X-Pro comes with standard AWD and all-terrain tires. In addition, the smaller model has selectable multi-terrain drive modes with snow settings.
More significant changes will occur inside the cabin where the other teaser released by Kia shows the 2023 Telluride switching to the side-by-side screens of the Sorento and Sportage. It was bound to happen since the flagship SUV's cabin was starting to look a tad outdated with its tacked-on infotainment system. The dashboard still has three central air vents, but some of the physical controls beneath might have been "swallowed" by the touchscreen.
Both the updated Telluride and Palisade will premiere on April 13 at the NY Auto Show before going on sale in the coming months for the 2023 model year. Meanwhile, Kia is still selling the body-on-frame Borrego in its domestic market where the tough SUV is called Mohave. It's the same 2008 vehicle underneath the skin, but massively facelifted.
