Compare the2027 Kia Telluride VS 2026 Nissan Pathfinder

Both the Telluride and Pathfinder have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Pathfinder’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia Telluride achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, outperforming the Nissan Pathfinder, which scored only an “Acceptable” in these critical safety features.

The Kia Telluride’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Nissan Pathfinder does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Telluride and Pathfinder have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Telluride has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Pathfinder’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Telluride and the Pathfinder have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all-wheel drive and around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4189-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Kia Telluride is safer than the Pathfinder:

	Telluride	Pathfinder
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	44	125
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	268 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	759 lbs.	1160 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	44	65
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.35 in	.55 in
Shoulder Force	89 lbs.	178 lbs.
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	357 lbs.	580 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Pathfinder’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Pathfinder. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Pathfinder ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Nissan is rated below average.

The Telluride’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 259) than the Pathfinder’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The Telluride’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 41 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 270) than the Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The Telluride’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 34 more horsepower (329 vs. 295) and 69 lbs.-ft. more torque (339 vs. 270) than the Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Telluride 4 cyl. hybrid gas is faster than the Nissan Pathfinder (base engine):

	Telluride	Pathfinder
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	7.1 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	96 MPH	92.3 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the Pathfinder:

			MPG
Telluride
	FWD	EX 2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	34 city/36 hwy
		EX 2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	32 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	30 city/32 hwy
Pathfinder
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	21 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	21 city/26 hwy
		Platinum 3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/25 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/23 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Telluride Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Pathfinder Rock Creek requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Telluride has a standard locking fuel door, which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Pathfinder. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Telluride higher (6 out of 10) than the Nissan Pathfinder (4). This means the Telluride produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Pathfinder every 15,000 miles.

The Telluride stops shorter than the Pathfinder:

	Telluride	Pathfinder
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	179 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Telluride X-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Pathfinder (265/45R21 vs. 255/60R18).

The Telluride X-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pathfinder Platinum’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Telluride X-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The Pathfinder’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Telluride has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Pathfinder’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Telluride offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Telluride’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the Pathfinder (116.9 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Pathfinder.

The Telluride’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (53% to 47%) than the Pathfinder’s (54.6% to 45.4%). This gives the Telluride more stable handling and braking.

The Telluride SX Prestige handles at .81 G’s, while the Pathfinder SL pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Telluride SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Pathfinder Platinum (27.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Telluride has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Pathfinder (7.4 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Telluride X-Pro’s minimum ground clearance is 1.4 inches higher than on the Pathfinder Rock Creek (9.1 vs. 7.7 inches).

The front grille of the Telluride uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Telluride SX Prestige is quieter than the Pathfinder Platinum 4WD:

	Telluride	Pathfinder
At idle	28 dB	36 dB
Full-Throttle	71 dB	75 dB

The Telluride has .8 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 7.5 inches more rear legroom, 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room and 4.1 inches more third row legroom than the Pathfinder.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the Pathfinder.

	Telluride	Pathfinder
Behind Third Seat	22.3 cubic feet	16.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	48.7 cubic feet	45 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	89.3 cubic feet	80.5 cubic feet

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Telluride’s second row seats and a control in the cargo area automatically lowers the third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Telluride’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Pathfinder’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Telluride uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Pathfinder uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Telluride’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Pathfinder’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Telluride EX/SX/Prestige has standard front air conditioned seats and the Telluride Prestige also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Telluride Prestige has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Pathfinder.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Telluride has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console for two separate devices. Wireless charging costs extra on the Pathfinder, and only charges one device.

The Telluride Prestige’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Pathfinder doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2027 Kia Telluride retains 51.21% of its original value after 5 years, significantly more than the 44.19% resale value of the 2026 Nissan Pathfinder after five years, which can save the Kia’s owner up to $2561 in depreciation.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its July 2026 issue and they ranked the Kia Telluride SX Prestige first. They ranked the Nissan Pathfinder Platinum 4WD eighth.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The Pathfinder has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Pathfinder has never been chosen.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Nissan Pathfinder by 21% during 2025.