Compare the2027 Kia Telluride VS 2026 Toyota 4Runner

Both the Telluride and 4Runner 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 4Runner’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.

The Telluride has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The 4Runner doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To deliver safety and visibility under dusty conditions the Kia Telluride’s backup monitor has a standard rear washer to keep the view clear. A camera washer system costs extra on the Toyota 4Runner.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Telluride has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the 4Runner Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter/TRD Pro offers Parking Support Brake.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Telluride uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The 4Runner uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Telluride and the 4Runner have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Telluride is much safer than the 4Runner:

	Telluride	4Runner
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Injury Chance	19%	27%
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	MARGINAL

The Kia Telluride (built after June 2026) has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and a “Good” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The 4Runner is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2026.

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 4Runner’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 Toyota covers the 4Runner. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the 4Runner ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

The Telluride’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 3 more horsepower (329 vs. 326) than the 4Runner’s optional 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Kia Telluride 4 cyl. hybrid gas is faster than the 4Runner Trailhunter 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid:

	Telluride	4Runner
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	6.7 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	16.3 sec	21.1 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.8 sec	7.4 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.5 sec	4.1 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.3 sec	4.8 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95 MPH	88 MPH
Top Speed	135 MPH	112 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the 4Runner:

			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
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	30 city/32 hwy
4Runner
	RWD	SR5/TRD Sport 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
		Limited 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
	AWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/24 hwy
		SR5/TRD Sport 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/25 hwy
		Limited 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy

Regardless of its engine, the Telluride’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Toyota only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the 4Runner Limited/i-FORCE MAX.

For better stopping power the Telluride’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the 4Runner:

	Telluride	4Runner
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13.4 inches

The Telluride stops shorter than the 4Runner:

	Telluride	4Runner
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	178 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

The Telluride LX/EX Hybrid’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the 4Runner SR5’s standard 70 series tires. The Telluride X-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the 4Runner TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Telluride has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the 4Runner SR5. The Telluride X-Line’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the 4Runner TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum.

For superior ride and handling, the Kia Telluride has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota 4Runner has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Telluride offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Telluride’s wheelbase is 4.7 inches longer than on the 4Runner (116.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the 4Runner.

The Telluride SX Prestige handles at .81 G’s, while the 4Runner Trailhunter pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Telluride SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the 4Runner Trailhunter (27.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 29.1 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

Unibody construction lowers the Telluride’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The 4Runner doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

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 4Runner doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Telluride SX Prestige is quieter than the 4Runner Trailhunter:

	Telluride	4Runner
At idle	28 dB	30 dB
Full-Throttle	71 dB	73 dB
70 MPH Cruising	68 dB	70 dB

The Telluride offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the 4Runner can only carry up to 7.

The Telluride has .3 inches more front headroom, 3.6 inches more front shoulder room, 2.6 inches more rear headroom, 8.2 inches more rear legroom, 3.4 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.1 inches more third row headroom and .3 inches more third row legroom than the 4Runner.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the 4Runner.

	Telluride	4Runner
Behind Third Seat	22.3 cubic feet	12.1 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	48.7 cubic feet	44.8 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	89.3 cubic feet	84.4 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 4Runner doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Telluride uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The 4Runner 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 Telluride has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The 4Runner doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Telluride to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The 4Runner doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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 4Runner 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 4Runner.

The Telluride has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the 4Runner Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter/TRD Pro.

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. Only the 4Runner TRD/Limited/Platinum/Trailhunter offers wireless charging, 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 4Runner doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The 4Runner 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 4Runner has never been chosen.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Toyota 4Runner by 25% during 2025.