The Kia Telluride is one of the best-reviewed SUVs right now, and as a result of those stellar reviews, the Telluride has also been a popular SUV. That said, the Telluride has a cousin that’s competing in the same segment, the Hyundai Palisade. Despite being similar SUVs, here’s a look at just how much more popular the Kia Telluride is over the Hyundai Palisade.

The Kia Telluride has been selling much better than the Hyundai Palisade

According to data compiled by Ford Authority, in 2022, the Toyota Highlander was the best-selling three-row crossover SUV, as it sold just under 223,000 units in the year. This was actually a 15.6% decline from the year prior, as Toyota sold 264,000 units in 2021.

The Ford Explorer was in second place with about 208,000 sales in 2022. Just like Toyota, Ford saw a 5.5% drop in sales compared to last year. 

The Kia Telluride, however, finished in third place with just under 100,000 units sold. On top of that, Kia saw an increase in sales compared to the year prior, and this made the Telluride one of a few models that had an increase in sales year-over-year.

The Telluride’s sales grew by 6.6%, which is one of the largest year-over-year growths in the segment. Plus, since so many other models saw a drop in sales, it ultimately allowed the Kia to climb several spots.

Despite the fact that Kia and Hyundai are both South Korean automakers that work closely with one another, the Palisade’s sales weren’t as remarkable as the Telluride’s.

Hyundai sold about 82,700 units of the Palisade, which is a good amount, but that’s a decrease from 2021’s sales. Hyundai sold 86,500 units in 2021, which means that the Palisade sold about 4.5% worse year-over-year.

The two midsize SUVs are actually very similar to one another

On paper, the two cars are very similar to one another, so it’s difficult to say why car shoppers prefer the Telluride over the Palisade. In fact, the Kia is actually slightly more expensive than the Hyundai, as the Kia starts at about $35,700 while the Hyundai starts at about $35,300. The two midsize SUVs are also powered by the same engine, and it’s a 3.6-liter V6 that gets 291 hp.

Both SUVs were also designed on the same platform, so a lot of their bones are the same. On top of that, both South Korean automakers approached their cars’ interiors in a similar way.

They both wanted their midsize SUVs to have a refined and spacious interior, and that’s exactly what they delivered. Both SUVs come with a 12.3-inch touchscreen display, both have three-rows of seats, and both even have a similar max cargo capacity of about 87 cu. ft.

Here are some possible explanations for why the Kia Telluride is more popular

They aren’t identical however, and they have differences both in terms of looks and on their specs sheets. For example, the Palisade has a more traditional SUV-style look, while the Telluride, despite having the same engine, can tow 500 pounds more than the Hyundai can. Overall, these small differences added up, and a lot of car critics and consumers came to the conclusion that the Kia was the better option.

The Palisade is a great SUV, but car critics commonly ranked the Telluride above the Palisade. It’s possible that car shoppers have read those articles, and decided to buy a Telluride instead of a Palisade. It’s also possible that Hyundai experienced worse supply chain issues than Kia did, and the company had to reduce production of the Palisade to compensate.