Detroit — The mainstream three-row SUV class is having a moment. Sexy family haulers? You bet. Check out the rugged Chevy Traverse ZR2, Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro and rock-scaling Honda Pilot TrailSport. Or the hot-rod Dodge Durango Hellcat, Mazda CX-90 inline-6 cylinder and Ford Explorer ST.Now comes the knockout Kia Telluride X-Pro SX-Prestige that I drove all over Detroit during Detroit Grand Prix week.I see you staring at it.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Now that's my kinda color," said a passer-by on Campus Marius of the Terrain Brown Matte paint job."Don't mind me," said another. "I'm just waiting here because I want to see if those door handles that just popped out when you parked go flush again."Matte paint and pop-out door handles like a Mercedes? On a three-row Kia? You bet.As Telluride proves, the line between luxury and mainstream SUVs has been all but obliterated by modern electronics and design. Climb into my halo $60K Telluride and it echoes a halo $115K Mercedes GLS interior for half the price: hoodless digital screens, head-up display, console grab handles, twin wireless chargers (standard) and acres of leather.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Merc looks classy, Telluride oozes character.If Durango and Explorer lean into their brand's sporty vibe with intimidating Hellcat and ST trims, the Telluride X-Pro takes the SUV's signature off-road vibe to another level.This thing looks like it rolled out of a Mad Max desert scene. Chain-fence maw, black wheels, all-terrain tires, ambient-lighting, broad shoulders. What, no cow catcher on the front? If Charlize Theron showed up in the X-Pro to pick up the kids at school with black mascara smeared across her eyes, I wouldn't be surprised.The 2027 Kia Telluride is a stylish, three-row SUV that competes against the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot.The first-gen Telluride debuted in 2020 slinging mud in ads while sporting a sophisticated design right out of Cadilac's playbook. For its second-gen 2027 SUV, it's dialed back the Caddy and dialed in the rugged. Americans want their utes to look like they could scale Mount McKinley, and Telluride plays the part.AdvertisementAdvertisementMy X-Pro features tow hooks, nine inches of ground clearance and gnarly off-road tires so Charlize can take the desert detour on her way home. But the wicked-looking, all-wheel-drive $41K Telluride S base model looks like it could do the job, too.What you get for your $90K base Mercedes is a glorious powertrain: smooth 375-horsepower inline-6 cylinder. Fork out another $30K and you can option a 475-horse V-8. Huzzah.Telluride offers one: a course turbo-4 (a more expensive Telluride Hybrid is also on offer). Oh.BWAAAAGH! I floored the Telluride merging onto The Lodge north. Turbo lag followed by a surge of 310 pound-feet of torque. Plenty to motivate a 4,600-pound SUV, sure, but not as smooth as the good ol' first-gen V-6. By contrast, Korean twin Palisade kept the V-6 for its second-gen. Sigh, I missed the Kia's V-6.AdvertisementAdvertisementChevy's Traverse clipped its cylinders to four, and at least the Kia exhales a more interesting Mad Max exhaust note. But its transmission lagged the smooth Chevy as it pondered which of its 10 cogs to engage.C'mon, Payne. This is a family SUV. No one is going to drive it with a lead foot.Good point. If the powertrain lacks refinement, Kia's cabin obsesses on detail.The posh interior of the 2027 Kia Telluride includes a hoodless 25-inch screen, roomy seats and good ergonomics.Up to speed on the freeway, I turned on standard adaptive cruise control, then set it at 70 mph without every looking away from the road. The square steering wheel is not only fashionable but it's an ergonomic masterpiece, with rocker switches and rollers that are easy to find with your fingers. I rock 'n' rolled all week.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe square steering wheel offers a better view of the broad digital instrument display, and my X-Pro model further encouraged responsible driving with a mega-head-up display. Check out the features: navigation directions, speed limit, speedometer, and — as cars came up in my blind spot — a red warning graphic.Want to talk with folks in the third row? I hit the steering wheel's (programmable) STAR button, which activated a rear-seat mike.Oh, the kiddies will looooove that third row. Heck, so will adults.Legroom is palatial. At 6'5" I could sit behind myself sitting behind myself (though head room was snug). That's in part due to the rear sunroof my X-Pro optioned so third-row class is bathed in warm sunshine. Third-row seat heaters offer more warmth.AdvertisementAdvertisementWant to get out? A button is on top of the second-row seat, collapsing it forward. Want to get in? Another button is low on the second-row seat for easy ingress (and for kiddies to reach).Ergonomic goodies continue in row two. USB-C ports are in the side of the front seats for front/second-row passenger access. Butterfly doors also allow both rows access to console storage. There's a drawer in back of the console (like a Chrysler minivan). Want more console room in the front seat? There's a deep storage bin, perfect for purses.This console space is enabled by a compact, electronic steering-column-mounted shifter, which also doubles as a starter button. Clever.There are bigger three-row SUVs, of course, like the Chevy Tahoe and Ford Expedition mega-utes. But Telluride easily seats six, and I had no difficulty maneuvering the Kia in downtown Atwater and Beaubien garages during the Grand Prix.The 2027 Kia Telluride comes standard with front-wheel-drive — AWD optional.Telluride was wrapped in sensors that helped me place the SUV in tight places. The sensors extend to road use, where Kia offers enhanced blind-spot assistance that saved me on the Lodge one evening as I headed home.AdvertisementAdvertisementEntering the Lodge I merged left into middle lane just as another vehicle was snaking right-and-left through traffic. We merged into the middle lane at the same moment. Kia detected the intruder, and took immediate avoiding action — automatically steering us back to the right lane and saving its handsome Terrain Brwon Matte flanks.All-terrain tires are only optioned on the X-Pro trim and above, but I recommend them in Michigan's rough road environment. They helped me avoid difficulty on Telegraph Road when a car in the left lane swerved across my bow, forcing me to vault the curb into the grass.The fat all-terrain sidewall handled the diversion with ease. Had I been in a car with low-profile tires, a scarred rim would surely have resulted. Were a flat to occur, Telluride has a spare accessed beneath the rear bumper. The placement allow for sub-floor cargo storage for supplies, dirty soccer cleats, or a belt to wrap around the tow hooks.You know, in case Charlize Theron needs a tow out of a ditch.AdvertisementAdvertisementNext week: 2026 Chevrolet Trax2027 Kia TellurideVehicle type: Front- and all-wheel-drive, five-door, seven- or-eight-passenger SUVPrice: $40,735, including $1,545 destination charge ($59,580 X-Pro SX-Prestige as tested)Powerplant: Turbocharged, 2.5-liter, inline-4 cylinderTransmission: Eight-speed automaticPerformance: 0-60 mph, 7.4 seconds (Car and Driver est.); towing, 5,000 poundsWeight: 4,736 (as tested)Fuel economy: EPA 20 mpg city/26 highway/22 combined (FWD); EPA 18 mpg city/24 highway/20 combined (AWD), range, 456 miles (as tested)Report cardHighs: Head-turning looks; roomy, thoughtful interiorLows: Coarse turbo-4; butch fascia more polarizing than gen oneAdvertisementAdvertisementOverall: 4 starsHenry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Review: Struttin' the streets in the knockout Kia Telluride