Among the venerable establishments along the sun-splashed boulevards of Palm Beach, Florida — where money isn’t merely spent, it’s performed — there exist jewelers that deal not in diamonds and discreet old-family emeralds. Instead, they sell costume jewelry, blazing constellations of cubic zirconia that sparkle beneath the chandeliers like the real thing after three martinis. And customers adore it.

Because here’s the secret of the American psyche: Regardless of tax bracket, trust fund or the size of the yacht moored behind the house, everyone delights in the theater of something that looks vastly more expensive than it really is; the appearance of extravagance without the inconvenience of actually paying for it.

This brings us to the Kia Telluride, the automotive equivalent of Palm Beach cubic zirconia. It’s a machine that rolls up to the valet line looking like it ought to belong to someone named Prescott III, while costing slightly less than the monthly wine budget at the Everglades Club. Naturally, the public has gone mad for it, embracing it with an enthusiasm usually reserved for tax cuts and free cocktails. Sales have risen 128% since its 2019 debut, now totaling 123,000 annually, each one produced at Kia’s sprawling plant in West Point, Georgia.

So, when the time came for automaker to create the second-generation Telluride, you’d expect cautious evolution over creative revolution. And you’d be stunningly wrong. Kia has recast the Telluride in the company’s Opposites United design doctrine, and suddenly, the Telluride is no longer the design outsider in company showrooms. It now wears the same bold, upright, slightly architectural look as its siblings, with lines sharp enough to slice bulgogi and lighting elements arranged like modern sculpture. The Telluride that once looked like a polite imitation of a luxury SUV now looks intentional, as if someone in a black turtleneck actually thought about it.

Which raises an interesting question.

Does the 2027 Kia Telluride still possess that marvelous quality of fabulous fakery, that Palm Beach sparkle that made the original Telluride so irresistible, or has it become something else entirely? Kia anticipated this existential crisis. And its response has been simple: pour on the luxury. Ladle it on like caviar at a hedge-fund wedding. The new Telluride arrives positively dripping with features.

You may specify your interior in engineered wood or carbon fiber, depending on whether your tastes run to yacht club or pit lane. There are heated seats for all three rows, ventilated seats for the first two, and enough acoustic insulation to render the outside world a largely irrelevant concern. There are not one but two wireless phone chargers, because clearly one would be an admission of limitation. A 14-speaker Meridian sound system stands ready to improve whatever music you may bring to it, while no fewer than seven USB-C ports and five 12-volt outlets ensure that every conceivable device may be powered, charged, or revived. Naturally, there’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, tri-zone automatic climate control, a huge touchscreen and an interior trimmed in a convincing mélange of leather and/or faux suede. For those inclined toward mild adventure, there’s even a ground-view monitor and a selection of multi-terrain all-wheel-drive modes, features that suggest capability, despite the lack of underbody skid-plate protection or any kind of low-range gearing.

Nevertheless, when it comes to motivation, what you get is a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder that produces 274 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. It’s paired to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, sending power either to the front wheels or, if you’re feeling sensible, all four. Perfectly adequate, you might think. And it is, in the same way that a microwave meal is perfectly adequate.

But then you tick the hybrid box, and suddenly, things get interesting. The 2.5-liter engine is joined by electric motors and the gearbox is swapped for a six-speed automatic. The result is 329 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. Yes, towing capacity drops slightly, from 5,000 pounds to 4,500, but honestly, if you’re that concerned, buy a tractor.

What you should do is buy the hybrid. It’s smooth, it’s polished, and it delivers its power with the sort of effortless confidence normally reserved for much more expensive machinery. And the silence. Good grief, the silence. Unlike some hybrids that whirr and buzz like an annoyed kitchen appliance, this rig glides along using its electric motors so often you begin to wonder if the gas engine quietly resigned. Even when it does wake up, it does so with all the drama of a librarian turning a page.

Kia claims 31 mpg with all-wheel drive. Respectable. But on a 140-mile test drive, it somehow managed 41 mpg. Forty-one! That’s the sort of number that makes you consider writing Kia a thank-you note. In short: get the hybrid. It’s quiet, it’s absurdly efficient and it makes the whole car feel like it’s playing in a league it has absolutely no business being in.

The redesigned 2027 Kia Telluride hasn’t abandoned its original charm. Instead, it has refined the illusion to the point where it scarcely feels like one anymore. What began as a cleverly executed imitation has matured into something altogether more convincing. It’s a machine that delivers the look, feel, and experience of luxury with such composure that you stop questioning its credentials. It still deals in fabulous fakery, but now it carries itself with the calm, unhurried confidence of something that has long since settled the question of its own legitimacy.

2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid

Base price: $46,490-$57,590

Powertrain: Turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid

Horsepower/Torque: 329/339 pound-feet

Fuel economy (combined city/highway): 31 mpg (estimated)

Fuel required: 87 Octane

Length/Width/Height: 199/78/71 inches

Ground clearance: 7.4 inches

Cargo capacity: 21-88 cubic feet

Towing capacity: 4,500 pounds

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