Compare the2027 Kia TellurideVS 2026 Chrysler Pacifica

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Kia Telluride have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chrysler Pacifica doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

Both the Telluride and Pacifica 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 Pacifica’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 Pacifica doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Telluride AWD’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Pacifica doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Telluride and Pacifica 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 Pacifica’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

The Telluride’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Pacifica doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Telluride and the Pacifica have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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 Pacifica’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 Chrysler covers the Pacifica. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Pacifica 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 Chrysler vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 32 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chrysler is rated below average.

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 Chrysler vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Chrysler is rated below average.

The Telluride’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (274 vs. 260) than the Pacifica Hybrid’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 hybrid. The Telluride’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 49 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 262) than the Pacifica’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6. The Telluride’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 42 more horsepower (329 vs. 287) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (339 vs. 262) than the Pacifica’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

Both the Telluride and the Pacifica have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Tellurides have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Pacifica Hybrid doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Telluride Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Pacifica Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (18.2 vs. 16.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Telluride higher (6 out of 10) than the Chrysler Pacifica (5 to 6). This means the Telluride produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Pacifica every 15,000 miles.

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

The Telluride’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Pacifica are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Telluride X-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Pacifica (265/45R21 vs. 245/50R20).

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 Pacifica’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Telluride has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Pacifica. The Telluride X-Line’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Pacifica.

The Telluride has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Telluride flat and controlled during cornering. The Pacifica 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

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

For better maneuverability, the Telluride’s turning circle is .5 feet tighter than the Pacifica’s (39.2 feet vs. 39.7 feet). The Telluride’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Pacifica AWD’s (39.2 feet vs. 40.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Telluride has a 2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Pacifica (7.4 vs. 5.4 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Telluride X-Pro’s minimum ground clearance is 3.7 inches higher than on the Pacifica (9.1 vs. 5.4 inches).

The Telluride is 5.1 inches shorter than the Pacifica, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Telluride has .3 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more rear headroom and 4 inches more rear legroom than the Pacifica.

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

The Telluride’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Pacifica’s (5000 vs. 3600 pounds).

A Trailer Stability Assist is standard on the Telluride, using the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the Pacifica and isn’t available on the Pacifica Hybrid/Select.

The Telluride uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Pacifica 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 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Pacifica doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

On a hot day the Telluride’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Pacifica can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 Pacifica 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 Pacifica.

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 Pacifica, 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 Pacifica doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The Pacifica 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 Pacifica was last chosen in 2017.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Chrysler Pacifica by 12% during 2025.