Compare the2027 Kia TellurideVS 2026 Land Rover Discovery Sport

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 Land Rover Discovery Sport doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Telluride are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery Sport doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Telluride are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Telluride SX/Prestige has standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Kia Telluride’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Land Rover Discovery Sport does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Telluride and the Discovery Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, driver alert monitors, 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 Discovery Sport’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Discovery Sport. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery Sport ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Kia dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Telluride’s warranty.

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 Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover 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 Land Rover 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, Land Rover is rated below average.

The Telluride’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 25 more horsepower (274 vs. 249) and 42 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 269) than the Discovery Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Telluride’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 80 more horsepower (329 vs. 249) and 70 lbs.-ft. more torque (339 vs. 269) than the Discovery Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Discovery Sport requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Telluride’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Discovery Sport (19 vs. 17.7 gallons).

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 Discovery Sport are solid, not vented.

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

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Telluride’s wheelbase is 9 inches longer than on the Discovery Sport (116.9 inches vs. 107.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 3.5 inches wider in the front and 3.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Discovery Sport.

For greater off-road capability the Telluride X-Pro has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Discovery Sport (9.1 vs. 8.4 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

The Telluride has .5 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front legroom, 4.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 4.9 inches more rear legroom, 5.3 inches more rear shoulder room, 3 inches more third row headroom, 6.5 inches more third row legroom and 8.2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery Sport.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Telluride’s middle and third row seats recline. The Discovery Sport’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the Discovery Sport.

Both the Telluride and the Discovery Sport offer second row automatic folding seats. The Telluride’s third row seats also fold down via a control in the cargo area. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Telluride. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Telluride’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Telluride’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Discovery Sport’s (5000 vs. 4409 pounds).

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Telluride has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Telluride to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Discovery Sport 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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Discovery Sport.

The Kia Telluride stands out above the Land Rover Discovery Sport by offering not one, but two Qi-compatible phone chargers. This convenience helps travelers with multiple devices to keep powered up on-the-go. Wireless charging eliminates lost or cluttered charging cables and one of them provide more flexibility.

The Telluride Prestige/X-Pro SX has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Telluride is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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

The Kia Telluride outsold the Land Rover Discovery Sport by almost 33 to one during 2025.