Kia Telluride Hybrid Wins Best Hybrid From Northwest Journalists; the K4 Hatchback Takes Best Value
Pacific Northwest jurors picked the 35-mpg Telluride Hybrid as their top hybrid, but the K4 Hatchback's value prize went to its priciest trim's engine.
Kia's first Telluride Hybrid has picked up another endorsement. Jurors from the Northwest Automotive Press Association voted the 2027 Telluride HEV their Best Hybrid Vehicle, a few weeks after the redesigned SUV earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+. A second Kia, the 2026 K4 Hatchback, won the group's Best Value category.
Both wins came out of NWAPA's Drive Revolution 2026. Seventeen journalists spent two days driving 20 gas, hybrid, and electric vehicles on roads around Vancouver, Washington, scoring them on ride and handling, powertrains, brakes, design, technology, and value. According to Kia, the Telluride stood out to jurors for its three-row space, tech, and upscale trim. The K4 was praised for its turbo engine, eight-speed automatic, and styling.
The Telluride's hybrid combines a turbocharged 2.5-liter four with electric motors and a 1.65-kWh battery. Total output is 329 hp and 339 lb-ft, sent through a six-speed automatic. Kia says that's 38 hp and 77 lb-ft more than the previous Telluride's V6. The front-drive EX is EPA-rated at 35 mpg combined, while all-wheel-drive versions drop to 31 mpg. Pricing starts at $46,490 before a $1,545 destination charge.
That 35-mpg figure edges out the Telluride's corporate twin. Hyundai quotes up to 34 mpg combined for the front-drive Palisade Hybrid, which uses the same 329-hp setup. The award also lands as Kia leans on electrified gas models rather than EVs: hybrids drove the brand's best-ever sales month in August, and the Telluride is one of the five hybrids in Kia's current ad campaign.
The K4 Hatchback's prize comes with a caveat. The turbocharged 1.6-liter the jurors liked isn't the car's base engine. It's reserved for the range-topping GT-Line Turbo, which makes 190 hp and 195 lb-ft and starts at $28,790 before destination. The EX and GT-Line trims, priced from $24,890 and $25,890, use a 147-hp 2.0-liter with Kia's continuously variable IVT instead, per Kia's pricing announcement.
That means the value case the jurors made applies to a hatchback costing close to $29,000 before destination, not the entry-level car. Kia hasn't announced any changes to either model's pricing or lineup tied to the awards.
