The 2026 Hyundai Palisade arrives to dealers anytime now. It’s larger, newly styled, and chockablock with new creature comforts. A hybrid arrives in the fall.
| What’s Good: Easy on the eye new styling. Smooth running V-6. Comfy ride. Hyundai built perhaps the quietest cabin in the class. | What Could Improve: I want more power! Hyundai made the Palisade bigger and heavier; power should start with a three. Give me a firmer ride, too. | My Conclusion: A family sized crossover that brings premium level cabin isolation, tons of creature comforts, and similar amounts of space. Good price too! |
OVERVIEW
2026 starts the second-generation of the Hyundai Palisade. It’s grown, rides on a new platform, and hustles down the road under cleaner power. But the crafty and convenient luxuries Hyundai added will likely prove the largest draw to its largest crossover. The top level, Calligraphy trim gets power adjustable second and third rows, as well as heating. The second row adds ventilation.
Going Calligraphy with all-wheel-drive puts the starting price at $57,555 dollars, including the $1495 destination charge. But you can get in a 2026 Hyundai Palisade, the base SE with front-wheel-drive, for as little as $40,430. In between you can choose between the SEL, SEL convenience, SEL Premium, the new for 2026 XRT Pro, and the Limited trims. At the moment, Hyundai only offers one, V-6, engine. But wait a couple months and a hybrid option will arrive.
I write a lot about the new XRT Pro in my Gear Junkie review, including a nice drive off-road. To learn more about how that feels, click here.
powertrain
At the moment, a new, 3.5-liter V-6 powers all Palisades. It replaces the 3.8-liter V-6 and delivers near identical power. It makes 287 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft of torque, down four horsepower and two lb.-ft from before. Why did Hyundai go to the trouble? The 3.5-liter runs cleaner to continue to meet stricter emissions regulations.
Alas, I wished engineers turned up the wick a bit and gave us peak power that started with a three. But this output stays competitive with the class. Hyundai kept it consistent with attaching an eight-speed automatic transmission and offering both front- and all-wheel-drive drivetrains. Only the XRT Pro comes with AWD as standard.
Overall, the powertrain feels near identical to before. But this 3.5-liter feels a slight bit smoother and better balanced than before. It adds a bit more polish to the driving experience. As the Palisade grew, it gained a bit of weight. You lose a tiny bit of pep as a result, but 99 percent of the time, you feel plenty of power.
Towing and Fuel Economy
In that vein, the Palisade will tow up to 5000 lbs. Putting it right smack in the middle of family crossover class of capability. In a couple months’ time, Hyundai will offer a 2.5-liter hybrid option that will offer more power, better fuel economy, but less towing capacity: 4000 lbs.
The V-6 Palisades, pretty much match the outgoing model for fuel economy. The 2026, AWD model delivers 18 miles per gallon in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, 20 combined. FWD models get one mpg better in every metric. Again, competitive with the class. For example, the Honda Pilot manages 19/25/21 mpg city/hwy/cmb.
Chassis
Evolutionary to the first-generation Palisade, the 2026 model continues to offer a four-wheel-independent set-up, tuned for a smooth ride. It easily soaks up bumps, lumps, and expansion joints on the road. On the other hand, the Palisade needs an extra moment to respond to your steering inputs, and the body rolls a lot in the corners. Personally, I prefer a bit more firmness and response.
On the other hand, Hyundai absolutely aced cabin isolation. The new Palisade makes good use of additional carpeting, extra padding, and thicker glass to keep out virtually all wind and road noise. The Palisade offers Mercedes-Benz levels of quiet. And that’s without the Mercedes price tag.
All the Screens
Go with the top Calligraphy trim, and Hyundai absolutely stuffs the Palisade full of comforts and convenience. To start, every Palisade includes the 12.3-in center display, which itself includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And all but the base SE trim gets a second, 12.3-in display for the digital instrument cluster. Combined, the two become the panoramic curved display.
But only the Calligraphy adds a third screen, the 12.0-in head up display. Actually, there’s a fourth screen if you count the rearview mirror that doubles as screen for a high mounted rear camera.
Inside Comforts
Plenty of charging capacity comes in the form of a 15-watt wireless smartphone charger and a smattering of usb-c ports throughout the cabin. Those ports offer a full 100 watts of charging power!
Hyundai also offers a two-camera dash cam. It continuously records as you drive. You can access video segments via the center display or downloaded from a MicroSD card in the glove box. Oh, and courtesy of digital key 2.0, feel free to use your smartphone instead of the key fob to lock, unlock, and start the crossover.
Moreover, the Calligraphy trim offers power adjusting second and third row seats. They slide fore and aft, and fold down with one touch to offer easy access, flexible cargo space. By the way, you get 19/46/86 cubic feet of space behind 3rd/2nd/1st rows. But the second row also provides heating, ventilation, and relaxation mode seating. Even the third row offers seat heating. Of course, the first row also gets heating, ventilation, and lounge seating.
Conclusion
Hyundai built an attractive, spacious, and quiet family hauler in the new Palisade. When it comes to ride quality, cabin isolation, and comforts offered inside, you get a premium quality crossover for mainstream prices. Maintaining the value play, Hyundai always offers. But from a different point of view.
And, for the off-road curious among us, the XRT Pro makes a real case for itself. Again, be sure to read my Gear Junkie article to learn more about that. Or watch my video review.
Me personally, the Toyota Grand Highlander entices with impressive efficiency with two hybrid offerings, and the Honda Pilot entertains more behind the wheel. But this Palisade delivers on pretty much every other metric for this class. And the hybrid version is only a couple months away.
Competitors
Ford Explorer
Honda Pilot
Toyota Grand Highlander
Specifications
2026 Hyundai Palisade: 5-door, 7-seat, crossover SUV
Base price: $57,555 (includes $1495 destination charge)
Price as Tested: $57,555
Powertrain: 3.5-liter V-6
Peak Power: 287 horsepower at 6400 rpm
Peak Torque: 260 lb.-ft at 5000 rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic transmission
Drive: all-wheel-drive
Fuel Economy in MPG
18 city
24 highway
20 combined
Dimensions
Length: 199.2 inches
Width: 78.0 inches
Height: 69.5 inches
Wheelbase: 116.9 inches
Weights and Capacities
Curb weight: 4872 lbs.
Interior volume: 181 cu ft
Cargo volume (behind 3rd/2nd/1st rows): 19/46/87 cu ft
Calculated weight to power (lbs./HP): 17.0:1
Mfr’s claimed 0-62 mph: NA seconds
Mfr’s claimed Top Speed: NA mph
Government classified size: sport utility vehicle 4WD
Options: na
