Three-row crossovers are all the rage right now. It's easy to see why. For the most part, they do a solid job of imitating a minivan without bringing the stigma and baggage that comes with one of those. Because of this, every automaker is doing its damnedest to bring the most compelling, most well-equipped, most luxurious three-row SUVs to market. I'm here to tell you that Hyundai just blew up the whole game with the 2026 Palisade.
It doesn't matter what mass-market three-row crossover you compare it with. This thing is more luxurious, better looking, more well-rounded and a better value than all of them. Simply put, what I think we have here is the new standard when it comes to this type of car. I've driven just about everything under the sun in this segment, and nothing plays this game as well as the second-generation Hyundai Palisade.
Full Disclosure: Hyundai flew me out to Northern California and paid for my lovely hotel room and food, all so I could drive the 2026 Palisade.
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What's New
There are some carryover platform parts, but everything you can see and touch has been upgraded heavily for the Palisade's sophomore generation — that includes what's under the hood, the bodywork, the interior, and even the trim levels.
For 2026, Hyundai replaced its old naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 with a new 3.5-liter unit that puts out a respectable 287 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. That's actually down slightly from the 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque of the old car, but it's pretty much unnoticeable. If this is something that would be a dealbreaker for you, I need you to get a grip and ask yourself why you're worried about highway pulls in a 4,700-pound family crossover. It does keep the same Hyundai-built eight-speed automatic transmission that sends torque to the front wheels, though an all-wheel-drive system is a $2,000 option on any trim level other than the XRT Pro, where it's standard. The motor puts out enough grunt to tow up to 5,000 pounds.
There's also a new hybrid motor coming later this year, but I didn't get the opportunity to test it, so I can't tell you if it's good or not. If I had to hazard a guess, it would be rather good and will more likely than not be the engine to buy.
Look And Feel Taken Up A Notch
On the outside, the new Palisade is virtually unrecognizable from its predecessor. It looks intimidating in the rearview mirror, which will be perfect for getting your kids to their goddamn soccer game on time. The exterior is all about strong vertical lines, and it looks very upright and boxy, a big departure from the old Palisade. The wide front grille also helps give it a deeply imposing face; it looks as if you asked a child who is in the Mafia to design a family crossover. I love it, especially those LED lights up front. I won't sit here and pretend that it doesn't look a lot like a Range Rover — especially from the back — but if you're going to take inspiration, you might as well look to the best.
The interior is as thoroughly changed and thoroughly impressive as the exterior. I'm not blowing smoke up this car's ass when I say there are plenty of luxury vehicle interiors that don't even compare to this car. A designer at Hyundai told me that they wanted it to evoke the feeling of premium mid-century modern furniture, and I'd say they certainly did their job. It feels incredibly plush while also being airy.
In terms of tech, there's plenty of great stuff, including dual 12.3-inch curved displays that serve as the gauge cluster and infotainment screen (though base models have a physical gauge cluster), an optional review mirror camera, Passenger Talk that lets the driver chat with people in rear rows, one trillion USB–C ports, and even an integrated front and rear dashcam.
Inside The Palisade
My Robust Emerald Palisade Calligraphy was fitted with a fabulous brown Nappa leather interior, and aside from looking good, it also had an air of quality you sometimes don't find in cars that cost two or three times as much as my $58,000 tester. All seven seats, arranged in a 2-2-3 layout, were a nice place to spend time. Of course, the front seats were far the best place to be with their nearly infinite amount of adjustability, ample bolstering (that still wasn't too tight) and Relaxation seats for — you guessed it — relaxing. The system reclines the seats and pops out a footrest at the bottom to get you into a really chill state. It was originally something Hyundai put into its EVs for when you're charging, but they're incredibly welcome here, too.
The second-row captain's chairs also provide plenty of electronic adjustability, including that Relaxation mode, which is far more than your kid deserves. They're going to find even more USB-C ports, their own sunroof and a climate control panel. Hell, even the third-row power folding seats aren't awful. At 6-foot-1, I can fit in the rear-most seats behind the two forward rows set up for me in my position. Sure, third-row space isn't plentiful, especially when it comes to headroom for my long-torso'd body, but since I was able to move the seats back and forth with the press of a button, there's plenty of leg room (provided you don't have much in the trunk). To get in the back, passengers can either climb through the empty section between the two second-row seats or push a button and the seat will move out of the way for them, providing more than enough entrance room.
Space is the name of the game in a car like this. With a 116.9-inch wheelbase and 199.4-inch overall length, the new Palisade is a big vehicle. Don't worry, your crap will fit, too. Hyundai says that the car comes with up to 19.1 cubic feet of trunk space behind the third row. Drop it, and you've got 47.3 cubic feet to play with. If that somehow is still not enough for you, don't worry. Folding both rear rows will result in you having a gargantuan 86.7 cubic feet of space to fill with God knows what.
The tech inside the 2026 Palisade is what we've come to expect from Hyundai at this point. The aforementioned screens work well together, as they do in all Hyundai Group vehicles. As always, both are very clearly laid out and easy to operate, and if you're not feeling the infotainment system, Hyundai offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For everyone out there who is sensitive about HVAC controls, I've got good news. They're completely separate from the screen, living on a wide touchpad at the bottom of the dashboard instead. You may breathe a sigh of relief.
My one complaint with the Palisade's tech — which is nothing new — is that the gauge cluster isn't that configurable. There's no way to display a full-size map or even the music you're listening to. The driver is stuck with two analog-looking gauges on either side and a small information display in the middle. Is this a dealbreaker? No, but it's one of the few areas where Hyundai is actually behind the competition.
Other than that small gripe — and the fact that the wireless charger's only job seemed to be to make my phone hot — the Palisade is a genuinely wonderful place to be. It punches far above its weight class when it comes to comfort and quality on the inside, and it has enough space to be a real minivan replacement.
Cruising In The Palisade
You can probably just skip most of this section, because if you're the type of sicko who cares about the driving characteristics of a Hyundai Palisade on a tight back road, I'd like you to stay away from my family. It handles exactly how you'd expect. It rolls a lot, there's no steering feel, the transmission doesn't want to be pushed hard, and it's not exactly quick with a 0-to-60-mph time somewhere around 7 seconds.
What's important is how the Palisade works around town and on the highway, and I'm here to report that it's rather wonderful. Again, it gives drivers a far more refined and luxurious driving experience than just about everything in its class, including the Buick Enclave (a car I really like). On the highway, Hyundai's suite of driver safety and assist systems does a wonderful job keeping the Palisade in its lane and making sure it doesn't hit the car in front of it. I was able to go around 45 seconds without touching the wheel before it yelled at me. The system still lags behind GM's Super Cruise, but that's the gold standard of Level 2 driver assistance systems, and Hyundai doesn't yet offer a true hands-free Level 2 system.
The Palisade is also a supremely quiet place to spend time on the highway or around town, with plenty of sound deadening and acoustic laminated glass. Every once in a while you can hear that 3.5-liter V6 chugging away, but the somewhat pleasant tune feels like it's coming from a distance.
When it comes to fuel economy, the Palisade isn't exactly world-beating either. My test car, an all-wheel-drive V6 Calligraphy, is rated at 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 20 mpg combined by the EPA. That's not stellar, but it's on par with other vehicles in this class. If you want fuel economy, the Palisade Hybrid will get up to 34 mpg combined from its 329-hp turbocharged 2.5-liter motor, Hyundai says. You're going to lose about 1,000 pounds of towing capacity, but that really seems like the motor to get.
Keeping Up With The Off-Road Joneses
The hot new thing to do in the crossover space is to fit a thoroughly road-going vehicle with some bigger tires, beefy accessories and aggressive bodywork so you can more easily send it up a mountain. Hyundai is no stranger to this trend with vehicles like the Santa Fe XRT and Ioniq 5 XRT. Now, it's giving that treatment to the Palisade, and it's called the XRT Pro.
What you get with this package is an electronic limited-slip rear differential, 8.4 inches of ground clearance (up an inch over the normal crossover), better approach/departure/breakover angles, 18-inch all-terrain tires, surround-view cameras, standard AWD and new terrain modes for mud, sand and snow. All of this works to make the Palisade XRT far better than it needs to be off-road.
It's built to look more rugged inside and out, too, thanks to a smattering of XRT badging, different exterior accents, a bespoke pattern on the seats and a new display in the gauge cluster that gives you neat information like rear-time pitch and roll, a compass and an elevation display.
I know in my heart of hearts that these cars are going to spend 99.99999% of their time on pavement, but it's nice to know it can handle the job when the going gets rough. Of course, Hyundai led us through a curated course that was meant to highlight what the XRT Pro can do, but it was still pretty impressive nonetheless, and the already-boxy styling means the Palisade takes quite well to an off-road treatment.
Pick Your Palisade
When it came to creating trim levels for the Palisade, Hyundai decided it was going to test the limits of the human spirit. It will be offered with seven different trim levels at launch, and that doesn't even include the fact that you can get FWD or AWD on all of them (except the XRT Pro), plus the upcoming hybrid motor, which is also going to be offered on most trims.
At the bottom end, we've got the Palisade SE, which comes standard with eight seats and will set you back $40,430, including destination, to start. From there is the seven- or eight-passenger SEL, which starts at $42,935. Above that is the seven-passenger-only SEL Convenience, starting at $44,365. Bored? Too bad. Next, we have the SEL Premium, which can also be had with seven or eight seats. It comes in at $46,295. Then we come to the Limited, which is seven passengers only and starts at $50,745. Finally, we're at the mountain top, the big dog: the Calligraphy. This gets every option under the sun (like 21-inch wheels, Nappa leather seats, integrated front and rear dash cams and a head-up display), and starts at a very satisfying $55,555. Add $2,000 to any price if you want all-wheel drive, and keep in mind that all of these are equipped with the V6 — Hyundai hasn't priced the hybrid yet.
Did you think we were done? Fat chance. I skipped over the XRT Pro, which starts at $50,865. It sort of exists in its own world because it doesn't follow the luxury and convenience spectrum of the other cars.
I don't have the time or patience to write out what each trim level gets you versus another one. You're a big kid. Go to Hyundai's website and compare them if you're serious about finding out. Hyundai tells me that eventually these trim levels will be pared down, thank Christ.
Dominating The Competition
I'll be so real with you folks — other automakers are going to seriously have to step up their game if they want to compete with the 2026 Hyundai Palisade. For under $60,000, I really cannot think of another vehicle this big that offers this much. It puts cars that are two or three times more expensive to shame, and it looks better than almost all of the cars it's up against —probably because it's not a giant gray blob.
If you and your family are looking to upgrade your ride, and you're too much of a fool to not just buy a minivan, it's hard to argue that the new Palisade Calligraphy isn't the right choice to make. It's got a little something for everyone. Just don't bother taking it on a back road, and try to stay awake when the salesman explains the difference in trim levels.
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