Slowly descending down a vineyard hill while traversing bathtub-sized potholes dug out of the loose ground, the 2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro wiggles down with no scraping or loss of traction. I realize here that Hyundai truly went beyond a styling package for the XRT Pro. After all, I get to keep a close eye on pitch and roll, courtesy of digital gauges on the instrument cluster. Not to mention a ground-view, forward-facing camera on the center display.
But the Pro is but one of many choices offered. The now-199.2-inch–long, three-row family crossover from Hyundai offers seven trim choices, ranging from basic family travel, to legit off-road prowess, to packed-to-the-brim with convenient luxury. Wait a couple of months, and a hybrid powertrain joins the options list.
Considering its importance in the market, I eagerly accepted a press trip to Wine Country in Sonoma County, Calif., to catch a bit of ocean breeze, venture into the hilly vineyard terrain, and see what this latest, biggest Palisade is all about. And, how it stands up against the ever-growing competition.
In short: The 2026 Hyundai Palisade improves upon an already nice three-row family vehicle. A new engine makes similar power and fuel economy but runs more smoothly and emits lower emissions. The cabin stays nice and quiet with added insulation, thicker carpeting, and padding. And the XRT Pro trim adds enough equipment to take the family a bit off-road. As long as you like the styling, the Palisade makes a compelling case for folks wanting something large on or off the pavement.
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Comfortable ride — plenty soft to soak up all the road’s imperfections -
Impressively quiet cabin, close to premium crossover levels -
Top trims offer heated and ventilated second and heated third row seats -
XRT Pro trim handles light off-roading duties with ease
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Skid plate is optional, not standard, on the XRT Pro -
New smoother engine makes slightly less power than before. Why not more? -
The soft ride also delivers underwhelming handling, lots of body roll in the corners -
Significantly less cargo room than the Toyota Grand Highlander and Honda Pilot
2026 Hyundai Palisade Review
New, Bigger Palisade
For 2026, Hyundai lengthened the Palisade by 2.5 inches to stretch 199.2 inches from nose to tail. In between that, a 116.9-inch wheelbase separates the two axles. It’s 2.7 inches longer than before. Width and height kept much closer to the outgoing model, now 78.0 inches wide and 69.5 inches tall, and 0.2 inches wider and 0.6 inches taller, respectively.
Hyundai used the bigger footprint to add more space inside, much of it in the third row. The mid-century architecture-inspired Palisade now offers a total of 181 cubic feet of space inside; 161.9 cubic feet of it is dedicated to the passengers. With it, the second row feels plenty spacious, making it easy to travel with four adults. The third row provides ample space for kids and enough for adults — in a pinch.
In fact, that row still falls behind the Toyota Grand Highlander and Honda Pilot for legroom, nominally. But the top trims offer electric seat adjustability. By sacrificing some cargo space, third-row legroom actually edges past the otherwise best Grand Highlander.
Speaking of cargo room, Palisades offer 19.1 cubic feet of space behind the third row, but that same adjustability allows you to pinch that space and increase it to 20.2 cubic feet.
Fold the third row down, and the space increases 46.3 cubic feet; flatten the second row, and the number jumps up to 86.7 cubic feet. Big numbers, but still way behind the class-leading Honda Pilot, which offers as much as 112 cubic feet.
How the XRT Pro Stands Out
No longer a mere XRT, Hyundai introduced the XRT Pro to the brand, starting here in the Palisade. The Pro accounts for one of seven trims. Starting with the base SE, it jumps to SEL, SEL Convenience, SEL Premium, before we get to the XRT Pro. After that, the Palisade Limited and Calligraphy top the lineup. (The XRT Pro and Calligraphy trims are shown in the images in this post.)
In the Pro, aside from fairly high levels of luxuries inside, things like a power driver’s seat with adjustable lumbar, heated and ventilated front seats, and a Bose sound system, you get legit off-road equipment.
To start, engineers lifted it an inch to give it 8.4 inches of ground clearance as opposed to 7.4 inches. From there, 18-inch wheels hold up 255/60R18 Continental CrossContact all-terrain tires, an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential transfers power to the rear axles, front and rear red recovery points stand out from the bumpers, and improved approach, breakover, and departure clearances allow steeper ascent and descents.
Furthermore, software changes make off-road life a bit more palatable. You get mud, sand, and terrain driving modes to keep the powertrain and slip controls to behave appropriately. Hyundai also added pitch and roll, compass, and elevation displays to keep an eye on stats. Not to mention a forward ground-view camera to keep an eye on the ground, when the windshield only shows sky.
You can even add a “underbody protection plate” for $265. It’s made from aluminum and will protect engine vitals from rogue rocks jutting out, and the like. It should come standard in my book, but I appreciate its availability anyway. All in all, Hyundai clearly takes this overlanding trend seriously — almost as seriously as Honda with TrailSport.
Tons of Inside Tech
If you prefer full convenience, Hyundai packs the more on-road–suited Palisades with the most luxury. All of them come standard with a 12.3-inch center display touchscreen, which itself includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And all but the base SE trim combines that with another 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
The two together make up what Hyundai calls the panoramic curved display, by the way. Get the top-of-the-line Calligraphy, and you also get a 12.0-inch head-up display.
Calligraphy trims also open the door to first- and second-row captain’s chairs that contort to “relaxation mode.” It tilts the front of the seat bottom up, the seatback back, and raises thigh support to create a nice lounge seat. Maximize that spare 5 minutes you have to sneak in a power nap.
And while that’s a lovely parlor trick, I really like the powered second and third rows, which make converting space from passenger to cargo one-touch easy. Via a control panel on the driver’s side of the cargo bay, you can move the second and third row around to suit your needs. Or simply hit the “all” button, and a flurry of whirring sets all the seats flat.
When you fill the seats with passengers, the first two rows enjoy heat and ventilation in the seats. Third-row passengers get heated seats. And USB-C outlets spread throughout offer charging to almost everyone. Hyundai supplies 100W of juice to each outlet. Nice! And folks up front charge wirelessly, courtesy of the 15W smartphone pad.
Still not done, Hyundai added a factory-installed, two-camera dash cam — one in front and the other in back. It continuously records as you drive. You can access video segments via the center display and download them to a microSD card, housed in the glove box.
Finally, use a smartphone instead of the key fob to lock, unlock, and start the crossover. Hyundai calls it Digital Key 2.0.
Powertrain
Making use of a new, 3.5L V-6, the Palisade carries on with effectively the same power outputs as before: 287 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. You technically lose four horsepower and two pound-feet, but that’s not enough to feel a difference.
Hyundai uses this new engine to keep up with tightening emissions regulations. This new engine still bolts up to an eight-speed automatic transmission and then sends power to either the front or all four wheels.
That’s all fine but given that the Palisade grew in size and features, I wish Hyundai turned up the power a bit, too. Three hundred horsepower sounds right, or better anyway. Perhaps that would’ve hurt the 18 mpg in the city, 24 on the highway, 20 combined fuel economy numbers in all-wheel-drive Palisades. Worth it.
Or wait a few months and get more of both. In the fall, Hyundai will add a turbocharged 2.5L inline-four-cylinder hybrid to the Palisade lineup. It adds more power and more efficiency to the specs. The engine on its own produces 258 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.
But, with the help of two electric motors encased in the six-speed automatic transmission total system output jumps to 329 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. And, Hyundai expects to deliver 34 mpg combined fuel economy. The EPA has not yet confirmed.
On-Road Behavior
On the road, the Palisade behaves much like before. It rolls down the road smoothly and easily soaks up all the bumps, potholes, and expansion joints you’ll traverse. That’s true even on the 21-inch wheels Hyundai installed on the Calligraphy. The Limited trim uses a 20-inch wheel; the rest come standard with an 18-inch wheel.
Hyundai definitely emphasized ride over handling here — logical enough for a three-row family crossover. As a result, however, you feel lots of body roll in the corners, and the Palisade needs a moment to respond to your inputs.
Once you merge onto the interstate, however, you immediately notice all the additional sound insulation installed. Hyundai also put in additional carpeting, and thicker glass was used to keep the cabin quiet. The new Palisade isolates out both road and wind noise very well, verging on premium-level crossovers. If nothing else, it will make it easier for kids to hear you telling them to quiet down.
Is the XRT Pro Off-Road Worthy?
Well away from any town, Hyundai made an off-road trail out of a hilly vineyard in northern Sonoma County. It largely pitted the XRT Pro against dirt and gravel paths, but with several exposed tree roots and occasional rocks. The trail ascended and descended several 15-to-20-degree hills. And, at times, it was only about 6 inches wider than the vehicle itself.
With the use of the ground-level front camera display on the center screen and pitch and roll gauges shown on the digital instrument cluster, keeping tabs on upcoming obstacles proved easy. The all-terrain tires gripped the surface well and kept the experience drama-free.
Even at the end, when a staged hill with massive holes dug out of the path stretched clearance levels and tested the all-wheel-drive system, the Pro handled with aplomb. The last 100 feet of jagged rocks slowed progress, but the Pro kept it all trouble-free.
In the XRT Pro, Hyundai built a vehicle well suited to take the entire family to more remote trailheads and rural campsites. And feel free to tow up to 5,000 pounds worth of toys behind you. Honda went further with the Pilot TrailSport, but not by much.
2026 Hyundai Palisade Review: Summary
Designers kept consistent with vertical daytime running lights adorning either side of the front fascia of the Palisade and added a beam of light to run across the full width for good measure. From there, rounded edges meet otherwise perpendicular lines to make a modern, yet classic two-box SUV shape. It looks good.
That work also merited a lower coefficient of drag: 0.31, beating the outgoing model by 0.02.
Hyundai also kept the price in check. The base, front-wheel-drive Palisade SE runs $40,430 when you include the $1,495 destination charge. Folks interested in the XRT Pro need to prepare to spend at least $50,865. And, going full tilt toward luxury in the Calligraphy starts at $57,555.
For the money, you get a wide variety of choices. The XRT Pro proves legit for light off-roading. And the top Calligraphy trim offers a nice combination of luxury and convenience that the competition currently doesn’t match. Regardless of flavor, the Palisade provides a lot of space and puts it to good use, too.
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