2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro Review

Manufacturers are tripping over themselves to festoon their crossovers with chunky-treaded tires, resilient black body cladding, and, in some cases, proper skid plates to protect the precious parts underneath.

More times than not, these are image-enhancement exercises more than anything else, but I appreciate that buyers seem to at least want the perception of more utility from their utility vehicles, even if they aren’t planning to tackle the Rubicon Trail. I am, however, of the mind that if you’re going to make a machine look like it’s capable of something, it darn-well better be to deliver the goods.

Put gnarly rubber on a SUV and it ought to be able to put them to good use down a rocky trail. Naturally, this belief had me itching to spend a week with the 2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro, which sees the crunchy-granola treatment applied to the brand’s redesigned three-row.

Styling 7 / 10

Hyundai’s design team changes directions more frequently than a housefly, but at least the styling has been far from boring for the last decade or so. The frequent changes — and occasionally chasing frivolous fashions — has resulted in some designs that have aged poorly.

Most recently, models like the Santa Fe (and now this new Palisade) are bold and decidedly upscale-looking. The Palisade is down-right posh in its more luxurious trims, but this XRT Pro sees its brightwork blacked out, as well as rocker panel protection that rides farther up the doors, and exposed recovery points painted bright orangey-red. While other trims roll on larger wheels with all-season tires, the XRT Pro rides on smaller 18-inch wheels wrapped in aggressive-looking all-terrains. The overall result is modern, rugged, and impressive, and although larger than last year’s Palisade, the proportions look right here.

The XRT Pro’s interior treatment trades function for form, with a solidly sensible cockpit layout dominated by a pair of large screens and some straightforward controls. It’s simple in design, but it’s also as warm and inviting as a coal mine, with every surface finished in a shade of black or charcoal. The vinyl seats have a jagged mountain motif embossed into them, but the effect is chintzy, not cool, and both the dashboard and door panels are vast expanses of cheap-looking (and feeling) plastic. It’s a shame, too, since the more luxurious trims are properly decadent inside, with finishes that’d be right at home in a Genesis.

Comfort 9 / 10

While it may not be visually impressive, the XRT Pro’s interior is well designed for real-world use, where the abuse of kids and pets on family adventures will have little impact on all the durable synthetics. The front seats are decently comfortable with their modest amount of adjustability. Again, pricier trims have seats that articulate in more ways, but there were no complaints about these ones during this test.

The second-row captain’s chairs are equally comfy, and even the third row is surprisingly generous in size, allowing two adults to sit back there with reasonable comfort, or even three smaller folks without too much contortion. Meanwhile, road noise is minimal, although our test unit was wearing winter tires, so the stock all-terrain units may add a bit more rumble. Wind and engine noise are both impressively subdued, and the ride-quality is very good with nasty potholed roads failing to upset the cabin.

Features 8 / 10

The XRT Pro’s features contribute to the passenger comfort, with front- and second-row occupants being treated to heated perforated seats. The fronts are cooled as well, and the steering wheel can keep your hands toasty. The Bose sound system delivers good-if-not-exceptional sound quality and power, and while there is a sunroof, it’s a standard-size over the front seats only. There’s a wireless smartphone charger, plus seven USB-C ports, with six of them being 100-watt fast-charging plugs.

The XRT Pro also gets a unique suspension set up that gives it 212 mm (8.3 in) of ground clearance compared to 187 mm (7.3 in) for the rest of the lineup, plus off-road drive modes, and an electronic limited-slip rear differential designed to help get the Palisade out of sticky situations off the pavement. All of it is properly useful stuff when venturing off-road.

Safety 8 / 10

Adding to the Palisade’s feature count is the extensive suite of safety features that includes driver attention monitoring, active lane-keeping assist, parking sensors, and automated collision avoidance including pedestrian and cyclist detection. There’s also adaptive cruise control and camera-based blind-spot monitoring that shows a live look at either side of the vehicle when using the signals.

User-Friendliness 7 / 10

The Palisade’s cockpit puts all the essential switchgear within easy reach. The primary instrument and the infotainment displays measure 12.3 inches each, with the latter being a touchscreen that’s canted slightly toward the driver for better visibility. The menu system is also user-friendly, and the wireless smartphone connectivity proved quick, stable, and responsive during this test.

I appreciate that there are hard buttons for a number of often-used menu items, plus volume and tuning knobs. The climate controls also have their own dedicated space, and while the smooth, haptic panel for some of the features (like the seat heaters and coolers) sometimes require multiple annoying (and distracting) taps to get them to respond, the dials for temperature control are at least simple enough.

Hyundai’s designers freed up console space by using a column-mounted gear selector. The shifter itself is easy enough to use, but it took minutes to find the engine start button that’s hidden closer to the steering column. Even after learning where it was, the button was still tedious to find, depending on where the steering wheel was situated.

Practicality 8.5 / 10

Short of buying a minivan or a full-size SUV, the Palisade (and others in the class) are about as practical a family machine as you can get. The use of space throughout the cabin is especially clever, with the centre console being able to slide fore and aft to allow access to its hold by occupants in the front or back seats.

The Palisade can be configured for eight or seven people, with the XRT Pro coming exclusively with the latter. The space behind the third row, at 540 L, is on the smaller side compared with others in the segment, and yet it’s still ample for multiple carry-on suitcases or a full load of groceries. Fold down both the second- and third-row seats and the space grows to 2,455 L, which, while still smaller than the competition, is a massive amount of usable room.

The Palisade XRT Pro is rated to tow a maximum of 2,268 kg (5,000 lb), which is exactly on par with the rest of the segment. A hitch receiver is standard equipment.

Power 7 / 10

The big news surrounding the Palisade this year is the implementation of a new hybrid drive system that marries electrification to a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Unfortunately, that drivetrain is not offered with the XRT Pro package, which uses a 3.5L V6 instead. Consumers (and reviewers like me) have grown accustomed to the smaller turbocharged four-cylinder engines that deliver more torque and feel lively under acceleration. The Palisade’s V6 needs a lot of revs to generate any real motivation, and given that this machine tips the scale at nearly 2,200 kg (4,850 lb), it feels pretty sluggish unless the driver really puts his or her boot down, and passing manoeuvres should be planned accordingly.

Fuel Economy 6.5 / 10

The other downside to the V6 is its thirst for unleaded fuel. With a city rating of 14.3 L/100 km to go with 10.6  on the highway and 12.7 combined, the V6-powered Palisade is significantly less efficient than the Toyota Grand Highlander, as well as the six-cylinder-powered Mazda CX-90 and Honda Pilot, too. With a mix of driving conditions (including some snowy ones) during the test week, I saw an indicated average of 13.2 L/100 km.

Driving Feel 7 / 10

Prospective owners shouldn’t expect a sporty drive due to the Palisade’s considerable size. Even so, it manages its bulk well enough on the road, with decent composure for the type of vehicle it is, and braking is strong and steady. I had driven a previous-generation Palisade a few years ago during some winter weather and found its computerized nannies infuriating as they couldn’t manage to figure out how to distribute the power properly even in the right drive mode, rendering the big machine surprisingly inept in deep snow.

The XRT Pro’s software (and its electronic limited-slip differential) are a quantum leap ahead, enabling the Palisade to easily claw over slippery surfaces in a sure-footed way. While I would’ve loved to test the XRT Pro’s off-road prowess on some reasonable trails, snowy weather during the test illustrated just how good the new machine is. Buyers thinking they might actually want to use their XRT Pro for some wild adventures should take heed that although it gets a little more ground clearance than other Palisade trims, it’s still a very big machine with modest approach, departure, and breakover angles, which means it will easily scrub its rudimentary skid plates.

Value 7 / 10

The Palisade XRT Pro offers a strong equipment list, but priced at $59,899 before tax but including freight ($2,100), it’s a little pricey when its bland interior is compared with similar trims from the competitors. Both the Volkswagen Atlas Peak Edition and Nissan’s Pathfinder Rock Creek stay below $60,000, while the Honda Pilot TrailSport stretches the budget to nearly $65,000.

The Verdict

As it has always been, Hyundai’s Palisade represents a strong choice within a market segment rife with excellent alternatives. Although the 2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro’s styling and impressively capable off-road tuning are interesting, the new Palisade in its hybrid format and with more luxurious trim is likely to make more sense for most buyers. Sometimes making an SUV more adventurous isn’t the answer.