Hyundai has certainly made some inroads here in America with many of its recently redesigned vehicles to continually captivate an audience that would otherwise look the other way in the presence of a mainstream vehicle that belongs in the suburbs. In comes the newly redesigned 2026 Palisade in its luxury-blurred-lines Calligraphy top-level trim, a vehicle that I highly respected this week during my time with it.
The Hyundai Palisade was never really a showstopper nor a vehicle that really stood out in a crowd of competitor SUVs, especially in the depths of suburban streets and school pickup lines. However, the redesigned Palisade shakes off that normalcy with a new stately look that fits the mold of many luxury SUVs, inside and out. The new look of the Palisade has some unique characteristics all encased in the familiar parts that partly resemble the latest Range Rover. Apart from such, there’s a lot of appeasing substance found in the new Palisade that’s only foreshadowed by a couple of driving characteristic shortcomings. Fundamentally, Hyundai has done well to blur the line of luxury, where the Palisade makes an even better case for entry-level luxury at a respectable price point for what you get.
Powering the new 2026 Palisade is the return of its 3.5-liter V6 engine combined with the 8-speed automatic transmission. While the naturally aspirated V6 engine producing 287 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque does well to keep a respected level of refinement, there’s some power to be desired, where the new Palisade is among the slowest in its group of competitors. Moreover, to add a bit of insult to injury, the Palisade’s power delivery is a bit inconsistent in its control, where power lacks, and the more throttle input you add, the more of an on-off switch of power you have, where the vehicle tends to downshift and raise the RPMs higher than you would like. Basically, giving the Palisade what you think is the right amount of throttle is often a mixed bag, and you don’t know what to expect. Not to mention, the Palisade could use some more power, especially when you load it up full of passengers and gear – things tend to be a big sluggish, so much that with just a driver, you hit 60 mph in just over 8 seconds.
Where the Palisade seemingly makes up for its somewhat lackluster forward thrust is its smoothness and compliant ride quality that exudes its premium and luxury-like theme. The fixed-rate dampers are excellently tuned, and even with the Palisade Calligraphy’s 21-inch wheels wrapped with Pirelli SCORPION MS 265/45R21 all-season tires, the ride quality remains excellent and assured with its footing partly thanks to its HTRAC all-wheel-drive system. Everything else, apart from the slight need for a bit more oomph, is on par with what you expect out of a luxury SUV, a quest that Hyundai has seemingly conquered in a mainstream vehicle.
Fuel economy is at an expected level, but for the power output, you would think you could muster out more MPG than its EPA estimates at 18 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined. The benefit, though, is you can fill the 19-gallon tank up with regular unleaded to save a bit at the pump without the risk of losing power by not using premium. With a full tank of regular unleaded, you can expect a highway cruising range of about 456 miles.
The interior of the newly redesigned Palisade is where the rest of the good stuff resides, and boy, is it good. Funny enough, just getting out of the Genesis GV80 3.5T Prestige Black edition, there’s a lot to closely compare in the Palisade Calligraphy, where you get somewhat of a comparably equipped luxurious interior space. Of course, there will be some equipment absent in the Palisade because it is still a mainstreamer. Although you do get a massaging function (Ergo motion) for the driver’s seat, it still baffles me why Hyundai does not equip the front passenger seat with the same massaging feature. You also get heating and ventilation for the front seats as well as the second-row captain’s chairs, which are all very comfy and both have power adjustments. Even the third-row seats have heating and limited power adjustments, along with many clever power-fold functions for the second and third rows accessed through a plethora of rear cargo buttons. The front driver’s seat gets somewhat of a reclining function with a leg rest that can be deployed when parked. All seating surfaces have Nappa leather appointments, making it a rather plush and inviting space.
The cabin is quiet and subdued, rivaling many luxury SUVs. There’s plenty of quality materials mixed in with soft-touch surfaces throughout and adorned with art deco-inspired wood trim that gets splashed with color-selectable ambient lighting in some areas. The latest 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster displays plentiful information but still lacks the ability to view mapping. The center 12.3-inch touchscreen replicates what you find throughout the brand for its well-to-do infotainment system that’s rather simple in its use, with a short learning curve.
Hyundai also keeps us happy with a set of physical buttons to bring up core infotainment functions in addition to having a touchscreen panel of buttons for the 3-zone automatic climate control system. Speaking of climate controls, it was somewhat odd to have the rear climate controls mounted in the ceiling, a place where some young kids may not be able to reach, though I guess the front passengers will have the duty of setting the rear temps from the front panel.
The seating areas are comfy and very accommodating, as you have power adjustments in the Palisade Calligraphy trim. Such power adjustments are quite helpful, and the second row adjustments, as confusing as they are for supposedly moving the seats out of the way for third-row access, move quickly out of the way at the press of one button. Though that walk-in movement is somewhat tricky as there’s not as much space to sliver through to the third row, which may be an attribute to allowing you to keep a LATCH-equipped child seat in place during the forward-fold process.
For safety, Hyundai bundles up all of the expected active safety features along with the highlights of the trick blind spot view monitor that displays camera feed of your blind spot upon signaling in the digital gauge cluster. The 360-degree surround view camera system is also beneficial, as is the digital rearview mirror system. Otherwise, there’s a color head-up display and Hyundai’s latest highway driving assist II semi-autonomous driving system that still requires hands on the steering wheel, but just a soft touch will do in most cases.
In all, Hyundai has set out on a course that seems to captivate many who may cross-shop luxury vehicles, which is a good thing. While there are a couple of small faults, there’s not much to keep the new Palisade in its top-level Calligraphy trim from capturing some of those cross shoppers, especially with its pricing right at $56,560 and a total of $58,905 for my test vehicle that adds in the captivating Robust Emerald Paint. Mind you, a new Palisade in its base SE trim starts at $39,435.
Malcolm Hogan is the founder and editor of Automotive Addicts, a trusted voice in the automotive media world for over two decades. With 20+ years of hands-on experience covering the industry, Malcolm has built a reputation for delivering honest reviews, sharp insights, and in-depth coverage of everything from new car debuts to high-performance test drives. Passionate about the evolving car culture and staying ahead of the curve, Malcolm continues to lead Automotive Addicts as a go-to destination for enthusiasts and industry insiders alike.
