Driven: 2025 Hyundai Palisade Democratizes Family Luxury

The 2025 Hyundai Palisade is now entering its sixth model year in production, having recently received a facelift for the 2023 model year. A brand-new second-generation Palisade is just on the horizon, but does that mean the current model should be ignored? We recently spent a week driving a 2024 Palisade Calligraphy, but since the 2025 model is a full carryover, we will be reviewing it with pricing for the 2025 model year. Our time with the Palisade included a trip from Central Florida down to South Florida, where we exercised this SUV’s incredible road manners. Despite being considered “old” by vehicle life cycle standards, the Palisade still feels like one of the freshest options in the three-row SUV segment.

Though most buyers will not shell out $50,600 for the top Calligraphy model, this version represents an impressive display of luxury features that you might not find on luxury-branded models that cost significantly more. For example, the Calligraphy gets heated and ventilated rear seats – a feature that is not available on any BMW X7. If there’s one area where the Palisade could improve, it’s under the hood, where a 3.8-liter V6 produces a segment-average 291 horsepower. Since most family SUV shoppers value attributes such as cargo space and amenities over raw power, the Palisade continues to be among the best options in this segment.

Exterior: Graceful Elegance

Hyundai’s designers took elements from other successful SUVs and blended them into a cohesive design that stands up on its own. The parametric shield grille was added in the 2023 facelift, giving the Palisade an imposing front end that still looks elegant. That grille is finished in black on most trim levels, except for the Calligraphy, which gets a chrome one. For 2025, Hyundai added a new Calligraphy Night trim, which blacks out the grille, wheels, and other exterior accents. This trim looks great, but adds $3,500 on top of the already pricey Calligraphy.

18-inch wheels come standard on the SE and SEL trims, while the XRT upgrades to special 20-inch black wheels. The SEL Premium and Limited also get 20-inch wheels with a two-tone finish, which look a bit like a ninja throwing star. Lastly, the Calligraphy trims ride on multi-spoke 20-inch wheels, finished in two-tone or all-black on the Calligraphy Night. The Palisade’s color palette is fairly limited, with the options including Abyss Black Pearl, Sierra Burgundy (pictured), Typhoon Silver, Moonlight Cloud, Hyper White, Steel Graphite, and Robust Emerald (Calligraphy-exclusive). It’s also worth noting that the Calligraphy Night limited your color options to black or white.

Interior: Packed With Features

Depending on which trim level you choose, the Palisade can go from pedestrian to outright luxurious. Cloth seats are standard on the SE trim, but SEL trim through SEL Premium models all get H-Tex (fake leather). Stepping up to the Limited brings real leather, while the Calligraphy gets Nappa leather that wouldn’t feel out of place in a luxury vehicle; it also gets a suede headliner and an ErgoMotion massage seat for the driver. The Palisade can be equipped with heated and ventilated front and rear seats, plus a heated third row. Only the Kia Telluride, this car’s corporate sibling, the Mazda CX-90, and the Toyota Grand Highlander offer ventilated second-row seats, but not a heated third row.

Every Palisade, regardless of trim, gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though these phone mirroring systems are not available wirelessly. Despite that minor annoyance, the infotainment is remarkably easy to learn and has plenty of buttons and knobs. The SE and SEL trims include a simple 4.2-inch gauge cluster with a small helper screen, while higher trims upgrade to a fully digital 12.3-inch cluster. Starting with the SEL Premium, the gauge cluster includes a Blind-Spot View Monitor that uses cameras to show what’s in your blind spots.

Cargo: Plenty Of Space

While the Palisade is not the largest vehicle in its class, it’s at the larger end of the spectrum. Storage space with the third row up is a generous 18 cubic feet, and that number opens to 45.8 cubes with the third row folded. On the Limited trim and higher, the Palisade gets a power-folding third row that makes it easier to raise or drop those seats. With the second row folded, the Palisade boasts 86.4 cubic feet of space, which is less than the Toyota Grand Highlander as well as the GM trio (Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave – we tested the latter recently, too).

Inside, there’s room for up to eight people, though the higher trims include second row captain’s chairs that cut the occupancy down to seven people. Headroom is generous in all three rows, and legroom is plentiful for the first and second rows. The third row is large enough for adults, but less comfortable than some rivals in this segment.

Performance: Old School V6 Power

With many mainstream vehicles moving towards turbocharging and hybridization, the Palisade remains relatively old school under the hood. A 3.8-liter naturally aspirated V6 is the only engine available, producing 291 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque. These numbers are not best-in-class, but they are far from the worst. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends power smoothly to the front wheels, or all-wheel-drive optionally. We recorded a 0-60 mph run in 6.97 seconds, which is on the quicker side for this segment.

Fuel economy in the Palisade is rated at 19/26/22 mpg city/highway/combined or 19/24/21 with AWD. As with the power output, these fuel economy figures are on-par with what you’d expect from a large, V6-powered SUV. Some of the Palisade’s four-cylinder competitors outmatch it on efficient and hybrid options far exceed it in terms of mpg. We saw 27 mpg on our highway trip and 23.3 mpg combined. A hybrid powertrain, which is rumored to arrive on the next-generation model, would take the Palisade from excellent to perfect.

Driving Impressions: Quiet Family Hauler

It may not come from a luxury nameplate, but the Palisade punches above its weight in terms of comfort. Kids and adults can relax during a road trip with minimal wind and road noise, and a soft suspension that soaks up bumps. The driving assists may not offer hands-free driving, but it’s not far from it. Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist keeps the car in the lane with minimal inputs, meaning the driver gets less fatigued from keeping the vehicle centered.

The steering, while not overly sporty, makes the driver feel engaged while driving. Sport Mode adds some heft to the steering, for drivers who want to be slightly more involved. Though the engine isn’t a powerhouse, it gets up to speed with little fuss, and stays low in the rev range thanks to a well-tuned automatic transmission.

Pricing & Verdict: Budget Luxury

Hyundai positions the Palisade not as the most affordable vehicle in its class, but as a feature-packed, value-conscious option. The base SE starts at $36,800, not including a $1,415 destination fee. AWD adds $2,000, or it’s standard on the XRT and Calligraphy Night trims. We’d at least step up to the more well-equipped SEL for $39,550. The XRT is a sporty looking trim level with more black exterior accents, starting at $42,650, but we think the SEL Premium is the better purchase due to its extra features at $44,150. This car starts feeling properly luxurious starting with the Limited trim for $48,200, representing the best bang-for-your-buck without being too pricey. The Calligraphy is expensive, starting at $50,600, but it includes luxury features that would cost far more from a premium automaker. 2025 adds the Calligraphy Night trim, which looks great but gets even pricier at $54,100.

Even several years after its debut, the Palisade remains one of the strongest options in the three-row crossover segment. We are excited to see the next-generation model, which should add a hybrid powertrain to the mix, fixing the Palisade’s most glaring weak point. If you are shopping in this segment, the Palisade still deserves to be considered, even with an all-new 2026 model likely arriving sometime next year.