The 2025 Hyundai Palisade is a 6- or 7-passenger three-row midsize crossover that competes with the Chevrolet Traverse, Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-90, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander, and Volkswagen Atlas. It's offered only as a 4-door wagon and comes with either second-row captain's chairs or a 3-person second-row bench seat. The Palisade was most recently refreshed in 2020, with changes for 2025 limited to the introduction of new trim levels.
The 2025 Hyundai Palisade is available in seven trims: SE, SEL, XRT, SEL Premium, Limited, Calligraphy, and Calligraphy Night. All trims are powered by a 3.8-liter V6 engine producing 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive optional on all trims except the Calligraphy Night, which comes standard with AWD. When properly equipped, the towing capacity is 5,000 pounds.
Pricing for the 2025 Hyundai Palisade starts at $36,800 for the SE trim and goes up to $54,100 for the Calligraphy Night Edition. Standard safety features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. Optional equipment includes a surround-view camera, front parking sensors, and a premium Harmon Kardon sound system.
The Palisade's tried-and-true 3.8-liter V6 is the sole engine offering. Appearing in other Hyundai and Kia vehicles, it has proven to be reliable and trouble - free. In the Palisade, it provides adequate acceleration. Posting a 0 to 60 MPH time of about 7.5 seconds, it's a tick or two slower than a Chevrolet Traverse or Honda Pilot. In around-town driving , the engine provides good acceleration away from a stop and enough passing power on the highway. Load it up with four or five passengers, and acceleration is noticeably blunted.
The 8-speed automatic shifts smoothly, almost imperceptibly. However, when going up grades or around corners, it's sometimes caught in the wrong gear and that causes a slight hiccup in acceleration. Hyundai's all-wheel-drive system does not have a low range. However, it does have automatic torque vectoring and several driver-selectable modes -- including sport, comfort, eco , and snow. In addition, you can lock the center differential. This makes the Hyundai system slightly more capable off-road than some others, but it's certainly not ready for the Rubicon.
EPA numbers for the front-drive model are 19 MPG city and 26 MPG highway. AWD models net the same city rating but drop to 24 MPG on the highway. Those numbers put the Hyundai smack-dab in the middle of the class for overall fuel efficiency. Hyundai says that regular-grade gasoline is fine, as is the case with most competitors. In routine around-town driving, expect to average close to the EPA city rating. Throw in some gentle highway cruising and that number will climb north of 22 MPG. Straight highway cruising generates about 26 MPG overall. Overall, fuel efficiency isn't a strong point of the Palisade.
As you might expect, Hyundai played it safe when engineering the Palisade's driving dynamics. It's not too cushy and it's not too racy. The suspension does an excellent job of filtering out the rough stuff and controlling unwanted secondary motions. There's no bobbing or bounding on badly broken pavement. Overall, the Palisade nails that sweet spot where most buyers will simply say, "it rides just like I hoped it would."
Dynamically, the Palisade doesn't pretend to be a sports-themed crossover. Though completely competent, the somewhat slow steering and flaccid suspension quickly get overwhelmed when the road gets twisty. Driven at reasonable speeds, most will find that the Palisade performs adequately in the bendy stuff. The torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system is supposed to aid on-road handling. In reality, drivers have to be going much too quickly before they notice the benefits of active torque vectoring. Where it can help is in very slippery situations to help reduce under or oversteer.
Stopping power is quite good , and the pedal is very easy to modulate. As with acceleration, when you add a few passengers or a load in the back, braking distances grow. Interior noise levels are acceptable. There's a bit more wind noise than expected, but the engine and tires are mute most of the time.
As is the case with most large crossovers, getting the interior right is the most important detail. In the case of the Palisade, Hyundai hit it out of the park. The interior has a modern, upscale demeanor that would not be out of place in an Audi or Mercedes-Benz -- especially the Calligraphy trim. The control layout is neither overly busy nor is it bland. Stepping up to the Limited brings an all-digital instrument panel that's strikingly sharp.
The best part, from a driver's perspective, is the blending of the buttons and touch screen display to provide a seamless interface that's both intuitive and logical. Climate controls are arranged in a simple pod at the top of the center console, with audio controls just above that and the large touch screen with Hyundai's infotainment system just above them. Vehicles with the digital display get a gimmicky side-view monitor when you activate the turn signal. At low speeds, it makes sense for parking, but at high speeds it is just distracting.
Like most automakers in this class, Hyundai offers a suite of safety systems that feature surround-view cameras, lane-departure warning, cross-traffic alert , and Hyundai's Highway Drive Assist. It works in conjunction with the adaptive cruise control to provide autonomous-like driving on highways. Unfortunately, it is prone to ping-ponging from one side of the lane to the other and doesn't brake as smoothly as systems found in competitors. While Android Auto and Apple Car Play are nicely integrated into the infotainment screen, users will still have to tether via USB cable, while most competitors offer wireless connection to their cell phones.
Front seats are nicely padded and provide great long-haul comfort. Head and leg room are quite good. The same can be said for the 2nd-row captain's chairs. Those in the third row will find that leg room can be tight if the 2nd-row seats are all the way back, but otherwise comfort is quite good. In addition, the one-touch tip-and-slide feature makes it easy to climb in back. Door openings are large , and the step-in height is modest, making it quite easy to get in and out, overall.
The Palisade boasts 18 cu. ft. of cargo space behind the 3rd-row seats and up to 86 cu. ft. of space overall. That's on par with other offerings in the class. The load floor is flat, if a bit high , and the opening is wide. Hyundai offers an improved take on the magic tailgate; you simply need to stand near the hatch with the key fob for 3 seconds , and it will open. Interior storage is great, with lots of open and covered bins throughout.
Bottom line -- The Palisade sits at the top of the mid-to-large crossover class. It's roomy, comfortable, well - equipped , and reasonably priced. In fact, it does such a good job at meeting the needs of its intended customers, it might just be the benchmark for the class -- if it weren't for its corporate cousin, the Kia Telluride, which is equally as good. Buyers in this class would be foolish not to take the Palisade for a test drive, but with prices that are already cut to the bone, don't expect to find many discounts on dealer lots.
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