2026 brings us the new Hyundai Palisade, and with it the new Palisade XRT Pro. I got to head to the New York International Auto Show to get a first look at this rugged 3 row SUV.
Lets cover some of the basics. The 2026 Palisade XRT Pro features a 3.5L V6 Engine giving it 287 horsepower and 260 lb -ft of torque. It’s paired with an 8 speed automatic transmission. This gives you access to 5,000lb of towing capacity.
The XRT Pro is the replacement for the former XRT variants. It’s an “off road” variant of the Palisade, sporting some features off-road enthusiasts will love. It comes with an exclusive rear electronic limited slip differential, 1 inch higher of ground clearance than the base palisade, improved approach, departure, and breakover geometry, a set of big ole all terrain tires, and a plethora of other features that makes off roading and every day driving convenient, such as surround view and blind spot monitoring, all wheel drive, tow modes, and terrain modes.
The most noticeable difference has to be the cosmetics. There is XRT Pro branding all over this SUV. It features matte black plastic cladding all over to give it that rugged feel. The door handles also get this treatment which I’m not a massive fan of. Although, if you’re out mudding and get dirty, having easier to clean doorhandles may be nice. Time will tell if these hold up long term. You also get orange rescue tether points in the front and back of the vehicle in case you get stuck, leatherette seats, and a heated steering wheel.
I personally like the new look of the Palisade, and especially the XRT Pro. For starters the new headlight design is unique and feels very modern without blending in as simple LED light bars. Hyundai has been doing great work standing out from the crowd with their designs as of recent and this Palisade is continuing that trend. The rear of the car also looks great with a nice matte black Hyundai logo, Palisade spelled out, a color XRT Pro logo, and these gorgeous rear lights that almost look like tiger fangs. The black plastic cladding is nice and feels rugged. It certainly will be easy to clean if you get it all dirty going off road.
Going inside, the new interior is fresh. To me it balances the spaceship-ness of the 2025 Hyundai’s with this new rugged take. Additionally the large screen gets a sort of sun cover over top. On the Tuscon and Santa Cruz from 2025 the screens simply stick up and there’s no shade over the screens. So, on a sunny day they glare incredibly bad. With this new design I believe Hyundai has fixed this, though I wont truly know till I can take one out on the road. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss out on my full review when the Palisade hits dealers in early summer.
The rest of the front interior is superb. You get a nice modern steering wheel with the new bar… line… stick… design. Not sure what Hyundai is calling this but it’s interesting. There are these control modules on the wheel for controlling your music and safety features. Under the wheel you’ll find the new shifter yoke design which also has the start stop switch. I liked this on the Tuscon and think it’s a great edition here. What’s nice is that they designed the wheel so when you look down you easily see the yoke and illuminated start button.
You get this really cool center console that’s very pod shaped. It features 3 USB-C ports, two of which charge at 100 watts! That’s enough power to charge most macbooks! You get your wireless charging spot that has an elevated pad. This helps a lot for people with phones that have large camera bumps.
The front seats are incredibly comfortable and cup you well. I didn’t have a ton of time to sit in them but from what I experienced they certainly were serviceable. The rear seats were more of the same. This XRT Pro had captain chair middle seats with a full 3rd row in the back. I love this trend of having captain chairs in the middle row. They are simply so much more comfier than a bench back seat. If you’re going to have 3 rows anyway, just make the middle captains chairs.
The 3rd row is serviceable. I, again, didn’t get to spend much time back there but I did see USB-C charging all around so you don’t have to worry about device batteries in this vehicle. You also get climate vents all along the ceiling so everyone can have some air.
Overall this SUV is very cool. I love what Hyundai has done with the design of the Palisade and I personally think this will be a heavy contender with the other vehicles in this large SUV class.
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Don’t forget to subscribe to get notified when I post a new article. Looking for a more video version of this article? Head to our youtube channel to see me take a first look at this vehicle in person. https://youtu.be/G53jXiUXCo4
