The Palisade is Hyundai Motor's full-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) that first debuted in 2018 and underwent a full redesign in Jan. last year. Although it has been a year since the second-generation model was released, 4,994 units were sold domestically last month, the most among all of Hyundai Motor's SUVs.
The popularity of the second-generation Palisade is clearly led by the hybrid model. Last month, the Palisade Hybrid sold 3,369 units, accounting for more than 67% of all trims.
After launching in the United States in Sep. last year, the Palisade Hybrid sold about 10,000 units in four months, and it also succeeded in the global market, winning the "2026 North American Car of the Year" utility category last month.
On the 11th, we drove the seven-seat all-wheel drive (AWD) Palisade Hybrid on routes including Bukak Skyway and Namsan Sowol-gil, Gangbyeonbuk-ro and Olympic-daero, and Gangnam-daero. To assess its driving performance along with the hybrid's strengths of high fuel efficiency and quietness, we conducted a test drive across various sections, including winding grades, highways, and city lanes.
The exterior of the Palisade Hybrid emphasizes the practical feel and clean lines befitting a full-size SUV compared with the first-generation model.
The first-generation Palisade featured a flashy cascading grille with a jewel pattern on the front, and the headlamps were split and sharply designed. By contrast, the second-generation model was designed with a structure in which the headlamps and radiator grille are not separated but stacked vertically in layers, projecting a solid and rugged image.
The body has also grown. The second-generation Palisade is 5,060 millimeters long, 65 millimeters longer than the first generation, and the wheelbase, the distance between the front and rear wheels, was extended by 70 millimeters to 2,970 millimeters. The height also increased by 55 millimeters to 1,805 millimeters compared with the previous model, noticeably expanding the interior space overall.
The interior looked a bit rugged, but it felt designed with a focus on enhancing driver convenience.
In the first-generation model, the gear selector was arranged as buttons on the center console, but in the second-generation Palisade, the selector moved to the right of the steering wheel in a column type controlled with a finger.
This allowed the center console to house a wireless charger, a USB Type-C charging port that supports up to 100 watts, two large cup holders, a lower storage space, and a console box that opens with double doors, improving space utilization.
Convenience features for accompanying passengers also increased. In particular, the second-row seats have power reclining that tilts the backrest and raises the leg rest, and a tapping massage function is also available.
In addition, a tilting walk-in function that allows not only the front seat backrests but also the lower sections to tilt forward makes it easy for passengers to board and alight from the third row.
The Palisade Hybrid is equipped with a 2.5-liter gasoline turbo hybrid engine that delivers a maximum output of 334 horsepower and peak torque of 46.9 kilogram-meters. It reaches 100 kilometers per hour from a standstill in about 7.3 seconds.
Hyundai Motor's next-generation hybrid system applied to the Palisade Hybrid is equipped with two motors. Compared with the existing hybrid system, a new motor (P1) that performs starting, generation, and drive assist functions has been added to the drive motor (P2), which handles propulsion and regenerative braking, improving power performance and fuel economy and making shifting smoother.
After starting, the Palisade Hybrid maintained quietness at low speeds without engine noise or vibration. It held the body weighing more than 2 tons steady and controlled movements without sway on the continuous curves of Bukak Skyway. Upon entering the highway and pressing the accelerator, the Palisade picked up speed smoothly and surged ahead.
However, as the speed increased, engine noise that was barely present at low speeds became quite loud. Road friction noise and wind buffeting against the windows were also louder than expected. Vibrations were hardly felt, but when climbing inclines or accelerating hard, the noise could at times interfere with conversation.
Ride comfort was satisfactory. The Palisade is the first among Hyundai Motor's SUVs to adopt preview electronic controlled suspension (ECS).
This system uses various onboard sensors and navigation information to assess road surface conditions and driving situations, then performs predictive damping control. This minimizes fore-aft and side-to-side movement, improving ride comfort in various driving environments.
In addition, crosswind stability control (CSC), a feature that assists braking and steering to prevent body roll even in strong winds at high speeds, enables stable driving in severe weather accompanied by strong gusts.
The Palisade Hybrid's combined fuel economy is 14.1 kilometers per liter with 18-inch wheels and 11.4 kilometers with 21-inch wheels. Driving the test vehicle equipped with 21-inch wheels on the highway, the instrument cluster showed fuel economy in the 12–13 kilometers per liter range.
According to Hyundai Motor, the Palisade Hybrid can travel more than 1,000 kilometers on a full tank depending on driving conditions.
In line with its emphasis on practicality as a full-size SUV, the Palisade Hybrid is equipped with various convenience features. A representative feature is V2L (vehicle to load), placed inside the cargo area, which allows external use of power from the vehicle's battery.
The V2L battery capacity is at least 3.5 kilowatt-hours (kWh). That is enough to run a hair dryer for about two hours. Full-size SUVs have large cargo areas and are widely used for outdoor activities such as camping, and this function enables the use of various electronic devices.
The Palisade Hybrid's cargo space is 509 liters as standard, but folding the third row increases it to 1,297 liters, enough to store four golf bags and four Boston bags.
Folding both the second and third rows expands it to a maximum of 2,447 liters, and given the taller height, the space is ample enough for two adults to spend time or even sleep in the car during outdoor activities.
However, features commonly found in premium-brand SUVs recently, such as a split upper-lower tailgate door, were not applied.
Prices for the Palisade Hybrid vary by seating capacity and drive type. The seven-seat two-wheel-drive model sells for 49.68 million won to 63.26 million won, and the seven-seat all-wheel drive (AWD) model sells for 53.08 million won to 65.66 million won. The nine-seat two-wheel-drive model is priced at 49.82 million won to 61.86 million won, and the nine-seat AWD model is 52.10 million won to 64.14 million won.