2026 Hyundai Palisade Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Other Automakers

My Robust Emerald Palisade Calligraphy was fitted with a fabulous brown Nappa leather interior, and aside from looking good, it also had an air of quality you sometimes don’t find in cars that cost two or three times as much as my $58,000 tester. All seven seats, arranged in a 2-2-3 layout, were a nice place to spend time. Of course, the front seats were far the best place to be with their nearly infinite amount of adjustability, ample bolstering (that still wasn’t too tight) and Relaxation seats for — you guessed it — relaxing. The system reclines the seats and pops out a footrest at the bottom to get you into a really chill state. It was originally something Hyundai put into its EVs for when you’re charging, but they’re incredibly welcome here, too.

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The second-row captain’s chairs also provide plenty of electronic adjustability, including that Relaxation mode, which is far more than your kid deserves. They’re going to find even more USB-C ports, their own sunroof and a climate control panel. Hell, even the third-row power folding seats aren’t awful. At 6-foot-1, I can fit in the rear-most seats behind the two forward rows set up for me in my position. Sure, third-row space isn’t plentiful, especially when it comes to headroom for my long-torso’d body, but since I was able to move the seats back and forth with the press of a button, there’s plenty of leg room (provided you don’t have much in the trunk). To get in the back, passengers can either climb through the empty section between the two second-row seats or push a button and the seat will move out of the way for them, providing more than enough entrance room.

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Space is the name of the game in a car like this. With a 116.9-inch wheelbase and 199.4-inch overall length, the new Palisade is a big vehicle. Don’t worry, your crap will fit, too. Hyundai says that the car comes with up to 19.1 cubic feet of trunk space behind the third row. Drop it, and you’ve got 47.3 cubic feet to play with. If that somehow is still not enough for you, don’t worry. Folding both rear rows will result in you having a gargantuan 86.7 cubic feet of space to fill with God knows what.

The tech inside the 2026 Palisade is what we’ve come to expect from Hyundai at this point. The aforementioned screens work well together, as they do in all Hyundai Group vehicles. As always, both are very clearly laid out and easy to operate, and if you’re not feeling the infotainment system, Hyundai offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For everyone out there who is sensitive about HVAC controls, I’ve got good news. They’re completely separate from the screen, living on a wide touchpad at the bottom of the dashboard instead. You may breathe a sigh of relief.

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My one complaint with the Palisade’s tech — which is nothing new — is that the gauge cluster isn’t that configurable. There’s no way to display a full-size map or even the music you’re listening to. The driver is stuck with two analog-looking gauges on either side and a small information display in the middle. Is this a dealbreaker? No, but it’s one of the few areas where Hyundai is actually behind the competition.

Other than that small gripe — and the fact that the wireless charger’s only job seemed to be to make my phone hot — the Palisade is a genuinely wonderful place to be. It punches far above its weight class when it comes to comfort and quality on the inside, and it has enough space to be a real minivan replacement.