The 2026 Hyundai Palisade: A Ground-Up Redesign, a First Hybrid and Two Utility-Vehicle-of-the-Year Trophies — Rated 3/10
Hyundai's second-generation Palisade adds a 329-horsepower hybrid, standard all-wheel drive across the range and a raft of Calligraphy-trim luxury equipment. It opens around $53,699. The Torbrook rating: 3/10.
The second-generation Palisade is an all-new vehicle rather than a facelift, and it is longer than the car it replaces, at 5,060 to 5,090 millimetres depending on trim, on a 2,970-millimetre wheelbase. Four trims are sold in Canada: Preferred Trend, XRT Pro, Luxury and Ultimate Calligraphy. Canadian outlets report pricing opening at $53,699 for the Preferred Trend and running to $65,699 for the Ultimate Calligraphy Hybrid, before $2,100 in freight and delivery; Hyundai Canada does not publish MSRP figures on its own showroom pages.
Two powertrains are offered, and the second is new to the nameplate. The carry-over 3.5-litre V6 makes 287 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque through an eight-speed automatic and tows 5,000 pounds. The first Palisade hybrid pairs a 2.5-litre turbocharged four with electric assistance for a combined 329 horsepower and 339 pound-feet — more power than the V6 — through a six-speed automatic, rated to tow 4,000 pounds, with Hyundai Canada targeting 7.0 litres per 100 kilometres and a total driving range beyond 900 kilometres. HTRAC all-wheel drive is standard on every trim.
Seating splits eight ways or seven. The Preferred Trend and Luxury seat eight in a two-three-three layout, with second-row captain's chairs optional on the Luxury and standard on the XRT Pro and Ultimate Calligraphy.
Equipment is generous, particularly at the top. Twin 12.3-inch displays — digital cluster and touchscreen — are standard across the range, as are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, seven USB-C ports and Hyundai's Digital Key from the base trim up. A 14-speaker BOSE system arrives on XRT Pro and above. Highway Driving Assist appears on the XRT Pro and Luxury, upgrading to the second-generation system with Remote Smart Parking Assist on the Calligraphy, which also adds a head-up display, a digital rearview mirror, a dual-channel built-in dashcam, a UV-C sterilization tray and quilted Nappa leather. Heated front and second-row seats are standard; ventilated fronts arrive from the XRT Pro up, and the Calligraphy adds ventilated second-row seats, a heated third row, an ergo-motion driver's seat and a Relaxation mode for the first two rows.
The industry's own verdict on this vehicle has been emphatic, and it belongs in this review for balance. The 2026 Palisade was named North American Utility Vehicle of the Year in January 2026 and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada — Hyundai's fourth Canadian utility title in five years.
A 3/10 from the Torbrook Rating Agency is among the lowest marks this desk has issued, and it runs plainly against that consensus. The specifications above are Hyundai's, the awards are the industry's, and the score is ours alone.
This review assesses the vehicle on its published specifications and the manufacturer's stated figures. It is not based on a road test by the Rating Agency, and the score is the Agency's own independent judgment, which readers should weigh against the specifications set out above and against other published assessments. Hyundai did not request, pay for, or have advance knowledge of this review. Ratings cannot be bought.