2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro: Three Quick Takes

LARPing: it isn’t just for D&D nerds anymore.

Nearly every brand is getting in on the rough-and-tumble trend as more and more North Americans are heading outdoors for their adventures. Hyundai is no exception and, as part of the 2026 Hyundai Palisade lineup, the brand has brought in a rugged XRT Pro model, blessed with bountiful body cladding, a raised ride height, chunky all-terrain tires, and other unique, trail-friendly upgrades.

Greg already spent a full week with the XRT Pro, but my experience was limited to a dedicated off-road portion of the first drive launch program last summer. After a few days of living with the ruggedized Palisade, here are the three stand-out features:

The new Palisade’s cabin is tailor-made for family life. Up front there’s a whole bunch of storage space either under the center console and in the door panels, not to mention the handy pass-through center cubby that can be accessed in the second row. Similarly, that second row is usefully large, has easy-access charging ports located on the backs of the front seats, and also has big ol’ door pockets. Even the third row is pretty darned accommodating for adults, with a usefully large entry point behind the slide-forward second-row seats. It doesn’t feel like a penalty box back there either with decent armrests and a pair of USB-C ports.

The XRT Pro might miss out on the power-folding third-row seats of higher trims but that’s okay: they’re slow anyway, and nothing is simpler than the pull-strap approach. Another helpful touch is an electronic release for the second row right inside the cargo hold. For longer items, that means not having to walk around to the side.

Hyundai swapped out the old 3.8-liter V6 for a slightly smaller (and yes, slightly less powerful) 3.5-liter V6. We’re talking single-digit changes here, with a still-healthy 287 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Power still routes through an eight-speed automatic to Hyundai’s all-wheel drive system. Front-drive is standard on other trims in America; the XRT Pro is AWD-only in America while the entire Palisade lineup is in Canada.

Like so many modern vehicles, the Palisade has gained weight between generations however, and the result is a big SUV that never gets quicker than a saunter. A V6 is mechanically simpler than a turbo-four, sure, but it also needs to be revved out to unlock its best work, and that eats into fuel economy. Even the standard ‘26 Palisade AWD has ever so slightly worse fuel economy than the last generation: 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway for a 21 mpg average, which are drops of 1 mpg for city and combined. Canadian figures for the Palisade AWD are 13.4, 10.0, and 11.9 L/100 km, respectively.

The original Palisade was a big step up for Hyundai, offering a refined and well-equipped family hauler. The whole Palisade 2.0 lineup improves on that, including the XRT Pro. Yes, there’s a little more road hum from those knobbly all-terrain tires, but this is an impressively quiet cabin, reinforcing that feeling of quality.

That original meeting with this model kept the XRT Pro on the dirt, which showcased a confident and well-judged ride. Out on the tarmac however, the ruggedized Palisade suffers from a jiggly ride that takes longer than expected to settle. When snow enters the picture, the Palisade puts down power nicely thanks to the XRT Pro’s rear limited slip differential, though it’s important to note its off-roading angles remain more Memphis than Moab, and those skid plates are mostly for decoration.