The 2025 Hyundai Palisade is a three-row crossover offered in seven trim packages: SE, SEL, XRT, SEL Premium, Limited, Calligraphy, and Calligraphy Night. Their powertrain pairs a 3.8-liter V6 engine (291 hp and 262 lb.-ft. of torque) with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The default drivetrain is front-wheel (FWD), but traction-enhancing all-wheel drive (AWD) is available.
The ’25 Palisade can tow up to 5,000 pounds, and with AWD, it adds a special tow mode to improve the trailering experience. This model’s fuel efficiency is also impressive, with the EPA estimating 19 mpg around town and 26 mpg on the highway with FWD, and just a slight (2-mpg) decrease in highway fuel economy with AWD.
The base SE comes with a host of premium features, such as automatic LED headlights, heated side mirrors with turn indicators, an acoustic-laminated windshield, rear privacy glass, and proximity keyless entry. Inside, you’ll find cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, push-button ignition, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel with haptic feedback and transmission paddle shifters, dual-zone automatic climate control, a cargo-area underfloor storage compartment, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a rear-seat quiet mode, a 4.2-inch gauge cluster, and five USB ports. The fold-flat sliding and reclining second-row bench seat has a convenient one-touch adjustment feature, while the third-row seatback provides a versatile 60/40-split; each row has its own HVAC vents.
The SEL is upgraded with second-row captain’s chairs (reducing seating to seven), H-Tex leatherette upholstery, Digital Key 2, heated power-adjustable front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, wireless phone charging, a hands-free liftgate, silver roof rails, acoustic-laminated front side glass, LED interior lights, door-handle welcome lights, and LED taillights. The more dramatic XRT stands out with black exterior accents, black upholstery, a sunroof, rear side-window sunshades, and auto-dimming side mirrors.
The new SEL Premium includes all the XRT’s features, minus the black accents. Its premium standard features consist of heated and ventilated seats in the first two rows, a heated steering wheel, position memory for the driver’s seat and side mirrors, a HomeLink universal garage door opener, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, dual third-row USB-C ports, a 115V power outlet, hydrophobic front-door glass, and acoustic-laminated rear side glass. A second-row bench seat is optional for those who prefer the eight-passenger layout.
The Limited enhances the Palisade’s luxury with leather upholstery, a driver’s seat with thigh cushion extension, heated power-adjustable third-row seats, a dual-panel sunroof, Passenger Talk (Hyundai’s in-car intercom system), a head-up display, 64-color ambient interior lighting, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a mélange headliner. The Calligraphy takes refinement further with Nappa leather upholstery, a high-comfort driver’s seat, quilted leather door panels, a two-tone leather-wrapped steering wheel, a frameless digital rearview mirror, wing-out second-row headrests, a microfiber-suede headliner, premium rear accent lighting, and side-mirror puddle lights. The Calligraphy Night tops the range with a blacked-out exterior and a dark aluminum console cover.
Every ‘25 Palisade has the proprietary SmartSense safety suite installed. The technologies consist of adaptive cruise control, Highway Driving Assist, blind-spot collision warning, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, forward collision-avoidance assist with moving object and junction turning detection, lane following assist, lane keeping assist, driver attention warning, safe exit warning, rear parking sensors, rear occupant alert, and automatic high beams. A surround-view monitor and front parking sensors are added at the XRT level, while the SEL Premium and above add an improved forward collision system with evasive steering and lane assist, Highway Driving Assist 2, and a blind-spot view monitor. The Calligraphy and Calligraphy Night also get reverse parking collision-avoidance assist and Remote Smart Parking Assist.
A 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with voice recognition is the rule in every trim. It’s used to manage the onboard navigation, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM satellite radio, HD Radio, a Wi-Fi hotspot, Hyundai Pay, and Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio streaming. The Limited, Calligraphy, and Calligraphy Night get a nice upgrade to a premium 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, which replaces the simpler multi-speaker setup in the other trims.
