First Drive: The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy and Palisade XRT PRO

This is the all-new 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy. If you were in Napa and/or Sonoma County, California last week and saw a bunch of these on the road at the same time, I can explain.

All last week, Hyundai hosted automotive journalists from all over the country for a first drive of the '26 Palisade Calligraphy, and an off-road run for its all-new Palisade XRT PRO.

Hyundai flew most of these people in from various points around the U.S. I live semi-locally (115 miles away), so I drove there and back in another manufacturer's SUV that ended up underscoring just how good the new Palisade is. More on that later.

Hyundai paid for two nights' lodging, food and beverages at the beautiful Solage Resort & Spa in Calistoga, at the foot of the Palisades Mountains.

None of that hospitality influences my opinion. A look back at my previous Hyundai Palisade reviews, the 2024 Palisade XRT AWD and the 2020 Palisade Limited AWD, shows what a great vehicle and solid value the first-generation Palisade was.

Drive day began with a buffet breakfast followed by an hour-long presentation on the design process and specifications of the 2026 Palisade line, complete with an XRT PRO model sporting a Thule Tepui tent (not standard equipment) in a corner of the room.

The XRT PRO is a new, dedicated off-road trim and is one of seven trim levels available for the new Palisade.

The 2026 Palisade is 2.5 inches longer, 2/10ths of an inch wider and 6/10ths of an inch taller than the 2025 Palisade.

Those dimensions make it 2.2 inches tidier than the Toyota Grand Highlander, 7/10ths of an inch shorter than the Honda Pilot, and half an inch longer than the Ford Explorer.

An important distinction---the length was engineered in, not added on. The front and rear overhangs of the 2026 Palisade are actually shorter than last year's. The wheelbase (the space between the front and rear axles) is 2.7 inches longer. That allows for the length to benefit the passengers inside the vehicle.

The 2026 Palisade has a tenth of an inch more legroom in the front row, 6/10ths of an inch more in the second row and 7/10ths of an inch more in the third row compared to last year's model.

Headroom improves by 8/10ths of an inch up front, 6/10ths of an inch in the second row and is unchanged in the third row. And shoulder room is more generous now, by 2/10ths of an inch in the first and second rows and 4/10ths of an inch in the third row.

More importantly, the improved interior room gives the Palisade class-leading second-row legroom and headroom and power-adjustable third row seats (standard on Limited and Palisade) allow it to offer the most third-row legroom.

Cargo space improves as well, though it's clear the passengers were the priority. There's 1.1 cubic feet more capacity behind the third row, half a cubic foot more behind the second row and 3/10ths of a cubic foot more behind the first row.

At the end of the presentation, we found two dozen top-of-the-line 2026 Palisade Calligraphy SUVs waiting outside for us. Time to drive---three and a half hours between Calistoga and a remote spot where we'd drive the XRT PRO off-road.

Leg one, Sonoma County backroads through evergreen forests and along the Russian River.

The 2026 Palisade Calligraphy was impressive right off the bat, taking the twisting, turning two-lanes with ease even in its default drive mode, and exhibiting just the right blend of smooth ride and handling capabilities with an astonishing luxury-car level of sound deadening. Hyundai has applied full-absorbing layered floor carpeting, absorbption pads in the rear quarters, specced a foam sound-absorbing 21-inch tire and made acoustic glass standard on the windshield and front glass (it's an option for the rear glass on lower trims, standard on Limited and Calligraphy).

Power is plentiful, from a 3.5-liter V6 with 287 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. It's mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the combined EPA city/highway fuel economy is 21 mpg. AWD is available on all trims for $2,000 and standard on XRT PRO.

There will be a hybrid version of the Palisade this fall. As for an EV, that's where the differently-styled but nearly-identical-in-dimensions IONIQ 9 comes in. My IONIQ 9 review will post here on Wednesday, August 20.

About an hour in, a quick stop:

Additional hospitality from Hyundai---a cup of coffee and a terrific baked treat from the charming Gold Coast Coffee and Bakery in Duncans Mills. An opportunity for journalists who'd paired up to switch drivers. I was one of the few to have a Palisade all to myself.

I'm a social guy. I play well with others. I like to make new friends.

But I'm happy I didn't have to give up half my wheel time in the Palisade.

Next leg, a brief dash to the Pacific Ocean. While Duncan Mills basked in bright sunshine, as soon as we crossed the Russian River at Bridgehaven, we encountered typical summertime Northern California Pacific coastal weather. Locals call it "May Gray", "June Gloom", "No-Sky July" and finally, "Fogust".

And that's okay, because a little atmosphere never hurts when it comes to pictures.

A side note. At the pre-drive presentation, we heard from Soomin Choe, Exterior Creative Design Manager for Hyundai Design North America. Soomin told us he's retiring later this year.

Let's just say Mr. Choe has painted his masterpiece and earned his retirement.

There's also an argument, though, for asking Soomin how many Brinks armored trucks he wants to have show up at his house each and every week and how much money needs to be in those trucks to get him to reconsider and stay.

I mean, look at this thing.

It's gorgeous.

That last line is two-thirds of what I wanted to say, but if Jalopnik can't drop F-bombs anymore, then...

The knee-jerk first reaction is to say it was influenced by Range Rover, but if you actually look at a Range Rover....no. There's not a line in common.

Soomin, at the briefing, gave credit to his design team and humbly suggested that "Uncle Soomin" simply guides and refines their great work, and I'm sure that's true and that the Palisade is in good hands for years to come.

But it couldn't hurt to ask. Right?

The paint color is called Classy Blue. It's one of ten colors. Seven of them---including this one---are no extra cost.

The interior? Every bit as good as the exterior. A knockout---especially in Gray/Navy Nappa Leather.

Even the lower trim levels of the 2026 Palisade are exceptionally well-equipped. Navigation with over-the-air-updates, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, 100-watt capable USB-C charge ports in all rows, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a solid SmartSense safety suite are standard on all trims. The base Palisade trim, the SE, has an MSRP of $38,935 ($40,430 with destination).

Calligraphy dials everything up to include a dual-pane moonroof with acoustic second-row glass, power-adjustable heated third-row seats, a 14-speaker Bose premium audio system, 21-inch wheels, Nappa leather seating surfaces, front and second-row power relaxation seating, an always-on built-in front and rear dashcam, a deluxe console with UV sterilizer (explained in last summer's review of the Santa Fe) and a 12-inch head-up display.

There's a healthy price spread from bottom of the trim ladder to top, but still, the Calligraphy's MSRP is surprisingly low, given what you get---$54,060 ($55,555 including destination).

As I drove the 95-minute stretch from the coast to our lunch spot, I had time to mull over the feature content, the pricing---the value. I was approaching roughly the same amount of time and the same number of miles I had driven to get to Calistoga the day before.

I made that drive in the 2025 Lexus TX 350 AWD F SPORT Handling AWD. I'll have a full review of it in a few weeks, but for context here, it's the Lexus version of the Toyota Grand Highlander. The Toyota is one of the direct competitors Hyundai mentions when discussing the 2026 Palisade's market.

The Lexus is treated to some upgrades over the Toyota---a different instrument panel design, upgraded materials, suspension changes, all the things that go into differentiating the brands.

The TX 350 has a 275-horsepower engine---that's 12 fewer than the Palisade Calligraphy, but the Hyundai is 165 pounds heavier, so it's a wash. But---the Lexus is a turbo four-cylinder and it's nowhere near as quiet, refined and smooth as the V6 in the Hyundai.

The only upside for the TX engine is it gets (according to the EPA) two miles per gallon more (combined city/highway) than the Palisade---23 mpg. But in the real world I saw 19.1 from the Lexus and 23 from the Palisade.

While the interior of the Lexus is nice, it doesn't feel special in the way the Hyundai Palisade does. And the Palisade beats it in terms of noise, vibration and harshness.

The Lexus TX 350 AWD F SPORT Handling AWD has a base price of $64,410 ($65,760 including destination). That puts it $10,205 above the 2026 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy before options. The actual sticker price of the Lexus was $69,430---$13,875 more than the Hyundai.

Hyundai may have been aiming at Toyota, but it also hit Lexus hard. You've seen me say "I like (vehicle) more, but not ten grand more." I like the Palisade Calligraphy more than the Lexus---at ten grand and change less.

Next stop, Merlo Lake in Sonoma County--it's actually under the blue dot.

The map doesn't do it justice, does it?

This is the site Hyundai chose for a lunch stop and an opportunity to experience the new Palisade XRT PRO on a challenging off-road course.

I decided to drive first and eat later---which meant I stepped out of the Calligraphy and straight into the XRT PRO, and was surprised that, instead of feeling like an off-road trim of the Palisade, it felt like a dedicated off-road product that just happened to share the Palisade's design.

The interior is done in synthetic leather, and it still has very much a premium feel and abundant feature content, with heated and ventilated front seats, a power moonroof and the 14-speaker Bose premium audio system.

But underway, the XRT PRO lets you know it's ready for the road---or lack thereof---ahead.

I am an inexperienced off-roader. That means I've done it infrequently over a lot of years. I'm here to admit that only by the grace of God because I really don't know what I'm doing out there.

I'm here to make that confession because the 2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT PRO is really, really good and so are the off-road pros stationed along the route to literally prevent two dozen automotive journalists from going off several cliffs.

You'll forgive my being too busy driving to even think about taking pictures, so here are images supplied by Hyundai on that exact course:

If you're thinking that would be better if it were video, Hyundai provided that, too (but tragically, without sound). The actual driving begins at the two minute, 15 second mark and the hardcore off-road stuff at 3:10:

That's not me at the wheel, but it is what I did in the XRT PRO. Or, more accurately, what the XRT PRO can do, even with me at the wheel.

And (back to my photos) that's how I got this Palisade XRT PRO so dirty.

Like the Calligraphy, the XRT is a remarkable value, with an MSRP of $49,370 ($50,865 including destination). And there are five other trim levels of the 2026 Palisade I haven't driven yet, not to mention the hybrid that's on the way.

Drive events like this, as terrific as they are, are really just first impressions. And the 2026 Palisade made a really good, really big first impression.

But this is very different from the week-at-a-time experiences that make up most of my reviews. So when you see a full review of any of the 2026 Hyundai Palisades here, don't think you've seen it all before. I'm sure there's more to discover and a lot more to say.