Road Trip Rides - 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid
Published November 9th, 2025
Photos by Jay Kana.
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After reading this article, check out the four-part short-video series on how I drove from Mississauga to Ottawa and back on a single tank of fuel on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok or Facebook.
For 2026, Hyundai’s flagship SUV is all-new and debuts an all-new hybrid powertrain.
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade hybrid is one of two three-row SUV’s for the brand, this one using a gasoline engine and the IONIQ 9 being a fully electric vehicle.
Completely redesigned, the Palisade enters luxury territory with an excellent driving experience, upscale materials throughout, modern technology and with the hybrid, remarkably low fuel consumption.
After driving over 1,000 km in a week, the all-new 2026 Palisade hybrid is an excellent road trip chariot that saves fuel in style.
Key Info
Body type: Mid-size SUV, three rows, seven or eight seats
Engine: 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, 329 horsepower, 339 lb-ft. of torque, six-speed automatic
Drive type: All-wheel drive
Fuel economy: 8.1 litres per 100/km combined
Fuel tank size: 69 litres of regular 87 octane
Total range: 852 km
Cargo space: 540 litres
Towing capacity: 4,000 pounds when properly equipped
First-row photo gallery
Up front, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment screen come standard, as do three-stage heated and ventilated seats, memory seats, a fully heated steering wheel, wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, seven USB-C ports, dual-zone climate controls, and a crisp, clear 14-speaker Bose audio system.
With storage space aplenty, there’s a place for everything, minimizing clutter in the elegantly designed cabin.
The leather seats are quite comfortable and supportive and as someone who did a Mississauga to Ottawa and back in one day road trip, I can say these seats are simply splendid.
The infotainment system responds quickly and is intuitively organized, the climate controls, while not using physical buttons, is also easy to use.
A standard sunroof (two-panel on the Ultimate Caligraphy trim) brightens an already spacious feeling cabin.
Second and third-row gallery
The second row can be had in either two captain’s chairs or a bench seat for three, with tester having the former. Smartly and to create space, the climate controls are roof-mounted yet still within reach. These power seats are also quite comfortable, powered and ideal for longer trips.
The third row comes with optional three-stage heated seats and four-way power movement, a rarity in this class. While not cavernous, the third-row has a respectable amount of space for an average-sized person (like me!) to be comfortable for parts of your journey.
Exterior gallery
How does the 2026 Hyundai Palisade hybrid drive, you ask?
Delightfully! The hybrid system is eager to engage, the dive feel is smooth and acceleration is quick considering its size. Road and wind noise are at a minimum at higher speeds and the Palisade stays relatively flat around turns. There’s also a near-seamless switch between the engine and hybrid, which is significantly quieter than most competitors.
One key difference between the Palisade hybrid and gasoline trim (I racked up over 2,000 km on the gas version for a memorable Quebec road trip earlier this year) is that the gasoline trim has eight gears where this has six. The result is a higher RPM resting rate at higher speeds. No matter, though, as the Palisade hybrid is rated at a paltry 8.1 l/100 km.
The standard advanced semi-autonomous driving feature Highway Drive Assist makes longer drives easier with advanced sensors. Other highlights for standard safety include blind-spot warning, lane follow assist, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-view monitor, high-beam assist and much more.
Wrapping with some numbers because I’m a numbers kinda guy:
$65,699 - CAD MSRP for the Ultimate Calligraphy hybrid
$62,499 - CAD MSRP for the Ultimate Calligraphy gasoline
$3,200 - Price difference
$1,140 - Yearly fuel savings with the hybrid, as per Natural Resources Canada
2.8 - Number of years to “break-even” from paying the up-front premium for the hybrid
247 - Number of kilometres the hybrid drives over rhe gasoline on a full tank as per Natural Resources Canada
42 - More horsepower than the gasoline version
79 - More lb-ft. of torque than the gasoline version
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade hybrid is cosplaying as a luxury vehicle while costing tens of thousands of dollars less than actually luxury vehicles similarly equipped.
Expect to see a plethora of these new Palisades on the road in the coming months and years.
3 Perks
Excellent fuel economy and drive feel, splendid cabin draped in premium materials , modern technology pairs well with the long list of standard safety.
3 Irks
Top Ultimate Calligraphy trim only available with seven seats, powered second row of seats are slow to move and delays access to and from the third row, no physical buttons for the climate controls.