Hyundai Palisade

Design & Quality

Step inside the 2026 Palisade, and you’re greeted by a cabin that feels like a segment above its price tag. Hyundai steps up to the same level with premium materials, including soft-touch surfaces, leatherette or Nappa leather seats as options, available in black, grey two-tone, navy two-tone, or brown, along with brushed aluminium or piano black inlays. The cockpit design is largely defined by the dashboard, which features 12.3-inch panoramic displays, one for the digital gauge cluster and another for the infotainment system, making it look truly futuristic, giving a really modern high-tech vibe. The cabin gets a further boost from the optional ambient lighting and voice-enabled climate control. This put the Palisade into the mini-Genesis category, and in terms of quality, it appears quite good, and a lot of durable materials, which assures you its longer-term life. 

Front Seat

The driver’s seat is a great place to be, with 8-way power adjustments, lumbar support, and optional ventilation to keep you cool in Saudi Arabia scorching summers. The leather seats as standard on higher trims feel plush, and the multi-function steering wheel, with paddle shifters and controls for audio and cruise, is intuitive. The ergonomics are spot-on, with everything from the touchscreen to the gear selector within easy reach. Reviewers rave about the comfort, with one saying, “The front seats make long drives feel like a breeze, even in Dubai’s traffic.

Electronic Parking Brake

The electronic parking brake is now a standard in most high-end cars, replacing the manual one, and it does a great job in offering you superb control in certain driving conditions, such as congestion, stop-and-go traffic or hilly roads or inclines. 

Rear Seat

The rear seat of the Palisade is a place to be in, with sufficient space for up to three passengers with 1,020 mm of legroom, which means long family road trips are nothing but fun. The second row can be configured as a bench for eight seats total or captain’s chairs for seven seats, with extra comfort features like reclining and sliding. In higher trims, there is the addition of heating and ventilation, which is not common in the segment, which helps in a great deal of comfort. The rear AC vents and USB-C ports are provided to further ease and convenience for passengers. 

AC Vents

To tackle the intense summer season of Saudi Arabia, the dual-zone automatic climate control, with rear vents, is extremely powerful and makes the cabin cool instantly.  

Storage Options

Since this is a three-row SUV, the storage is not a problem, and that underlines the practicality of the Palisade. To carry your stuff inside the cabin, you get a large glovebox, deep centre console, door-mounted bottle holders (up to 1-litre bottles), and a rear armrest compartment. 

Armrest

Both front and rear centre armrests come with cupholders, adding comfort and practicality. The rear armrest folds down to create a relaxed vibe for long drives, making passengers feel at home.

Charging Options

The Palisade comes with multiple USB-C ports at the front and rear, a 12V socket, and an optional wireless charging pad. One special feature that is offered by Hyundai is the MicroSD card slot in the glovebox for offloading dash cam recordings, a handy touch for tech-savvy buyers.

Boot Space

Considering a three-row, full SUV, the boot space is quite sizable, measuring 550 litres of cargo space with the third row up. You get to expand it to 1,550 litres when folded flat. This largely takes care of family trips, grocery runs, or carrying outdoor gear. It is possible to fit two large suitcases and a stroller, with additional space for spare, which certainly sounds like a lot of practicality.

• 10 airbags (including all three rows)

• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)

• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

• Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go
• Lane Departure Warning
• Automatic Emergency Braking

• Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist

• Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist
• Safe Exit Assist

• Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist

• Remote Smart Parking Assist

• Advanced Rear Occupant Alert (camera-based)

• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• ISOFIX child seat anchors
• Hill-Start Assist

The 2026 Palisade attracts attention, with Hyundai having given it a boxier, more premium appearance that screams confidence. The SUV now measures  5,015 mm in length, 1,975 mm in width, and 1,750 mm in height, with a 2,970 mm wheelbase, and is slightly larger than its predecessor, giving it an imposing road presence. The 204 mm ground clearance (205 mm on the XRT Pro trim) makes it capable of taking on the Saudi Arabia city roads and light off-road adventures, like desert camping trips. The modern lines, aggressive grille, and futuristic lighting make it look like a premium SUV, sharing a lot of similarities with the Range Rover, but at a fraction of the cost.

Front

The front of the Palisade is where it flexes its bold new style. The giant descending chrome grille is edged by primed rectangular LED headlights and daytime running lights (DRLs), which give the SUV a unique and distinctive front look.  The new bumper design, with simple chrome accents, provides a touch of modernness. The overall look is undoubtedly aggressive, making it stand out in its segment.

Side

From the side, the Palisade appears to balance mutuality and elegance at the same time. The curved alloy wheels are offered in a variety of sizes from 18-inch to 21-inch alloy wheels, with the top trims getting intricate 21-inch designs that highlight premium. The Chrome window surrounds, roof rails, and body-colored side mirrors (with optional carbon accents) give a high-end feel.  The dynamic lines and subtle curves enhance the overall aerodynamics, and at the same time give the SUV a modern, attractive and exquisite profile. 

Alloy Wheels

The Palisade offers a range of alloy wheels: 18-inch on (255/60R18 all-terrain tires, 20-inch on mid-tier trims, and 21-inch for the top.  Not just the look, but the wheels are equally promising when it comes to offering exceptional grip for city and highway driving, with all-terrain tires adding extra capability for sandy or rocky trails.

Rear

The rear of the Palisade is just as stunning, prompted by sleek OLED taillights that have dynamic lighting signatures, making it visually appealing at night. A roof-mounted spoiler and chrome-accented bumper enhance the sporty look. The hidden trailer hitch is a smart touch, keeping the clean look while offering towing ability. A shark fin antenna and rear wiper add functionality without compromising style.

Colors

You can pick the Palisade from 10 available colours that comprises Abyss Black Pearl, Typhoon Silver Metallic, Creamy White Pearl, Ecotronic Gray Pearl, Cast Iron Brown Pearl, Galaxy Maroon Pearl, Titan Charcoal Pearl, and others.

*The 2.5L Turbo Hybrid figures are based on available pre-launch data.

City Performance

The Hyundai Palisade promises a great driving experience in the city backed by smooth power. This is largely attributed to the responsive powertrain. Moving around the city is quite easy, thanks to additional features like a 360-degree camera and parking sensors. The driving performance and ease of navigation are topped by good mileage, and so it is a remarkable combination even for a daily driver. The Palisade is an ideal pick for families looking for comfort and efficiency in crowded city environments.

Highway Performance

On highways, the Palisade is equally promising with great power and torque for quick and brisk overtaking and cruising. Its 8-speed automatics shift smoothly. The drive like Efficiency and Dynamic allow you personalisation in the ride. Its quiet cabin and comfortable ride during long trips are just perfect.

Ride and Handling

The SUV’s highly refined suspension and standard AWD are known for a composed, smooth ride, taking easy bumps on Saudi roads. The 205mm of ground clearance and terrain modes further help in light off-roading, such as desert dunes.The nimble steering and confident handling of a large SUV, balancing daily use and weekend adventure perfectly

• 12.3-inch panoramic touchscreen with MMI Navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto

• 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster

• 18-inch to 21-inch alloy wheels

• Leather or Nappa leather seats with power adjustments

• Dual-zone automatic climate control with rear vents
• 14-speaker Infinity premium audio with 3D sound

• Keyless entry and push-button start
• Panoramic sunroof (higher trims)

• 360-degree camera

• Drive Select (Comfort, Dynamic, Efficiency, Auto, plus Mud, Sand, Snow on XRT Pro)

• Head-up display

• Ambient lighting
• Power tailgate
• Hyundai Digital Key 2.0 Premium (smartphone/smartwatch access)
• Hyundai Pay in-car payment system
• Twin-camera dash cam (Calligraphy trim)

The 2026 Palisade is available in four variants in Saudi Arabia:

Comfort

Base variant comes with 7 seats, a 3.5L V6 engine that powers 273hp  and an automatic transmission, strong safety features, and all key tech features, starting at SAR 168,890.

Mid Fwd

Higher variants with 3.8L V6, more power of 290 hp, automatic, FWD, additional comfort features including ventilated seats, wireless charging, 7 seats, SAR 189,590.

Mid Awd

This is identical to the FWD variant, with only the difference being all-wheel-drive options, and is priced at SAR 197,640.

Calligraphy

This high-end variant gets a 3.8L V6, 290hp of power, all luxury features, premium fit, and finished with advanced tech and 7 seats capacity, at SAR 235,590.

2.5 T-GDI Hybrid

This is an upcoming model with a key highlight of a hybrid powertrain for the first time on this SUV. Hyundai plans to launch a hybrid turbo with 277 hp of power. The launch date is not yet announced. However, the launch and pricing have not yet been announced officially.

Sayarabay Recommendation: It is not hard to pick the right model among the available options. We believe, considering most buyers of this SUV, based on what they want and need, the Mid Awd is our recommendation, for both families and individual professionals, too.  Here you’re getting the luxury, awesome technology, and superior comfort that is perfect for Saudi Arabia’s preferences and climate. It is equipped with a combination of powerful performance with 8-seat practicality, advanced safety, and premium features, and so makes it an ideal choice for families looking for a mix of practicality, status, space, and reliability for the Kingdom's roads.

The Hyundai Palisade makes quite an impression in the midsize SUV segment in Saudi Arabia right now. With this all-new revamped into its second generation, Hyundai has given it a makeover, which makes it quite compelling with so much improvement over its earlier version.

The Palisade is the best possible combination of bold style, premium and opulent interior, and family-friendly practicality that you can find.  The new design language, high-end exterior, and advanced cutting-edge tech make it suitable for a wide range of customers.  So, if you want a full-size SUV at a reasonable price where the cabin is spacious, fitted with top safety features and a multifaceted performance, then you've got the right choice in the Palisade. Head to your nearest Hyundai showroom to experience this impressive SUV for yourself.

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