Five Ways the All-New Hyundai Palisade One-Ups the Toyota Grand Highlander

As far as we’re concerned, the three-row Hyundai Palisade was already a star, and its bold combination of impressive style, rugged performance, and great interior features has made it a favorite of ours since it first hit the road. With a full update for the 2026 model year, however, Hyundai has taken this excellent SUV to another level and delivered one of the finest options on the market.

When you check out a Hyundai Palisade for sale near Libertyville here at our dealership and compare it to other popular models, like the Toyota Grand Highlander, the Palisade is in a league all its own. Let’s take a closer look at five of our favorite things about the Palisade compared to what the Grand Highlander has to offer, and you’ll see just what we mean.

#1 – Fantastic Warranty Coverage From Hyundai

Most of us don’t want to think about something going wrong, but it’s always a good idea to be prepared for any occasion and ready if the unexpected pops up. That’s why new vehicles have warranty protection, so that you’re covered if there’s an issue with manufacturing—mistakes can always happen in this world.

Hyundai stands behind its vehicles with some of the best warranty protection we’ve ever seen; in fact, it leads the industry these days. The 2026 Palisade comes with America’s Best Warranty: a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty that covers your engine and related components. You also get a five-year/60,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty that covers the rest of your Palisade, with 24-hour roadside assistance and more.

Toyota provides warranty protection for the Grand Highlander, of course, but it falls in line with the rest of the industry instead of leading it like Hyundai. The 2026 Grand Highlander comes with a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, offering just half the duration and much lower mileage than Hyundai. Toyota also provides a three-year/36,000-mile full vehicle warranty, which again is significantly shorter than the protection you get with the Palisade. You can enjoy driving around Libertyville in your Palisade with remarkable peace of mind for a much longer time than someone else with a Grand Highlander.

#2 – A Powerful and Efficient Hybrid Engine

It’s easy to overlook engines when considering a daily driver—especially since there are so many different things to focus on. But the powertrain is always important, and it’s even more essential when you’re looking at a large vehicle like a three-row SUV.

Hyundai offers two impressive engines for the 2026 Palisade, but it’s the all-new hybrid that we’re most excited about. The 2.5L turbocharged I-4 hybrid engine delivers a remarkable 329 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque, ensuring you have a vehicle that feels great on the road each day. You can choose between front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) with this engine to get the kind of performance you want as you drive around Libertyville.

By comparison, the available 2.5L hybrid engine for the 2026 Grand Highlander provides just 245 hp, which falls far short of the kind of performance Hyundai provides. Toyota knows how to make good engines, but the remarkable performance of the Palisade’s hybrid powertrain can’t be denied, and it truly shines by comparison.

What’s more, you get an estimated 33 MPG in the city, 35 MPG on the highway, and 34 MPG combined with the 2026 Palisade and its hybrid if you choose an FWD model. Toyota’s hybrid gets slightly better gas mileage at 36 MPG combined, but the difference is remarkably minimal considering it falls almost 100 hp short of the Hyundai.

#3 – A Beautifully-Appointed Interior

As you start looking at the 2026 Palisade, one of the first things that will likely catch your eye is how elegantly its exterior has been designed. Following that, you’ll quickly notice that its interior is just as elegant and sophisticated, creating a cabin that you’ll look forward to getting into each day.

Standard features include seating for eight passengers, with cloth seats, a six-way driver’s seat, and three-zone automatic climate control to keep you and your passengers incredibly comfortable as you drive around Libertyville each day.

Looking at a higher trim level like the Calligraphy, you’ll find premium Nappa leather seating, with an eight-way power driver’s seat, heated and ventilated first-row and second-row seats, and much more. While Toyota offers plenty of trims and features, you’ll find the Grand Highlander is missing features like the Palisade’s available heated third-row seating.

#4 – Innovative Tech Features Throughout

Hyundai is no stranger to great technology, and the 2026 Palisade is the perfect example of that. Looking at the standard features, we find a gorgeous 12.3-inch infotainment display up front with support for wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus a matching digital instrument cluster for the driver.

A Passenger Talk intercom system is standard in the Palisade, which makes it easier to talk to passengers in the back as you drive around Libertyville each day. With the Toyota Grand Highlander, we find some comparable standard features like a 12.3-inch multimedia screen and a multimedia display for the driver, but you won’t find an equivalent to Passenger Talk.

If you’re looking for enhanced tech features, then you’ll find them on higher trims of the Palisade that take technology to the next level. Simply moving up one trim to the SEL gets you a wireless charging pad up front, along with an auto-dimming mirror and power driver’s seat. The remarkable Calligraphy trim comes with incredible upgrades, including a head-up display and a stunning 14-speaker Bose CenterPoint sound system that fills the interior with rich, decadent audio.

While the Grand Highlander can also get a wireless charging pad and head-up display, the available 11-speaker JBL sound system on the highest trims leaves something to be desired compared to the Palisade’s remarkable audio.

#5 – Excellent Driver-Assistance Tech

We’re pleased to say that both the Hyundai Palisade and the Toyota Grand Highlander are remarkably safe vehicles with impressive driver-assistance technology. It might seem strange that we’d be so positive about the features on a Toyota model, but we love anything that keeps people safer on the road.

That being said, we prefer the way Hyundai brings everything together with the 2026 Palisade. The standard features on this model include Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Car, Pedestrian, and Cyclist Detection, Lane Keeping Assist, and Driver Attention Warning. You also get Blind-Spot Collision Warning standard in every Palisade.

Looking at available options, you can take things further in the Palisade with upgrades like a Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist system that actively helps you avoid merging into someone you haven’t noticed, as well as a Surround View Monitor that gives you enhanced visibility while maneuvering at low speeds. Toyota offers a similar Panoramic View Monitor as an option, but the Grand Highlander doesn’t have an equivalent to Hyundai’s Blind-Spot View Monitor, which provides a camera feed of your blind spot when turning.

Hyundai also offers Highway Driving Assist II as an available option, which upgrades the standard Highway Driving Assist system to include automatic lane-change capabilities and more. You can’t find a similar system in the Grand Highlander.

Get Around Libertyville in the All-New Palisade

As you can see, Hyundai brings a lot to the road with the 2026 Palisade, ensuring you have a vehicle that you’ll love driving day after day. We didn’t even mention the fact that everything Hyundai offers comes at a significantly lower price than what you’ll pay for Toyota’s model.

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade starts at just $39,435 MSRP, making it a remarkably accessible option for growing families.^[a] By comparison, the 2026 Grand Highlander starts at $41,660 and quickly goes up from there for higher grades, which can make a big difference as you shop for your next SUV.

With seven different trim levels available for the Palisade, Hyundai makes it easy for us here at Gurnee Hyundai to show you a gorgeous vehicle with all of the features you’ve been looking for.

^[a] MSRP excluding tax, license, registration, destination charge, and accessories. MSRP may change without notice. See dealer for complete details. 

Posted in Hyundai Palisade for Sale Near Libertyville | No Comments »