After being launched late last year in a single top-spec variant, the 2026 Hyundai Palisade range has expanded downward.
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Elite shares its turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain with the Calligraphy that debuted the current, second generation, but loses some luxury features to bring the price down.
Arriving in March, the Elite is priced at $76,500 before on-road costs. That slots it under the Calligraphy, which is priced at $89,900 before on-roads in eight-seat guise or $90,900 plus on-roads as a seven-seater.
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Unlike the Calligraphy, which is offered in aforementioned seven-seat configuration with second-row captain’s chairs, the Elite is available exclusively as an eight-seater with three-seat benches for the second and third rows.
It’s distinguished from the Calligraphy with a different grille design and five-spoke 20-inch alloy wheels with a black/machined finish. There are also black and silver lower bumpers and side skirts, and black wheel-arches.
The Elite misses out on the following features found in the Calligraphy:
- 21-inch alloy wheels
- Remote Smart Parking Assist
- Dual sunroofs
- Dynamic welcome and escort lights
- Laminated glass
- Digital rear-view mirror
- Head-up display
- Nappa leather upholstery
- Ventilated first- and second-row seats
- Suede headliner and pillar trim
- Power tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
- Rear window sun blinds
- Rear ground-projected reversing lights
- Sensor-based rear occupant alert
It also drops the front Premium Relaxation Seats, with their four-way driver and two-way passenger power lumbar adjustment, and memory for the driver’s seat.
However, standard equipment still includes:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Full-size alloy spare
- Acoustic windshield front door glass
- Rear privacy glass
- Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
- Proximity entry with push-button start
- Digital Key 2.0
- Electronic parking brake with auto hold
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Satellite navigation
- 14-speaker Bose sound system
- Tri-zone climate control
- Black leather-appointed upholstery
- Cloth accents
- 10-way power driver’s seat
- 8-way power passenger seat
- Heated front seats
- Heated outboard second-row seats
- Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
- Interior Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) outlet
- Electrochromic rear-view mirror
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- Autonomous emergency braking (forward and reverse)
- Blind-spot assist
- Blind-Spot View Monitor
- Driver monitoring system
- Highway Driving Assist 2
- Intelligent speed limit assist
- Lane Following Assist 2 (lane centring)
- Lane-keep assist
- Rear cross-traffic assist
- Surround-view camera
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Front, front-side, curtain, driver’s knee and front-centre airbags
The Elite is available only with a black interior, but comes in the following exterior paint finishes:
- Creamy White
- Shimmering Silver
- Ecotronic Grey
- Galaxy Maroon
- Classy Blue
- Abyss Black
Premium paint costs an extra $750.
Both the Elite and Calligraphy feature locally developed chassis tunes.
They share a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain producing 245kW of power and 460Nm of torque, mated with a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Fuel consumption is 6.8L/100km, while braked towing capacity is 2000kg.
While the previous Palisade was offered here with a choice of petrol or diesel engines, the new-generation model is offered exclusively as a hybrid.
However, government certification documents seen by CarExpert confirm Hyundai has received approval to offer a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine without a hybrid system, and with a choice of front- or all-wheel drive.
These documents also list a front-wheel drive hybrid configuration which has yet to appear in Australia, as well as the more rugged XRT Pro trim which Hyundai has indicated will come here later this year.
