After being launched in a single top variant late last year, the 2026 Hyundai Palisade The range has expanded downwards.
The 2026 Hyundai Palisade Elite shares its turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain with the Calligraphy that launched the current second generation, but foregoes some luxury features to lower the price.
The price for the Elite is from March $76,500 before on-road costs. That puts it in the Calligraphy model, priced at $89,900 before on-road as an eight-seater, or $90,900 plus on-road as a seven-seater.
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Unlike the Calligraphy, which is offered in the aforementioned seven-seat configuration with second-row captain’s chairs, the Elite is only available as an eight-seater with three-seat benches for the second and third rows.
It differs from the “Calligraphy” in a different grille design and 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with a black/machined finish. There are also black and silver lower bumpers and side skirts as well as black wheel arches.
The Elite lacks the following features of calligraphy:
- 21-inch alloy wheels
- Remote controlled intelligent parking assistant
- Double sunroofs
- Dynamic welcome and companion lights
- Laminated glass
- Digital rearview mirror
- Head-up display
- Nappa leather upholstery
- Ventilated seats in the first and second rows
- Suede headliner and pillar trim
- Electric tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
- Sun blinds for the rear window
- Rear reversing lights projected onto the ground
- Sensor-based occupant warning in the rear
In addition, the front premium relaxation seats with their four-way electric lumbar adjustment for the driver and front passenger as well as the memory function for the driver’s seat are no longer available.
However, the standard equipment still includes:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Full-fledged light metal spare part
- Acoustic windshield front door glass
- Rear privacy glass
- Heated, electrically folding exterior mirrors
- Proximity access with push button start
- Digital key 2.0
- Electronic parking brake with automatic holding function
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Satellite navigation
- Bose sound system with 14 speakers
- Three-zone climate control
- Black leather upholstery
- Fabric accents
- 10-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat
- 8-way electrically adjustable passenger seat
- Heated front seats
- Heated second row outboard seats
- Heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
- Interior vehicle-to-load socket (V2L).
- Electrochromic rearview mirror
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- Autonomous emergency braking (forward and reverse)
- Blind Spot Assist
- Blind spot monitor
- Driver monitoring system
- Highway driving assistant 2
- Intelligent speed limit assistant
- Lane Following Assist 2 (lane centering)
- Lane keeping assistant
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Surround view camera
- Tire pressure monitoring
- Front, side, curtain, driver’s knee and front center airbags
The Elite is only available with a black interior, but features the following exterior finishes:
- Creamy white
- Shimmering silver
- Ecotronic Grey
- Galaxy Maroon
- Noble blue
- Abyssal black
Premium paint costs an additional $750.
Both the Elite and Calligraphy feature locally developed suspension tuning.
They share a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain producing 245kW of power and 460Nm of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Fuel consumption is 6.8 l/100 km and the braked towing capacity is 2,000 kg.
While the previous Palisade was offered with either petrol or diesel engines, the new generation model is only offered as a hybrid.
However, state certification documents can be viewed Daily Sparkz confirm that Hyundai has received approval to offer a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline 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, not yet available in Australia, as well as the more robust XRT Pro trim, which Hyundai has announced will be coming here later this year.
MORE: Explore the Hyundai Palisade showroom
