When Hyundai unveiled its XRT lineup of vehicles, the brand promised that the XRT badge would signal a more aggressive personality with some light pinches of trail-ready upgrades to make these vehicles better soft roaders. While the revamped Tucson, Ioniq 5, and Santa Cruz XRTs all reflect this practice in spades, the Palisade has always felt the odd man out. Does the 2025 XRT version still have what it takes to inject the Palisade with trailready spirit?
XRT still has the buff looks
At first glance, the XRT appears to have the looks to match the badge’s purpose with our tester arriving with blacked-out accents including dark wheels front grille, and even blacked-out lighting. Our tester arrived when Michigan winter weather held the area in its icy grip for the last time and the icy chill further enhanced the white paint’s ability to stand out in the cold. Other than these minor changes, the XRT retains the core look that has defined the current generation Palisade.
It’s still sharp looking, but at the same time, with the new Palisade on the horizon, it also reveals some of the things we would like to see Hyundai do to improve the looks of the XRT. For starters, more exterior differentiation that moves it beyond being a mere styling special with the front and rear bumpers perhaps having tweaks to give them some form of function. It would also make the XRT stand out better in the lineup and give buyers more incentive to purchase one. These changes should also extend to the interior to help build on the basic rugged touches already in place and inject more trail flavor into it with our tester getting black cloth seats and minor changes.
Speaking of the interior, it’s still ready for large families with the three-row layout allowing the Palisade to swallow large amounts of people and passengers when the rear seats are folded down. The XRT embraces many of the things that are seen in other Paliasade models and while it’s not quite as ritzy as the range-topping Calligraphy model, the XRT’s value-focused mindset is easy to see especially when you look at its large list of standard equipment.
But where’s the XRT-flavored beef?
With the Palisade XRT projecting a strong look inside and out, it’s a pity that the mechanical side of the coin is lacking in a few key areas. Like other Palisades, the XRT gets its power from a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 that makes 291 hp with the engine being paired with an eight-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive is standard but buyers can go for an optional all-wheel drive system with the Calligraphy model continuing to be the only model that’s equipped with all-wheel drive standard.
The XRT is supposed to be the middle rung in the Palisade family, but with the model now being in production for six years, some of its shortcomings are beginning to show. The V6 is an outlier in a market where smaller engines have become the new normal and the XRT in particular lacks some of the distinct upgrades that would help it stand out on the trail. While full-size SUVs typically don’t go as extreme as smaller SUVs in off-road upgrades, there’s a growing number of them that have slowly bucked the trend including the Chevrolet Traverse and its GMC-badged counterpart the Acadia.
As for how it drove, our tester continued to deliver decent amounts of everyday commuting comfort with the XRT doing a good job keeping wind noise out of the vehicle. The V6 is not as spunky as other entries in the segment but when cruising through town, it’s smooth, and the Palisade’s suspension continues to deliver the goods when it comes to ride quality.
Value Quotient
Pricing for the Hyundai Palisade XRT reflects its place in the middle with a base front-wheel-drive model starting at $43,050 with the base SE model starting at $37,200 with all of these figures not including taxes. This pricing is on par with the segment but it once again exposes how the Palisade has fallen behind rivals over the years.
The Chevrolet Traverse for example has a higher starting price as a whole and while the rugged Z71 off-road variant is more than the XRT, it has more off-road upgrades including a twin-clutch all-wheel drive system, all-terrain tires, and suspension and body upgrades to help it cope with the muck better. The upgrades make the Z71 a unique entry in the Traverse lineup and also allow it to have a better level of distinction and justification in the minds of buyers when it comes to purchasing one.
As such, the next version of the Palisade XRT needs to commit more to the trail lifestyle and we hope that Hyundai will invest more upgrades into the XRT to make it a true all-rounder in the segment. With some of the visuals that we have seen already, it appears Hyundai is preparing to give the model its first full evolution and the XRT could benefit from that newfound youth and vigor if executed correctly.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.