The 2023 Hyundai Palisade comes with refreshed looks, a potent engine, and a premium interior all at an estimated base MSRP of $33,900. The biggest SUV offered by Hyundai has been a success in North America selling 86,539 units in 2021. The biggest update for the Palisade is the Cascading front grille, giving it a similar look to the 2022 Hyundai Tucson.
Together with the updated front fascia comes a new trim level, XRT, which will sit in between SEL and Limited trim levels. The XRT was first released by Hyundai with the Santa Fe and later on with the Tucson claiming to aim for an enthusiastic off-road audience.
At its bare metal, the XRT doesn’t differentiate a lot from the rest of the trim levels, except for adding extra plastic cladding, blacked-out design elements, and very exclusive wheels, just like with the Calligraphy. The 2023 Hyundai Palisade XRT is expected to start with an MSRP of $38,150. Does the extra dollar make the XRT a truly off-road capable SUV, let’s find out.
All The New Features For The 2023 Palisade XRT Trim
To kick things off, the Palisade XRT trim will bring very similar details to the exterior just like with the 2022 Tucson XRT. Considering Hyundai has offered their 2022 Tucson with the Cascading front fascia and all the good and bad associated with it, it's safe to say the XRT trim will bring that rugged look to the Palisade too.
According to Hyundai's press release, the XRT Trim will include 20-inch dark-themed alloy wheels, and a more rugged front and rear bumper thanks to the addition of skid plates which will also allow it to handle a bit more off-road. Other design elements if picking the XRT include a blacked-out grille, along with black roof rails and black leatherette seats to match the rest of the rugged theme.
The Palisade XRT Trim Brings No Changes In Powertrain
While the XRT might add design elements that make it more rugged and bold what’s under the hood doesn't change much along with all trim levels. The 2023 Hyundai Palisade still retains that 3.8-Liter V6 producing a smooth 291 horsepower that comes paired with an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
The combo makes up for a smooth family ride and doesn’t let down in performance numbers too. The 2022 Hyundai Palisade does 0-60 mph in 7.4 seconds for the FWD variants and 7.2 seconds for the AWD ones. Pretty awesome considering this is a luxury 7-seater weighing 4,200 pounds.
Towing capacity isn’t bad either, that’s why we need to stop ignoring the Hyundai Palisade. Rated at 262 lb-ft of torque the 2023 Palisade can tow up to 5000 pounds. Front-wheel drive has always been standard for all trim levels except for top-of-the-range Calligraphy which comes standard with all-wheel drive. The XRT will surely have an all-wheel-drive as an optional upgrade which we would love to have standard, especially at that price tag.
Palisade XRT Packs An Elevated Interior; Now Better Than Ever
The 2023 Hyundai Palisade comes with a refreshed interior too. A new steering wheel now lives up to the rest of the interior quality, paired with a 12.0-inch infotainment system and the latest and greatest safety features. All three rows now get USB Type-C ports.
The second-row seats get electronically adjustable headrests along with heated and cooled seats. Driver side gets massaging seats as an extra from the 2022 model and third-row seats get heated seats as a first-timer for Hyundai. Based on what we have seen with the Tucson XRT we believe the 2023 Palisade will get a blacked-out headliner and black leather seats echoing the exterior mods.
2023 Hyundai Palisade XRT Vs Competition
Unofficial is the addition of running boards which were available with the Tucson XRT but don’t help with off-roading. Other than blacked-out elements, exclusive 20-inch dark-themed wheels, and a $5,000 jump before taxes and delivery, the XRT trim has always struggled to keep up with what Hyundai promises to offer.
The XRT brings some bold exterior looks, mated with the repolished front fascia. The main idea of picking XRT is to go off-roading, and by that Hyundai doesn’t specify any technical upgrades to the suspension or drive modes. It’s also unsure if the Palisade XRT will come standard with all-wheel drive, failing to deliver the “off-road enthusiastic promise”.
Competitors of the same category, Kia Telluride with its X-line and X-pro provide extra ground clearance and come with all-wheel drive as standard. The American counterpart Ford and its 2022 Expedition took their off-road package seriously, packing a performance-tuned version of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine and paired it with a 10-speed auto, two-speed transfer case.
To wrap it all up, we believe the XRT will make the 2023 Palisade stand out but if your main purpose for choosing the XRT is a true off-road experience you would be better off spending that money on real performance mods or picking another brand.
Source: Hyundai