Compare the2022 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2021 Infiniti QX80

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Palisade and QX80 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Palisade has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The QX80’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Hyundai Palisade has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The QX80 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Palisade 4WD’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The QX80 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Palisade’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The QX80 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Palisade uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The QX80 uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Palisade and the QX80 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Palisade is safer than the Infiniti QX80:

	Palisade	QX80
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	2 Stars
HIC	160	384
Neck Injury Risk	19%	36%
Neck Stress	161 lbs.	439 lbs.
Neck Compression	42 lbs.	95 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	94/151 lbs.	983/651 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	1.2 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	37%
Neck Stress	132 lbs.	219 lbs.
Neck Compression	43 lbs.	78 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	351/306 lbs.	452/534 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Palisade is safer than the Infiniti QX80:

	Palisade	QX80
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	27
Chest Movement	.7 inches	1 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	16 inches
HIC	223	437

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Palisade its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 63 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The QX80 has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

The Palisade comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The QX80’s 4-year/60,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Infiniti covers the QX80. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the QX80 ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Palisade for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Infiniti doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the QX80.

There are over 4 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Infiniti dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Palisade’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Palisade has a standard 180-amp alternator. The QX80’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Palisade has a standard 800-amp battery. The QX80’s 780-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Palisade’s reliability 19 points higher than the QX80.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 10th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is ranked 15th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is ranked 23rd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 5 places higher in reliability than Infiniti.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Palisade gets better mileage than the QX80:

			MPG
Palisade
	FWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/24 hwy
QX80
	RWD	5.6 DOHC V8	14 city/20 hwy
	AWD	5.6 DOHC V8	13 city/19 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Palisade’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be disabled at the start of a trip with its optional disable switch. The QX80 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Palisade uses regular unleaded gasoline. The QX80 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Hyundai Palisade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the QX80.

Brakes and Stopping

The Palisade stops shorter than the QX80:

	Palisade	QX80
70 to 0 MPH	177 feet	185 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	132 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	155 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Palisade Limited AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the QX80 AWD pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Palisade’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the QX80’s (38.7 feet vs. 41.3 feet).

Chassis

The Hyundai Palisade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1450 to 1550 pounds less than the Infiniti QX80.

The Palisade is 1 foot, 2.1 inches shorter than the QX80, making the Palisade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Palisade’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The QX80 uses body-on-frame design instead.

The design of the Hyundai Palisade amounts to more than styling. The Palisade has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .33 Cd. That is significantly lower than the QX80 (.367) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Palisade get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The Palisade has 2.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the QX80 (155.3 vs. 152.5).

The Palisade has .8 inches more front headroom, 4.5 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear headroom, 1.4 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more third row headroom and 2.6 inches more third row legroom than the QX80.

The front step up height for the Palisade is 4.4 inches lower than the QX80 (18” vs. 22.4”). The Palisade’s rear step up height is 3.3 inches lower than the QX80’s (19.5” vs. 22.8”).

Cargo Capacity

The Palisade’s cargo area provides more volume than the QX80.

	Palisade	QX80
Behind Third Seat	18 cubic feet	16.6 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Palisade easier. The Palisade’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.6 inches, while the QX80’s liftover is 35.8 inches.

The Palisade’s cargo area is larger than the QX80’s in almost every dimension:

	Palisade	QX80
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	20.8”/49”/82.5”	18.4”/48”/81”
Max Width	53.7”	50”
Min Width	43.4”	49.8”
Height	30.5”	36”

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Palisade’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The QX80 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

The Palisade Limited/Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The QX80 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Palisade’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The QX80’s parking brake has to released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Palisade and the QX80 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Palisade is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The QX80 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Palisade to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The QX80 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Standard air conditioned seats in the front and second seat rows keep the Palisade Limited/Calligraphy’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The QX80 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Palisade (except SE) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The QX80 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Palisade owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Palisade will cost $1120 to $6185 less than the QX80 over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Palisade is less expensive to operate than the QX80 because typical repairs cost much less on the Palisade than the QX80, including $65 less for a starter and $319 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Palisade will be $32641 to $42516 less than for the Infiniti QX80.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Palisade, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Infiniti QX80 isn't recommended.