Compare the2022 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2021 Lexus GX460

Both the Palisade and GX460 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 GX460’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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Palisade are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GX460 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 GX460 uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Palisade and the GX460 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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 GX460 has not been tested, yet.

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 GX460’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the GX460. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the GX460 ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the GX460’s (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Palisade for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the GX460 (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Palisade’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Palisade’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the GX460’s camshafts. If the GX460’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Palisade has a standard 180-amp alternator. The GX460’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 10th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 12th.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Palisade is faster than the Lexus GX460:

On the EPA test cycle the Palisade gets better mileage than the GX460:

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 GX460 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 GX460 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Hyundai Palisade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the GX460.

The Palisade stops shorter than the GX460:

The Palisade’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GX460’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Palisade offers optional 20-inch wheels. The GX460’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

For superior ride and handling, the Hyundai Palisade has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Lexus GX460 has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Palisade’s wheelbase is 4.4 inches longer than on the GX460 (114.2 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Palisade is 4.8 inches wider in the front and 5.2 inches wider in the rear than on the GX460.

The Palisade Limited AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the GX460 pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Palisade’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the GX460’s (38.7 feet vs. 41.1 feet).

The Hyundai Palisade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 1000 pounds less than the Lexus GX460.

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 GX460 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 lower than the GX460 (.35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Palisade get better fuel mileage.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Palisade Limited AWD is quieter than the GX460 (38 vs. 43 dB).

The Palisade has standard seating for 8 passengers; the GX460 can only carry 7.

The Palisade has 25.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the GX460 (155.3 vs. 129.7).

The Palisade has 2.7 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 5.8 inches more front shoulder room, 8.3 inches more rear legroom, 2.5 inches more rear hip room, 3.5 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.6 inches more third row headroom, 2.1 inches more third row legroom, .6 inches more third row hip room and .7 inches more third row shoulder room than the GX460.

The front step up height for the Palisade is 3.7 inches lower than the GX460 (18” vs. 21.7”). The Palisade’s rear step up height is 2.5 inches lower than the GX460’s (19.5” vs. 22”).

The Palisade’s cargo area provides more volume than the GX460.

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 GX460’s liftover is 33.8 inches.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Palisade’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The GX460 doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Palisade’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The GX460’s swing out door blocks loading from the passenger’s side.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Palisade’s power cargo door can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Palisade’s power cargo door can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The GX460 doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening cargo door.

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 GX460 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 GX460’s parking brake has to released manually.

The Palisade’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The GX460’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Palisade’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The GX460’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

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 GX460 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 GX460 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Palisade is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The GX460 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Palisade owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Palisade with a number “8” insurance rate while the GX460 is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Palisade is less expensive to operate than the GX460 because typical repairs cost much less on the Palisade than the GX460, including $46 less for a muffler, $376 less for a starter, $40 less for fuel injection, $15 less for a fuel pump and $281 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 $12640 to $16201 less than for the Lexus GX460.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Palisade and the Lexus GX460, based on reliability, safety and performance.