Compare the2022 Honda PilotVS 2022 Hyundai Palisade

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Palisade’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Pilot and the Palisade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 rear parking sensors.

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, results indicate that the Honda Pilot is safer than the Hyundai Palisade:

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

There are over 28 percent more Honda dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Pilot’s warranty.

The engine in the Pilot has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Palisade has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 1 place higher in reliability than Hyundai.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Pilot is faster than the Hyundai Palisade:

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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The Palisade doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Pilot and the Palisade have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Pilots have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch costs extra on the Palisade.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Palisade doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Palisade.

The Pilot stops much shorter than the Palisade:

The Pilot has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Palisade doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Pilot has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Palisade doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Pilot (except LX)’s optional drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Palisade doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Pilot Elite 4WD handles at .83 G’s, while the Palisade Limited AWD pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Pilot Elite 4WD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Palisade Limited AWD (27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Palisade doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Pilot Elite 4WD is quieter than the Palisade Limited AWD (37 vs. 38 dB).

The Pilot has 1 inch more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.1 inches more third row headroom, .5 inches more third row legroom, .9 inches more third row hip room and 2.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Palisade.

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

The Pilot has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Palisade doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Pilot. The Palisade doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Pilot’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Palisade, and is not available on all models.

If the windows are left open on the Pilot the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Palisade can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Pilot’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Palisade SE/SEL’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Pilot’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Palisade offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Pilot has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Palisade SEL/Limited/Calligraphy.

Insurance will cost less for the Pilot owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Pilot will cost $495 to $3250 less than the Palisade over a five-year period.

The Pilot will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Pilot will retain 51.32% to 53.62% of its original price after five years, while the Palisade only retains 46.5% to 47.3%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Pilot is less expensive to operate than the Palisade because it costs $727 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Pilot than the Palisade, including $64 less for a muffler, $94 less for front brake pads, $109 less for fuel injection, $62 less for front struts, $550 less for a timing belt/chain and $528 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Pilot will be $3694 to $5424 less than for the Hyundai Palisade.

The Honda Pilot has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Honda Pilot Black Edition 4WD higher than the Hyundai Palisade Limited AWD.