Compare the2022 Toyota HighlanderVS 2022 Hyundai Palisade

The Highlander has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Palisade doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Highlander has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Palisade doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Highlander and the Palisade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Toyota Highlander 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 50 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Highlander third among upper midsize suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Palisade isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 7th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Hyundai is ranked 6th.

The Highlander’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 4 more horsepower (295 vs. 291) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (263 vs. 262) than the Palisade’s 3.8 DOHC V6.

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

Both the Highlander 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 Highlanders 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 Highlander’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Palisade are solid, not vented.

The Highlander stops much shorter than the Palisade:

The Highlander XLE AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Palisade Limited AWD pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Highlander XLE AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Palisade Limited AWD (27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Highlander’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Palisade’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Highlander has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Palisade (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Highlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Highlander has .5 inches more front headroom and 1.9 inches more third row hip room than the Palisade.

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Highlander. The Palisade doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Highlander’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Palisade’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Highlander 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. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Palisade can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Highlander Platinum has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Palisade doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Highlander 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.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Highlander is less expensive to operate than the Palisade because it costs $527 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Highlander than the Palisade, including $246 less for a water pump, $473 less for a muffler, $112 less for front brake pads, $13 less for a fuel pump, $174 less for front struts and $845 less for a power steering pump.

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

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Hyundai Palisade by over three to one during the 2021 model year.