Compare the2023 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2023 GMC Acadia

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/12/21

Both the Palisade and Acadia 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 Acadia’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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Palisade Calligraphy has standard Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Acadia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Palisade and Acadia have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Palisade has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic.

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 Acadia doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Palisade and the Acadia 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, 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 GMC Acadia:

	Palisade	Acadia
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	160	285
Neck Injury Risk	19%	21%
Neck Stress	161 lbs.	191 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	94/151 lbs.	129/383 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	43%
Neck Stress	132 lbs.	203 lbs.
Neck Compression	43 lbs.	99 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 GMC Acadia:

	Palisade	Acadia
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	125
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	113 lbs.	156 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	189	276
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	189 lbs.	799 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	14 inches
HIC	223	381
Hip Force	724 lbs.	760 lbs.

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Palisade its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Acadia last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

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 Acadia’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than GMC covers the Acadia. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Acadia ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 1 year and unlimited miles longer than the Acadia’s (7/unlimited vs. 6/100,000).

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. GMC only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Acadia.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Palisade has a standard 800-amp battery. The Acadia’s 660-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, GMC is ranked 17th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 8 places higher in reliability than GMC.

Engine

The Palisade’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 63 more horsepower (291 vs. 228) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 258) than the Acadia’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Palisade uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Acadia with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Palisade’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Acadia:

	Palisade	Acadia
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	12.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Palisade has larger tires than the Acadia (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R18).

The Palisade’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Acadia SLE/SLT’s standard 65 series tires. The Palisade’s optional tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Acadia’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Palisade has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Acadia AT4.

Suspension and Handling

The Palisade offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Acadia doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Palisade’s wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than on the Acadia (114.2 inches vs. 112.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Palisade is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 3.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Acadia.

For greater off-road capability the Palisade has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Acadia (7.9 vs. 7.2 inches), allowing the Palisade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Palisade has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Acadia can only carry up to 7.

The Palisade has 11.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Acadia (155.3 vs. 143.8).

The Palisade has .7 inches more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom, 2.4 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom, 4.4 inches more rear hip room, 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room, .6 inches more third row headroom, 1.7 inches more third row legroom, .8 inches more third row hip room and .9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Acadia.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Palisade’s middle and third row seats recline. The Acadia’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Palisade	Acadia
Behind Third Seat	18 cubic feet	12.8 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	45.8 cubic feet	41.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	86.4 cubic feet	79 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 Acadia’s liftover is 32 inches.

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

	Palisade	Acadia
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	20.8”/49”/82.5”	18.5”/48”/83”
Max Width	53.7”	50”
Min Width	43.4”	42.5”
Height	30.5”	33”

Both the Palisade and the Acadia have standard second row automatic folding seats. The Palisade Limited/Calligraphy’s third row seats also fold up or down at the press of a button. The Acadia doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

Towing

The Palisade’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Acadia’s (5000 vs. 1000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Palisade uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Acadia doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Palisade’s standard front power windows open or close 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 Acadia’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically. The Palisade Calligraphy’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches.

The Palisade has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Acadia doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Palisade Limited/Calligraphy’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Acadia’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Palisade’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Acadia’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy has standard heated front seats and second and third row heated seats also avaiable, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. GMC doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Acadia.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Palisade’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Acadia doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Palisade Calligraphy has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Acadia.

The Palisade Calligraphy’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Acadia doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

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 Acadia is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

The Palisade will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Palisade will retain 53.3% to 53.86% of its original price after five years, while the Acadia only retains 47.29% to 50.03%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Palisade is less expensive to operate than the Acadia because typical repairs cost less on the Palisade than the Acadia, including $29 less for front brake pads and $198 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Palisade first among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Acadia isn’t in the top three.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the GMC Acadia by 56% during 2022.

See Available Inventory