Compare the2023 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2022 Toyota Highlander

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

Safety

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Both the Palisade and Highlander 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 Highlander’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 Palisade has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Palisade has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Highlander LE/XLE/XSE/Limited/Platinum offers rear cross-path warning.

Both the Palisade and the Highlander 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 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 Toyota Highlander:

	Palisade	Highlander
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	160	292
Neck Injury Risk	19%	38.2%
Neck Stress	161 lbs.	347 lbs.
Neck Compression	42 lbs.	55 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	94/151 lbs.	321/243 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Stress	132 lbs.	179 lbs.
Neck Compression	43 lbs.	90 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	351/306 lbs.	545/323 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 Toyota Highlander:

	Palisade	Highlander
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	55
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	37 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	223	366

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

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 Highlander’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 Toyota covers the Highlander. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Highlander ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Highlander’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Palisade for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Highlander (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

Reliability

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Palisade is faster than the Toyota Highlander:

	Palisade	Highlander
Zero to 60 MPH	7.1 sec	7.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	15.7 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

The Palisade has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the Highlander (18.8 vs. 17.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

The Palisade stops shorter than the Highlander:

	Palisade	Highlander
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Palisade has larger tires than the Highlander (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 Highlander L/LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires. The Palisade’s optional tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Highlander XSE/Limited/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

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 Highlander doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Palisade’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Highlander (114.2 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Palisade is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Highlander.

Passenger Space

The Palisade has 14 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Highlander (155.3 vs. 141.3).

The Palisade has 2.1 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 1.4 inches more rear legroom, .7 inches more rear hip room, 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.7 inches more third row headroom, 3.7 inches more third row legroom and .2 inches more third row shoulder room than the Highlander.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Palisade	Highlander
Behind Third Seat	18 cubic feet	16 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	86.4 cubic feet	84.3 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 Highlander’s liftover is 31.2 inches.

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

	Palisade	Highlander
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	20.8”/49”/82.5”	17.8”/48”/80.7”
Max Width	53.7”	50”
Min Width	43.4”	45.8”
Height	30.5”	31”

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Palisade’s second row seats and pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Palisade Limited/Calligraphy’s third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Highlander doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Servicing Ease

The Palisade uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Highlander uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Palisade (except SE)’s optional Easy Access Seat glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Highlander doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

Consumer Reports rated the Palisade’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Highlander’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Palisade’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 Highlander offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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. Toyota doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Highlander.

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 Highlander 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 Highlander.

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 Highlander doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Palisade is less expensive to operate than the Highlander because typical repairs cost much less on the Palisade than the Highlander, including $93 less for a starter, $63 less for fuel injection and $810 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

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

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Hyundai Palisade Limited AWD higher than the Toyota Highlander XLE AWD.

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 Highlander isn’t in the top three.

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