Compare the2025 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2025 Cadillac Escalade

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Palisade and Escalade 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 Escalade’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.

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

Both the Palisade and the Escalade 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.

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 Cadillac Escalade:

	Palisade	Escalade
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	19%	23%
Neck Stress	161 lbs.	312 lbs.
Neck Compression	42 lbs.	51 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	94/151 lbs.	152/161 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	47%
Neck Stress	132 lbs.	272 lbs.
Neck Compression	43 lbs.	66 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	351/306 lbs.	333/811 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 Cadillac Escalade:

	Palisade	Escalade
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	189 lbs.	248 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	14 inches
HIC	223	239
Hip Force	724 lbs.	764 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Palisade, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 5.3% to 7.6% less likely to roll over than the Escalade, which received a three-star rating.

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 Escalade’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 Cadillac covers the Escalade. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Escalade ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

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

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Palisade for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Cadillac only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Escalade.

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

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Palisade has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engine in the Escalade.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Palisade’s reliability 26 points higher than the Escalade.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 52 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is ranked 23rd, below the industry average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 11 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Palisade
	FWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/24 hwy
Escalade
	RWD	6.2 OHV V8	15 city/19 hwy
	AWD	6.2 OHV V8	14 city/18 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Palisade uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Escalade requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Brakes and Stopping

The Palisade stops shorter than the Escalade:

	Palisade	Escalade
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Palisade Limited HTRAC handles at .81 G’s, while the Escalade Sport Platinum 4WD pulls only .67 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.1 seconds quicker than the Escalade Sport 4WD (27 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 30.1 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Palisade’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Escalade’s (38.7 feet vs. 39.5 feet). The Palisade’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Escalade with 24” wheels’ (38.7 feet vs. 40.6 feet).

Chassis

The Hyundai Palisade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1500 to 1650 pounds less than the Cadillac Escalade.

The Palisade is 1 foot, 3.2 inches shorter than the Escalade, making the Palisade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Palisade is 7.8 inches shorter in height than the Escalade, making the Palisade much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

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 Escalade doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Palisade Limited HTRAC is quieter than the Escalade Sport Platinum 4WD (38 vs. 42 dB).

Passenger Space

The Palisade has 1.2 inches more rear headroom and .6 inches more rear legroom than the Escalade.

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

Cargo Capacity

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 Escalade’s liftover is 37 inches.

Ergonomics

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Palisade to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Escalade doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Night 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. Cadillac doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Escalade.

The Palisade Calligraphy/Night’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 Escalade’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Palisade owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Palisade will cost $1680 less than the Escalade over a five-year period.

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 56.92% to 57.78% of its original price after five years, while the Escalade only retains 48.69% to 51.52%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Palisade is less expensive to operate than the Escalade because it costs $37 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Palisade than the Escalade, including $510 less for a muffler, $16 less for a fuel pump, $535 less for front struts, $23 less for a timing belt/chain and $255 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Palisade, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Cadillac Escalade isn't recommended.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the Cadillac Escalade by almost three to one during 2024.

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