Compare the2026 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2026 BMW X7

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW X7 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X7 doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

Both the Palisade and X7 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 X7’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 front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The X7 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The BMW X7 has not been tested.

The Hyundai Palisade’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the BMW X7 does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Palisade and the X7 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The X7 has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

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 X7’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the X7 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Palisade’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 14th, below the industry average.

On the EPA test cycle the Palisade gets better mileage than the X7:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Palisade uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X7 requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Palisade higher (6 out of 10) than the BMW X7 (4 to 6). This means the Palisade produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X7 every 15,000 miles.

The Palisade’s 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 X7 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Palisade is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the X7.

For better maneuverability, the Palisade XRT PRO’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the X7 xDrive40i’s (39 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Hyundai Palisade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1050 to 1100 pounds less than the BMW X7.

The Palisade is 4.4 inches shorter than the X7, making the Palisade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Palisade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the X7 can only carry 7.

The Palisade has 4.4 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 5.4 inches more rear legroom, 2.9 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.2 inches more third row headroom and 7.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the X7.

The front step up height for the Palisade is .9 inches lower than the X7 (19.1” vs. 20”). The Palisade’s rear step up height is 1.2 inches lower than the X7’s (19.3” vs. 20.5”).

The Palisade’s cargo area provides more volume than the X7.

The Palisade’s cargo area is larger than the X7’s in every dimension:

The Palisade has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The X7 doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The Palisade’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The X7’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Palisade has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X7 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Palisade SEL Premium/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard front air conditioned seats and the Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The X7 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Palisade XRT PRO/Limited/Calligraphy has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X7 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Palisade is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The X7 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Palisade as the 2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The X7 has never been chosen.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the BMW X7 by almost four to one during 2024.