Compare the2026 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2026 Land Rover Discovery Sport

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 Land Rover Discovery Sport 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 Land Rover Discovery Sport doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Palisade are reminded to check the back seat. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Discovery Sport 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 Land Rover Discovery Sport has not been tested.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Palisade SEL Premium/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid 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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

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

Both the Palisade and the Discovery Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 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 Discovery Sport 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 Discovery Sport’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 Land Rover covers the Discovery Sport. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Discovery Sport ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

There are over 4 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Land Rover 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 Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 20th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover With 48 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Land Rover.

The Palisade’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 38 more horsepower (287 vs. 249) than the Discovery Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Palisade’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 80 more horsepower (329 vs. 249) and 70 lbs.-ft. more torque (339 vs. 269) than the Discovery Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

The Palisade V6’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Discovery Sport (19 vs. 17.7 gallons).

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

For better traction, the Palisade Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Discovery Sport (265/45R21 vs. 245/45R21).

The Palisade has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Palisade’s wheelbase is 9 inches longer than on the Discovery Sport (116.9 inches vs. 107.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Palisade is 3.5 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Discovery Sport.

The front grille of the Palisade uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Palisade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Discovery Sport can only carry up to 7.

The Palisade has 2 inches more front headroom, 5.1 inches more front legroom, 4.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear headroom, 4.9 inches more rear legroom, 5.1 inches more rear shoulder room, 3.4 inches more third row headroom, 6.5 inches more third row legroom and 8.5 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery Sport.

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

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

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

Both the Palisade and the Discovery Sport offer 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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Palisade’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Palisade’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Discovery Sport’s (5000 vs. 4409 pounds).

The Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid’s standard easy entry system 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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Palisade has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard heated front seats and second and third row heated seats also available, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Land Rover doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Discovery Sport.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Discovery Sport.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Palisade is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Discovery Sport 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 Discovery Sport has never been chosen.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the Land Rover Discovery Sport by almost 40 to one during 2024.