2023 Hyundai Palisade vs 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade, Hyundai's largest SUV, had a commanding presence on the road, further enhanced by its 2023 styling update. The new front fascia, with its bold strokes and squared-off grille, gave the Palisade a stronger and more assertive look. Standard LED accents, daytime running lights, and headlights added to its appeal, while the Ultimate Calligraphy trim featured premium rear accent lighting and a unique grille. The Palisade's body-colour mirrors were heated and powered across all trims, with approach lighting included in the Ultimate Calligraphy. In Canada, 20-inch alloy wheels were standard, with the Ultimate Calligraphy trim offering a new multi-spoke design. The new Robust Emerald colour option for the Ultimate Calligraphy was subtle and elegant, adding to the vehicle's premium feel.

Inside, the Ultimate Calligraphy trim boasted a stylish and attractive interior, brightened by a dual-pane sunroof. Premium Nappa leather was standard, while lower trims featured cloth or leatherette seats. The Palisade offered a range of seating configurations, with second-row captain's chairs available on higher trims. Heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated second-row seats were standard, with ventilated seats available on higher trims. The interior design drew inspiration from luxury brands, with horizontal quilting and dash lines reminiscent of Mercedes-Benz. The Palisade's interior was designed to accommodate up to eight passengers, with various seating configurations available.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was a true crossover built on the TNGA-K platform, sharing its underpinnings with the regular Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, and Camry. It was not a body-on-frame vehicle, and its towing capacity was capped at 2,268 kilograms. The Grand Highlander was notably larger than its competitors, with a length of 5,115 millimetres and a 2,950 mm wheelbase. Its design was more conservative and blockier than the smaller Highlander, drawing inspiration from rugged vehicles like the 4Runner. The Grand Highlander was available in three trims: XLE, Limited, and Platinum, with varying interior materials and features. The interior was spacious and comfortable, with ample headroom, legroom, and shoulder room in all rows. The Grand Highlander excelled as a road-trip vehicle, with a well-built interior and a reputation for mechanical reliability.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade was powered by a 3.8-litre V6 engine, producing 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This powertrain was competitive within its class, offering more power than the Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen Atlas, and slightly more than the Honda Pilot and Nissan Pathfinder. The Palisade's eight-speed automatic transmission could be controlled with standard paddle shifters, and in Canada, all-wheel drive was standard. The HTRAC all-wheel drive system performed well in off-road conditions, although the Palisade was not designed for rock-crawling. It offered a comfortable ride and a towing capacity of 2,268 kilograms, with a dedicated Tow Mode for optimized shifting. Fuel economy was rated at 12.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 9.5 on the highway, and 11.2 combined.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander offered three engine options: a 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder with 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, a 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid with 245 combined net horsepower, and the Hybrid Max powertrain with 362 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. All powertrains were sold with all-wheel drive in Canada. The Hybrid Max delivered impressive acceleration, with a zero-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds. The Grand Highlander's size made it less maneuverable than the smaller Highlander, and its steering feel was somewhat numb. However, its brakes were solid, and acceleration was adequate. The Grand Highlander offered three drive modes—Sport, Eco, and Normal—with additional modes for gas-only and Hybrid Max models. Sport mode tightened steering and throttle response, while Eco mode dulled them.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade offered ample space for seven or eight passengers, with 1,052 millimetres of legroom in the front row, 1,077 in the second, and 798 in the third. Passenger volume measured 4,397 litres, and cargo space was 509 litres behind the third row, 1,297 litres behind the second, and 2,447 litres with all but the front-row seats folded flat. The Palisade featured a hands-free smart liftgate on all but the base trim, and HVAC vents in all three rows. The centre console included a phone holder and space for a bag, with physical buttons and knobs laid out intuitively. Automatic dual-zone climate control was standard.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was larger than its primary rivals, with a total cargo capacity of 2,761 litres. It offered 1,640 litres behind the second-row seats and 583 litres with all three rows up. The Grand Highlander provided a spacious and comfortable interior, with good outward visibility and ample headroom, legroom, and shoulder room in every row. A six-foot adult could comfortably sit in the third row, making it a practical choice for families.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade featured a 12.3-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation, HD Radio, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Bluetooth connectivity. A premium 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system was standard on higher trims, and up to two devices could be connected via Bluetooth. The Palisade offered a 4.2-inch colour driver info display or a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster on higher trims. Remote accessibility and management features were enhanced with Hyundai's Bluelink connected vehicle system, allowing remote control of heated and cooled seats.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander came with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering dual-device Bluetooth connectivity and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. An intelligent assistant and cloud-based navigation were available via a connected-services subscription. The Grand Highlander Limited and Platinum trims featured an 11-speaker JBL stereo. Streaming audio integration and Sirius XM satellite radio were available, with a three-month trial included.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade earned a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS and came with Hyundai's Smart Sense suite of safety features. Standard features included forward collision avoidance, driver attention warning, high beam assist, lane-keeping assist, and lane-following assist. Blind-spot collision avoidance and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance were newly standard, along with adaptive cruise control. Highway Driving Assist I and II were available on higher trims, and a full-display digital rearview mirror was offered on the Ultimate Calligraphy.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander had not yet been crash-tested, but it included Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 as standard. This suite featured automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, automatic high beams, road-sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring. Traffic jam assist and a head-up display were exclusive to the Platinum grade. Adaptive cruise control was standard, with four following-distance settings.