2025 Lexus RX Hybrid vs 2024 Hyundai Palisade

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade stood out with its distinctive styling, setting it apart from other family-friendly SUVs. While its design might not have appealed to everyone, those who appreciated its aesthetics likely found other aspects of the vehicle equally appealing. In Canada, the Palisade was available in two trims: Urban and Ultimate Calligraphy, with the latter offering a luxurious feel thanks to features like an artificial suede headliner, quality upholstery, and sophisticated interior elements. The Ultimate Calligraphy trim, priced at $61,031, exuded a luxury SUV vibe, making it a compelling choice for those seeking a premium experience in a midsize family SUV.

In contrast, the 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid, particularly the RX 500h F Sport Black Line model, was priced at nearly $90,000 and featured exclusive design elements like an Incognito paint job and orange brake calipers. Despite these unique touches, the RX's overall appearance was considered unremarkable, with its design heavily reliant on the chosen version and colour/wheel combination. The RX lineup included three models: RX 350h, RX 500h, and RX 450h+, each offering different power outputs and fuel efficiencies. The RX 500h, with its turbocharged engine and sport-tuned features, provided a more dynamic driving experience, though its design remained a point of contention for some.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade was equipped with a 3.8-litre V6 engine, delivering 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, the Palisade offered standard all-wheel drive in Canada, ensuring reliable traction across various conditions. With a maximum towing capacity of 2,268 kilograms and 20.3 centimetres of ground clearance, the Palisade was versatile for both urban and light off-road adventures. It featured multiple driving modes, including Eco, Comfort, Sport, Smart, and Snow, allowing drivers to tailor their experience. Despite its firm suspension, the Palisade provided a comfortable ride, with excellent visibility and a top-down surround-view camera aiding in city driving. However, its real-world fuel economy was less impressive, averaging 15.0 L/100 km in Comfort mode.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid offered a range of powertrains, with the RX 350h being the most efficient at 246 horsepower and 6.5 L/100 km combined. The RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid provided 304 horsepower and a 0-100 km/h time of 6.5 seconds, while the RX 500h delivered 366 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, achieving 0-100 km/h in 6.2 seconds. The RX 500h featured a sport-tuned adaptive damping suspension, 21-inch wheels, and a sophisticated Direct4 AWD system, enhancing its performance capabilities. However, its fuel economy was less than ideal, averaging 13.5 L/100 km during testing. While the RX 500h excelled in straight-line acceleration, its dynamic capabilities were hindered by a lack of communication between the road and driver, making it less rewarding to drive enthusiastically.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade offered a spacious and comfortable interior, with premium Nappa leather upholstery in the Ultimate Calligraphy trim. Standard features included heated and ventilated front seats with memory settings, a heated steering wheel, and a dual-panel sunroof. The Palisade's configurable storage solutions and thoughtful design elements, such as USB charging ports and smartphone-specific storage pockets, enhanced its practicality. With a hands-free power tailgate and generous cargo space, the Palisade provided 509 litres of storage behind the third row, expanding to 2,447 litres with the second and third rows folded.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid focused on occupant comfort and practical cargo space, with heated and ventilated front seats and a panoramic sunroof. The RX provided ample room for adults in the rear, with optional power-reclining, heated, and ventilated rear seats. Interior storage was plentiful, though some compartments lacked lining, potentially causing noise. The RX Hybrid offered 838 litres of cargo space, with buttons in the cargo area allowing for easy folding of the second row to create 1,308 litres of storage. However, the cargo cover could be cumbersome when loading larger items.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade featured a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel and touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, and SiriusXM satellite radio. While Apple CarPlay and Android Auto required a USB-A cable, the voice recognition system performed well. Hyundai's Bluelink connected services offered remote engine starting and emergency assistance, while the Harman Kardon premium sound system provided excellent audio quality. Additional technologies included a digital rearview mirror, semi-autonomous remote parking, and a head-up display, though it was incompatible with polarized sunglasses.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid boasted advanced technology, with digital key functionality, a camera-based digital rearview mirror, and a hands-free power liftgate. The RX 500h featured a 14-inch touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and cloud-based navigation. The Lexus Interface infotainment system was user-friendly, though steering wheel controls were distracting. The optional 21-speaker Mark Levinson audio system delivered impressive sound quality, but the head-up display was smaller than some competitors.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade came equipped with a comprehensive suite of driving assistance systems, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keep assist. Highway Driving Assist paired adaptive cruise control with lane-centring assist, providing a hands-on driving experience. The Palisade earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS, though NHTSA crash tests were incomplete.

The 2025 Lexus RX Hybrid featured Safety Connect, offering automatic collision notification and emergency assistance. Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 included forward collision warning, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. Proactive Driving Assist monitored forward progress, while a surround-view camera was available. The RX received a five-star safety rating from NHTSA, but the IIHS rated it poorly for occupant protection in frontal-impact tests.