- The first official images of the 2026 Hyundai Palisade just dropped and—is that a front bench?
- The full-size SUV gets a boxy redesign, but doesn’t quite look like anything else in Hyundai’s range
- Interior highlights include a bevy of buttons and a column-mounted shift stalk
- Details are slim for now, and the images shared depict the Korean-market Palisade specifically
Recommended Videos
Are you ready for the return of the front-row bench seat? Hyundai thinks we might be, in some parts of the world at least. The 2026 Hyundai Palisade has been revealed, and one of the highlights in these photos of the second generation is a front-row centre position that can be converted into a seat, making room for up to nine passengers.
For now, the only information we have is photographs, but they tell us quite a bit about where Hyundai is going with this redesign. The outside looks like a blend of the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Kia EV9, maybe with a dash of Range Rover thrown in.
It has an upright and boxy stance, a squared-off floating roof line, and segmented vertical headlamps. The thin strip of LED lighting across the grille is an interesting element. In keeping with Hyundai’s current design ethos, though, the new Palisade doesn’t bear an especially close resemblance to anything else in the automaker’s line-up.
At the rear, the wiper is tucked up beneath the rear spoiler, and the taillight pattern aligns with those at the front. This creates a cool mirroring effect when the new Palisade is viewed from the side. Contrary to current design trends, though, this rear lighting doesn’t extend across the width of the tailgate.
2026 Hyundai Palisade interior upgrades
On the inside, the Palisade more closely resembles recent Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis designs. It features plenty of smooth lines and elegant-looking materials, which presumably will be limited to higher trims. A pair of 12.3-inch screens sits on the dashboard to run the digital instrument cluster and infotainment system. The photos suggest there will still be plenty of physical controls, which is great news for traditionalists.
The four-dot logo on the steering wheel that denotes the letter “H” in Morse code is implemented here, as is the new Hyundai steering-column-mounted shifter. We presume (but can’t confirm) this infotainment system will be able to handle wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The front middle position has a centre console that can be folded up to create a seat, allowing seating for up to nine people. However, the version of the Palisade shown here is intended for South Korea, where adding this ninth seat qualifies Palisade drivers to use dedicated bus lanes. There is a seven-seat version with a dedicated centre console sporting USB-C ports, a wireless charging pad, cup holders, and storage, as well as second-row captain’s chairs. We think this is the setup more likely to land in North America, unless a whole lot of people express very loud appreciation for the bench.
No technical details have been released as of yet, though it’s been rumoured very strongly that we’ll see a Hyundai Palisade Hybrid launch with this new generation. We’re also expecting a longer wheelbase than before, along with a shorter front overhang and longer rear overhang. Official numbers haven’t been released, but the 2025 Palisade’s wheelbase measures up at 2,900 millimetres. More details are certain to be on the way as the Palisade gets closer to its official launch sometime in 2025.
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on Instagram ,Facebook and X to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.