Hyundai has given its flagship Palisade a shove towards the dirt, launching the XRT Pro from $79,900 plus on-road costs.
It’s the first XRT Pro badge Hyundai has offered in Australia, adding to the Santa Fe XRT (non-Pro) that arrived in 2025.
It’s also the latest soft-roader trying to muscle up, albeit with the inevitable gaps that mean the Toyota Prado doesn’t have to stand down just yet.
As with the Santa Fe, the Palisade is a monocoque large SUV, a vehicle engineered first and foremost for bitumen – but now it’s aiming at territory occupied by ladder-frame hardware.
READ MORE: Read our guide to the best soft-roaders on the market
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The recipe is a familiar one for the new breed of soft-roaders bulking up: lift it, shoe it in all-terrains, beef up the traction and bolt on the visual armour.
Ground clearance climbs to 212mm, up 25mm on the standard car. That’s a respectable number for a unibody wagon, bring it close to the heavy hitters of the off-road category (at least before they’ve had a lift that so many owners do).
The 18-inch alloys – down from the 20s on other Palisades – are wrapped in Continental all-terrain rubber with a chunkier tread and taller sidewall, all aimed at minimising the chances of a puncture in rough terrain.
Under the rear axle sits an electronic limited-slip differential that promises better traction than a regular traction control system – but something that’ll fall short of a full locker when things get really tough.
Red recovery hooks are fitted front and rear, there’s a factory-fitted towbar, and the suspension has been given a bespoke Australian tune with off-road-specific hardware and geometry, including a self-levelling rear damper.
Palisade XRT Pro steps up off-road cred (a bit)
The approach, departure and ramp-over angles have all improved – to 20.5, 22.4 and 18.3 degrees respectively – but they remain modest measured against a proper off-roader, where 30-degree approach angles are the norm.
There’s also no low-range transfer case, with the XRT Pro running an on-demand all-wheel drive system through an eight-speed automatic, with Mud, Sand and Snow terrain modes tweaking throttle and traction mapping.
Wheel articulation is also still limited by the Palisade’s independent suspension front and rear.
None of which makes the XRT Pro a bad thing. It just means the honest framing is a soft-roader that will go meaningfully further than most soft-roaders – not one that will chase a Prado up a rutted climb.
Towing is the bigger limitation
Braked tow capacity for the Palisade XRT Pro is 2200kg , which is 200kg up on the hybrid – but well short of the 3500kg that dominates the segment.
And the towball download limit is just 160kg, which could further limit the load for some.
It certainly rules out most dual-axle vans and – likely – a fair chunk of the off-road caravan market.
Petrol only – but a hybrid is coming
The XRT Pro is powered by Hyundai’s 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four, making 207kW and 422Nm through its eight-speed auto.
it’s not particularly economical, with claimed fuel use of 11.2L/100km – and you can obviously expect more when it’s laden or trudging through sand.
In a segment where diesel has been the default for decades – and where fuel range between remote servos is important – it’s certainly not front and centre of the sales pitch.
The XRT Pro is the only Palisade in the range not offered as a hybrid; Elite, Calligraphy and Calligraphy Black Ink all get the 245kW petrol-electric system.
Hyundai says it’s only a matter of time until the hybrid to find its way into the XRT Pro.
No shortage of space and gear
The Palisade XRT Pro brings plenty to the touring SUV table.
Eight seats across three rows, a full-size alloy spare, black roof rails, a 14-speaker Bose system, surround-view camera and a ground-view monitor that shows wheel placement during slow-speed crawling.
A dedicated off-road infotainment page displays pitch and roll angles, power distribution and e-LSD activity, accessed via an XRT button on the wheel.
Equipment sits broadly at entry-level Elite grade, so it misses the head-up display, Nappa leather and dual-pane sunroof of the Calligraphy.
The synthetic leather trim is arguably the better choice for dusty and dirty conditions.
More frustrating is the absence of interior vehicle-to-load power, which remains a Calligraphy-only feature; it’d be handy for running a fridge or camp lighting.
Servicing runs to 12 months or 10,000km – short intervals for high-mileage tourers – at $3752 across seven years, backed by Hyundai’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
At $79,900 the Palisade XRT Pro slots into the same money as well-equipped Prados and Everests, which is a demanding place to be. It counters with an extra seat, a long standard equipment list and the promise of superior on-road manners.
In short, it’ll depend how – and where – you want to use it as to the suitability.
