2025 Hyundai Palisade Gets a CGI-Scripted Refresh, Looks Better Than Ever

Although subtle, the visual enhancements are important, as they separate the two iterations of the brand's flagship crossover. The facelifted Hyundai Palisade features a new grille, which, together with the fresh bumper and split-styling headlamps with tweaked graphics and shape, give it a more aggressive front end.

Changes out back are far less dramatic, and most people would need a side-by-side comparison with its predecessor to tell the differences. These comprise the bumper and repositioned reflectors. The tailgate looks virtually unchanged, and the taillamps have new graphics. It retains the Palisade lettering and the Hyundai emblem below the rear windscreen.

Hyundai's designers have also paid attention to the interior, where the facelifted Palisade gets a four-spoke steering wheel in front of the new instrument panel, a slightly bigger touchscreen infotainment system, and slimmer air vents. A digital rearview mirror is also included, and the driver's seat is a lot more comfortable, thus making it suitable for longer drives.

With the mid-cycle refresh, Hyundai has made sure that the Palisade remains competitive for a few more years. The Korean brand won't ditch the nameplate, as a second generation will launch. The upcoming one is said to feature a dramatic design similar to that of the smaller Santa Fe, likely featuring similarly-shaped headlamps and taillights and maybe having a boxier overall appearance, which would certainly do justice to it.

In other words, the next-gen Hyundai Palisade will look nothing like the one imagined by PoloTo and shared on YouTube earlier this week. Albeit appealing, the CGI proposal was based on the current generation, sporting a new face with a reinterpreted grille, bumper, and lighting units and a pair of side vents for a meaner stance. It has a similarly shaped profile, a tweaked tailgate, a more aggressive diffuser, and new taillights that give it a more modern vibe.

What would lie beneath the skin of the upcoming Palisade? Only the team responsible for its development knows for sure, yet if we were to take a guess, we'd say it will launch with gasoline and partially electrified powertrains.

But when is it due? Likely at least two years from now, considering that the facelifted iteration hasn't been around that long and still has plenty of life left in it. It is possible that we'll see the first prototypes in the open starting next year, and they will be an essential piece of the puzzle as it comes together.