Two nights with the Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro and a Thule Foothill 2 put its outdoor ambitions into perspective.

Raised suspension, all-terrain tires and a rear electronic limited-slip differential add useful capability.
Seven seats and a large cargo area make the Palisade a practical camping companion.
Our rooftop tent setup brought extra wind noise, more noticeable crosswind reactions and a fuel economy compromise.

2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT PRO | Photo: Alain Kuhn Von Kuhnenfeld

The appeal of a camping trip starts well before you unzip a tent. Sometimes it’s simply knowing that the gravel road ahead doesn’t have to be the end of your journey.

That is where the 2026 Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro makes its case. It keeps the space and amenities of Hyundai’s three-row family SUV while adding hardware that makes rougher access roads less intimidating. Fit a Thule Foothill 2 rooftop tent, as on our test vehicle, and it becomes an interesting way to explore national parks and spend a few nights away from hotels.

Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro 2026: 5 questions and answers

More Clearance, Less Worry

The XRT Pro’s most useful changes sit underneath its tougher styling. Raised suspension increases ground clearance by 25 mm, to 212 mm. Its 18-inch wheels carry 255/60R18 Continental all-terrain tires, with more sidewall than the 20-inch all-season setup on the Preferred Trend.

Hyundai also adds an electronic rear limited-slip differential and a dedicated off-road mode. Approach, departure and breakover angles improve, giving the XRT Pro more room to negotiate uneven ground without catching its nose, tail or underside.

On gravel, rutted sections and uneven campsite approaches, the benefit was less worry. We spent less time wondering whether a rock or a change in the road surface might contact something underneath.

This remains a large family SUV, but the extra clearance and traction hardware give it more scope to tackle access routes that could stop a regular Palisade. Its appeal is getting a little farther along the road while keeping the everyday usefulness that brought you to a Palisade in the first place.

What Changes Compared With a Regular Palisade?

For a clear comparison, here is the XRT Pro against the Canadian Preferred Trend V6 AWD.

Specification	Palisade	Palisade XRT Pro
Engine and transmission	287-hp 3.5L V6, eight-speed automatic	Same
All-wheel drive	Standard	Standard
Ground clearance	187 mm	212 mm
Wheels and tires	20-inch, 255/50R20 all-season	18-inch, 255/60R18 all-terrain
Rear electronic limited-slip differential	No	Standard
Dedicated XRT off-road mode	No	Standard
Approach / departure angles	18.6° / 21.1°	20.5° / 22.4°
Seating	Eight	Seven, with second-row captain’s chairs
Official combined consumption	11.1 L/100 km	12.7 L/100 km

All-wheel drive and terrain modes already belong to the regular Palisade’s equipment list. The XRT Pro builds on those foundations with extra clearance, different tires and its rear differential.

Plenty of Room Below the Tent

Our seven-seat XRT Pro had far more passenger capacity than we needed for two people, that leaves considerable flexibility for luggage and camping equipment.

Cargo volume measures 540 litres behind the third row, increasing to 1,310 litres with that row folded and 2,455 litres with both rear rows down. Being able to trade unused seats for cargo space is a major part of the Palisade’s appeal here.

Folding both rows also creates a possible alternative sleeping area. It remains an option to explore rather than something we tested. The captain’s-chair layout would need consideration when arranging a sleeping surface. For a larger group, packing an additional ground tent is the straightforward solution.

The XRT Pro also retains amenities that are welcome on a longer trip, including heated and ventilated front seats, dual 12.3-inch displays and a 115-volt outlet. Choosing the more outdoors-focused trim does not mean giving up the equipment expected of a well-appointed family SUV.

Living With a Tent on the Roof

The Foothill 2 offered enough room for both of us. Its four large window openings gave it an airy feel, and a rainfly provides additional weather protection. Sleeping above the ground is part of the attraction, although that height becomes less appealing when it is time to pack up.

On a vehicle as tall as the Palisade XRT Pro, reaching the zipper around the cover was awkward. Unpacking and repacking became a two-person job. The challenge was accessing everything around the tent from ground level as much as folding the tent itself.

That matters if your trip involves moving every morning. It also means packing away your sleeping accommodation whenever you want to take the Hyundai out from camp.

Thule lists the Foothill 2 at $2,749.95 CAD. It offers a lower purchase price than many hard-shell alternatives, but the effort involved in opening and closing it deserves as much consideration as the price.

The Highway Trade-Off

The XRT Pro uses Hyundai’s 3.5-litre V6, producing 287 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic. Our driving on this trip was limited, with the focus on the camping experience.

The tent’s presence was most noticeable under heavy acceleration and in strong crosswinds. Wind noise also provided an unexpected lesson in the usefulness of a sunroof shade.

With the sunroof glass closed but the interior shade open, the noise was very present. Sliding the shade shut made a substantial difference. We appreciated the conventional sunroof and its effective cover; on this trip, a larger expanse of glass held little appeal.

Fuel consumption is the other compromise. Even without a tent, the XRT Pro’s official combined rating is 12.7 L/100 km, versus 11.1 for the regular V6 AWD Palisade. Its raised stance and all-terrain tires come with an efficiency penalty.

With our camping setup, we recorded 13.3 L/100 km on the highway and 15.5 L/100 km in the city, our combined fuel economy over 300km was 15.1 L/100 km.

These were not back-to-back tests with and without the tent, so the figures describe our experience rather than isolate the tent’s effect.

A Different Way to Travel

The 2026 Palisade XRT Pro launched in Canada at $61,121.00. Add the tent and the appropriate mounting equipment, and this is a substantial purchase before the first campsite booking.

If a Palisade is already on your shopping list, this setup might give you a reason to plan a longer adventure. Load up your gear, explore a few national parks and trade some hotel nights for nights at a campsite. You’ll still pay for camping and spend more on fuel, but over a longer trip, fewer hotel bills could help offset the cost of the tent.

After two nights, we appreciated having plenty of room for our gear and a little less worry on rough access roads. We would happily take better fuel economy and an easier-to-reach tent zipper, though. Having your bedroom upstairs has its inconveniences.

The XRT Pro made sense for this kind of getaway. Its extra capability was useful, and the tent gave us somewhere to sleep without filling the cabin with bedding. For families who spend the week running around town and their weekends heading out of it, that’s a good reason to consider this version of the Palisade.