Compare the2026 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2026 Lincoln Navigator

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Lincoln Navigator doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

Both the Palisade and Navigator have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Palisade has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Navigator’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Hyundai Palisade has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Navigator doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Palisade has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Navigator doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Lincoln Navigator has not been tested.

The Hyundai Palisade’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Lincoln Navigator does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Palisade uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Navigator uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Palisade and the Navigator have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Navigator has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

The Palisade comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Navigator’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lincoln covers the Navigator. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Navigator ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Navigator’s (7 vs. 5 years).

There are over 78 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Palisade’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 19th, below the industry average.

On the EPA test cycle the Palisade gets better mileage than the Navigator:

Regenerative brakes improve the Palisade Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Navigator doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Palisade uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Navigator requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Palisade has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Navigator. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Palisade higher (6 out of 10) than the Lincoln Navigator (5). This means the Palisade produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Navigator every 15,000 miles.

The Palisade has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Navigator doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC handles at .82 G’s, while the Navigator Black Label pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Palisade XRT PRO’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the Navigator’s (39 feet vs. 41.7 feet). The Palisade’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Navigator’s (39.2 feet vs. 41.7 feet).

The Hyundai Palisade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1150 to 1500 pounds less than the Lincoln Navigator.

The Palisade is 10.8 inches shorter than the Navigator, making the Palisade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Palisade is 8.5 inches shorter in height than the Navigator, making the Palisade much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Palisade’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Navigator doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Palisade uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Navigator doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Palisade has 3.2 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, 2.8 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear legroom and .4 inches more third row headroom than the Navigator.

The front step up height for the Palisade is 1.9 inches lower than the Navigator (19.1” vs. 21”). The Palisade’s rear step up height is 3.7 inches lower than the Navigator’s (19.3” vs. 23”).

The Palisade’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Navigator’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

A Trailer Sway Control is standard on the Palisade, using the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the Navigator.

The Palisade Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Navigator doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

When the Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Navigator’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Palisade Calligraphy’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Navigator doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Palisade is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Navigator doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Palisade as the 2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Navigator was last chosen as a North American vehicle of the year in 2018.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the Lincoln Navigator by over three to one during 2024.