Hyundai Palisade vs Nissan Pathfinder: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Hyundai Palisade burns about $1,800 of fuel annually against $2,350 for the Nissan Pathfinder. That $550 yearly gap compounds to roughly $2,750 over five years and $4,400 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the Hyundai Palisade leads in both cycles — 33 mpg city and 35 mpg highway against 25 and 28 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the Hyundai Palisade is recorded with 3 distinct engine configurations (SIDI & PFI, SIDI; Hybrid, SIDI), the Nissan Pathfinder with 3 (SIDI, 3.5, 2.5). Across 24 recorded Hyundai Palisade configurations and 39 for the Nissan Pathfinder, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Hyundai Palisade is offered with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive, the Nissan Pathfinder with 4-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD and Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Hyundai Palisade emits 258 g/mile of CO2 versus 342 g/mile for the Nissan Pathfinder. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.