I’m lucky enough to have traveled all over the world to drive and test cars, but one place I didn’t expect to end up is Arkansas. Specifically, Bentonville, Arkansas. I really didn’t think I’d be flying down there to take a couple of Hyundai crossovers off-road, but it’s a weird world, and that’s exactly what I found myself doing in the Ozarks with the 2027 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT and the 2027 Palisade XRT Pro. Both the Bentonville and the Hyundais were a pleasant surprise.
Hyundai’s XRT trim isn’t exactly new. It’s been around for a little while, and previously it only added some extra plastic cladding and maybe slightly more rugged tires to the models it was available on. It looked tougher than it really was. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with adding a little “adventure cosplay” to a vehicle, people wanted more from XRT, so for 2027, Hyundai made real hardware changes to improve the Santa Fe and Palisade’s off-road chops. Did those changes amount to anything? Well, while they’re unlikely to give a Jeep Wrangler or INEOS Grenadier cause for worry, the XRT and XRT Pro models are definitely more than an appearance package.
In Short: The Hyundai Santa Fe XRT and Palisade XRT Pro offer real hardware differences from their less rugged siblings, including better ground clearance, more underbody protection, smaller wheels with bigger tires, and, in the case of the Palisade, a locking rear differential. They represent a good compromise between a comfy daily driver and a dedicated off-roader for most people.
Getting More Serious
Hyundai has a lot going on these days, including a confirmed truck for the US market and a Bronco-esque body-on-frame SUV concept called Boulder, not to mention a unibody off-road SUV concept called Crater. While we know precious little about the truck, the two concepts suggest the brand is getting more serious about offering models for its more adventurous customers. Hyundai’s sister brand, Kia, has taken the same approach, aiming to take a big bite out of Subaru’s Wilderness models’ market share.
The Morning Of
Our drive day started early. The dozen or so journalists that Hyundai had invited for this wave of their program (there was one before us and one just for influencers after) assembled in the hotel lobby. After finding our drive partners (there aren’t usually enough vehicles for every journalist to have their own for the day) and being shown to our vehicle, we set off on a pre-planned route out of downtown Bentonville and onto the off-road park in southern Missouri. The route showcased Arkansas’ excellent roads and made me really want to come back with something sporty to take advantage of them.
After around an hour, we arrived at the off-road park and were directed down an easy trail to a big tent where Hyundai had set up lunch, some bathrooms, wifi, and a handful of vehicles that were earmarked specifically for the two off-road loops that we could drive at our leisure, either with a partner or solo.
Best Case Scenario
Before I get into how the Santa Fe XRT and Palisade XRT Pro performed off-road, it’s important to know the conditions under which they were tested. As with any event like this, a manufacturer goes to great lengths to design a course or courses that showcase the vehicle’s abilities in the best possible light. Nothing is especially extreme or likely to push any but the most inexperienced off-roaders out of their comfort zone. Can we glean any real insight from these kinds of best-case-scenario tests? Yeah, totally. Is it anything like the kind of testing we’d put them through if we were turned loose in an off-road park? Definitely not.
The off-road park we were invited to was just across the state line in Missouri, and it was beautiful, with lots of ponds, creeks, trees, and wildlife. Conditions were favorable, meaning that the trails were dry so we wouldn’t be testing the Hyundais’ prowess in the mud. That’s for the best, because I didn’t feel like getting towed out of a bog in a hydrolocked Hyundai anyway.
The Courses
The first course was a short loop with a few small hill climbs, a sharply banked turn, and a series of bumps meant to flex the vehicles’ suspension. Nothing extreme, or even tough, though one of the hill climbs and another obstacle required a little throttle to get through, letting the H-Trac all-wheel drive and terrain response systems sort out the grip. In the Santa Fe XRT, this was marginally more challenging than in the Palisade, simply because the Palisade XRT Pro has a computer-controlled locking rear differential. Neither vehicle struggled, though the same can’t be said for some drivers who clearly hadn’t done this kind of driving before.
Some of those drivers bottomed the vehicles out on obstacles taken with a little too much gusto or a poor line, though the XRTs shrugged it off thanks to their improved skid protection. There were a few small sacrifices to the trail gods, though, in the form of front air dams, but those are made to break away and aren’t a big deal. Nothing that stopped anyone from wheeling.
The suspension on both the Palisade and the Santa Fe has been tweaked for off-road duty, but it’s not exactly Baja-spec. Travel is limited, and while it does its best to cope with the travails of the trail, I found myself on the bump stops more than once. That’s not a dig at the Hyundais’ suspension, per se. Crossover SUV suspension will only get you so far without making radical changes that aren’t financially feasible in a trim package like XRT or XRT Pro.
The second test loop was longer and focused more on natural obstacles. This involved some decent hill climbs that required a fair bit of throttle to surmount, with a few boulders to navigate around, plus several steep descents that let us try the Hyundai’s hill descent control system, which it calls Downhill Brake Control (DBCl).
That system functions much like an off-road cruise control, maintaining single-digit speeds down big hills. This helps because sudden or heavy braking can cause the tires to lose traction and start a slide, which is harder to control.
Room For Improvement
There are a few things that I’d like to see Hyundai implement in its XRT models going forward that would make a big difference off-road without fundamentally changing their mission. First is a dedicated trail cam. A camera that shows what’s under the vehicle’s nose and around the sides makes a big difference in driver confidence and saves you from hopping in and out to spot obstacles.
Next, I’d like to see that locking rear differential used across the board. It makes a big difference off-road while being transparent on-road. Will it add to the cost of the vehicles? Sure, a bit, but buyers who plan to take their vehicles off-road will appreciate it, and since Hyundai wants to impress those people, it seems like a no-brainer.
Lastly, I’d like to see a bit more power from both the Santa Fe and the Palisade. Both models make less than 300 horsepower, and while their drivetrains are technically adequate for the trail, I think something closer to 325-350 hp would make things more pleasant, given how much the XRT’s systems rely on throttle to figure out obstacles. Also, it would be nice if Hyundai could make the engines better under load, rather than an old Kubota tractor, or even better, make them quieter.
The Palisade Hybrid’s drivetrain makes 329 combined hp, which would be perfect, but there is no plan to offer a Palisade Hybrid with the XRT Pro package. The recently debuted Tucson XRT Pro will be the first hybrid offered in that trim level.
But How Are They On-Road?
Off-road, the Santa Fe and Palisade were pretty OK. Would I load them up with hundreds of pounds of gear and hit a tough trail for some real-deal overlanding? Nope. That’s probably too much to ask unless you’re extremely brave, foolish, or unbelievably gentle off-road. However, they are more than sufficient for light off-roading, and they’ll get you to most of your favorite campsites or trailheads and back as long as you don’t treat them like a Wrangler on the Rubicon Trail.
Where the Santa Fe XRT and Palisade XRT Pro really stand out is in their on-road performance. That’s less fun to talk about, but most of us spend 99 percent of our time on pavement, and this pair of Hyundais makes that experience really pleasant. While the standard Santa Fe and Palisade are both very nice vehicles, the fatter tires and off-road-tuned suspension create a very plush ride, at the expense of handling sharpness. Given that these are big SUVs and not meant to be sporty, I’m willing to make that trade.
Back to Bentonville
The drive back to Bentonville was a similar, though slightly different route than the one that we took in the morning. It did an amazing job of showing off just how much natural beauty that part of the country has to offer. It’s so unbelievably lush and green, with huge outcroppings of sedimentary rock jutting out everywhere. The wide, shallow, and crystal-clear streams that we saw were incredibly inviting, too.
Aside from its role as the home of Walmart, Bentonville also seems to have a thriving outdoor tourism industry. Mountain bike rental places are everywhere, it seems, and there is a huge variety of hiking and biking trails. If it weren’t the end of October (and blessedly mild in temperature and humidity), I suspect the town would have been absolutely packed. Folks at the hotel we were hosted at on Bentonville’s historic town square confirmed that suspicion.
The downside of traveling for events like this is that our time on the ground in the places we visit is extremely limited and pretty rigorously scheduled. That means I didn’t get to see as much of Arkansas as I would have liked, but it also gives me a good excuse to go back and explore.
Worth Your Consideration
Overall, did Hyundai prove the Santa Fe and Palisade can do real off-roading? Sure, they are more capable than anything else the brand has released in the past, even if that’s a somewhat low bar. Are they worth looking at if you want a roomy SUV that’s a comfortable companion during the week and a light-duty adventure rig on the weekend? Absolutely.
The 2027 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT and 2027 Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro are on sale now, starting at $43,940 and $51,820, respectively, including destination.
