The base front-wheel-drive Pilot Sport starts at $39,900, while the entry-level, front-wheel-drive Palisade SE starts at $36,650.

My well-equipped, Alabama-built Pilot Elite AWD test car started at $52,780 with an as-tested price of $54,630, while my loaded Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy AWD starts at $52,100. With fees, the Ulsan, South Korea-built SUV's as-tested price is $53,650.

The Pilot's blunted, truck-like front end looks great, but the Palisade's parametric jewel-style front grille takes the cake for me. It's a front facia that's both futuristic and elegant.

The Honda Pilot is one of the largest SUVs in its class. At 200 inches, my test car is about three and a half inches longer than the Hyundai Palisade.

It's also taller and wider than the Palisade.

While many of their contemporaries have turned to small, turbocharged four-cylinder engines for motivation, the Pilot and Palisade are both powered by smooth, naturally aspirated V6s.

The Palisade's 3.8-liter V6 produces 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. It's paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The Pilot is powered by a 3.5 liter, 285 horsepower V6 with 262 lb-ft of torque paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

To help save fuel, both engines are equipped with the universally loathed automatic stop-start system, while the Honda engine can also shut down three of its six cylinders when high power output isn't needed.

The EPA rates both vehicles for 19 mpg city and 21 mpg combined driving. However, the Pilot gets 25 mpg of fuel economy on the highway, one more than the Palisade.

The Pilot and Palisade are both naturally front-wheel-drive crossover SUVs with all-wheel-drive available as an optional extra.

Honda's i-VTM4 and Hyundai's HTRAC systems both operate in front-wheel drive when cruising, sending power to the back only when it detects traction loss.

What sets Honda's system apart is that it can target how much power each of the rear wheels receives, such as distributing more power to the outside rear wheel in a corner to reduce understeer and improve controllability.

Neither vehicle is particularly sporty to drive. The Pilot and Palisade lack the instant low-end torque of a turbocharged powerplant or an electric motor. The duo is also saddled with transmissions tuned for efficiency over outright performance.

Even though both models returned identical 0 to 60 mph runs of 6.9 seconds in Motor Trend's testing, the Palisade inched ahead of the Pilot in this department as it provided a more refined and pleasant driving experience.

The Palisade's drivetrain delivered power effortlessly, while it felt like the Pilot's engine and transmission combo had to strain a bit to get the vehicle going.

While both the Pilot and Palisade feature spacious, smartly designed cabins with high-quality materials and excellent ergonomics, they were executed in very different ways.

The Palisade's cabin is stylish and refined. It stands out for its quiet, isolating ride, design features like the airplane seat-style wing-out headrests, and creature comforts like the massaging ergo-motion driver seat.

The Pilot shines for its practicality and thoughtful touches, which help it excel at hauling people and their stuff. One such touch is the ingenious removable middle seat module, which can quickly transform the second-row captain's chairs into bench seats to accommodate extra passengers.

The Pilot and Palisade have two of the roomiest passenger cabins in the segment.

The Palisade offers about an inch and a half more second-row legroom compared to the Pilot, but it trails the Pilot by an inch in third-row legroom.

The Pilot's standard seven-inch and optional nine-inch displays are verging on unacceptably small for a vehicle in this segment. Especially when compared to the Palisade's standard 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen.

Both systems are well-sorted, easy to use, and backed up by physical switches to help make use on the go a bit easier. However, I found the Hyundai system to be a bit more intuitive to use.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility come standard on both vehicles.

Both vehicles also come with an intercom system that allows the driver and rear cabin passengers to communicate through the SUVs' speakers.

The Honda Pilot is ahead of the Palisade in overall cargo space, with up to 112.1 cubic feet of cargo space behind the first row versus 86.4 cubic feet for the Palisade.

The Honda Pilot and Hyundai Palisade represent excellence in the genre but through very different means.

The Palisade's level of luxury and refinement is truly noteworthy. I wouldn't feel cheated if Hyundai slapped and Genesis badge on it and jacked up the price by $10,000.

On the other hand, the Pilot's quality and thoughtful execution are the mark of a brand with a quarter century of experience building minivans that can withstand years of grueling school runs and the destructiveness of a bored, curious child.

Given their vastly different personalities, the vehicle I'd choose depends purely on my family's changing needs.

With younger children, I'd choose the Pilot's roomy, easy-to-use, and durable cabin. But as they and I grow older, count me in on the Palisade's refined, isolating ride and heated massaging seats.

The Audi Q6 e-tron is the 11th battery electric model to join the brand's lineup and marks the debut of Audi's all-new EV platform.

With a 100-kWh battery pack, the Q6 e-tron is rated by the Environmental Protection Agency for 321 miles of range. The Q6 e-tron with Quattro all-wheel drive has 456 horsepower and can do 0 to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. There's also a higher-performance SQ6 e-tron.

The Q6 e-tron starts at $63,800.

The Cadillac Vistiq, starting at $77,400, is a three-row midsize luxury electric SUV positioned between the smaller Lyriq and the flagship Escalade IQ.

Cadillac says the Vistiq will have a range of about 300 miles with a 102-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. With dual electric motors generating 615 horsepower, it can go from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds.

Production at GM's Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant is expected to start in early 2025.

The Texas-based startup EV maker Canoo unveiled its electric pickup in 2021, but there hasn't been much news about the innovative cab-forward truck since. So it's unclear when it will go into production. What we do know is intriguing, including 600 horsepower, 200-plus miles of range, and an ultraconfigurable truck bed.

The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is an all-electric midsize three-row family SUV set to go on sale in the first half of 2025. Built on the Electric Global Modular Platform platform, which also underpins the Kia EV9, the Ioniq 9 features a 110.3-kWh battery pack and an estimated range of 385 miles.

The Kia EV4 is a concept for a stylish compact EV sedan that debuted at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show. Kia has not confirmed that the EV4 will enter production. But Car and Driver believes it could arrive as early as 2026 with up to 300 miles of range and a starting price of about $39,000.

The Lotus Emeya is a high-performance four-door GT with as much as 905 horsepower. According to Lotus, the Chinese-built EV can do 0 to 62 mph in 2.78 seconds and has a top speed of 159 mph.

The Gravity is the second model to emerge from the American EV startup Lucid. It's a three-row luxury SUV with up to 828 horsepower and an estimated 440 miles of range. The Gravity Grand Touring is on sale now, starting at $94,900.

The iconic Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen can finally be had as an EV. Offered alongside its internal-combustion siblings, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology comes with a 122-kWh battery pack, 239 miles of range, 579 horsepower, and a starting price of $161,500.

The Polestar 5 is a luxury high-performance EV sedan that is scheduled to launch in 2025. The Polestar 5, set to compete against the likes of the Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz EQS, will be built on the brand's first dedicated EV platform, featuring an 800-volt battery and electric motors that can produce up to 884 horsepower. While developed by Polestar's research-and-development teams in the UK and Sweden, the 5 will be built in the brand's new factory in Chongqing, China, alongside the coming Polestar 6 EV sports car.

The Ram 1500 REV is Stellantis' answer to the Ford F150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV. Its 168-kWh battery pack helps it reach an estimated 350 miles of driving range. According to Ram, the 654-horsepower pickup can do 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds and tow up to 14,000 pounds.

The R3X is the high-performance variant of the Rivian's coming R3 midsize electric SUV and has distinct hatchback styling. According to Rivian, the R3X should be able to achieve over 300 miles of range and do 0 to 60 mph in less than 3 seconds. The R3 and R3X are expected to arrive after Rivian commences customer deliveries of the R2 in the first half of 2026.

Volkswagen Group's Scout Motors recently unveiled its Scout Terra pickup and Scout Traveler SUV. The body-on-frame off-roaders, with a starting price between $50,000 and $60,000, are inspired by the International Scout utility vehicles of the 1960s and '70s. The Terra and Traveler are set to enter production in 2027 in South Carolina.

The long-awaited second-generation Tesla Roadster was announced in 2017 and remains in development purgatory. The Roadster was supposed to go on sale in 2020 but has been continuously delayed. When it does arrive, Tesla says it should go from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, reach 250 mph, and have a range of 620 miles.

The VW bus is back. Volkswagen relaunched its counterculture-era icon as the all-electric 2025 ID Buzz. The new bus, which starts at $60,000, comes with a 91-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and is available in all-wheel drive. The ID Buzz has an estimated 234 miles of range.