2024 Hyundai Palisade vs 2025 BMW X3

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade stood out with its distinctive styling, setting it apart from other family-friendly SUVs. While its design might not have appealed to everyone, those who appreciated its aesthetics likely found other aspects of the vehicle to their liking. The Palisade was available in several trims, including the SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, Calligraphy, and the new Calligraphy Night Edition, with prices ranging from $36,650 to $53,850, excluding the $1,395 destination charge. The Calligraphy Night Edition, which we tested, featured a blacked-out appearance with dark chrome and gloss black exterior trim, badges, and wheels, available only in Abyss Black or Hyper White paint colors. Inside, it boasted a luxurious feel with a black interior featuring leather with artificial suede inserts, an artificial suede headliner, quality upholstery, metal speaker grilles, and sophisticated interior design elements.

In contrast, the 2025 BMW X3 presented a seductive appearance for a two-box SUV, with a long and tall hood, captivating dashboard-to-axle ratio, and tapering greenhouse and roofline, giving it an athletic look. The test model, adorned in BMW’s new Arctic Race Blue paint, paired well with machined surface wheel finishes, gloss black M Sport details, and Calm Beige upholstery. The Veganza artificial leather, with its perforated and quilted surfaces, closely resembled real leather. The X3’s cabin, while not overly fancy, featured quality materials where expected, though some plastic elements revealed its price point. The X3 was available in 30 xDrive and M50 xDrive model series, with base prices ranging from $51,125 to $65,875, including the $1,175 destination charge. Our well-equipped X3 30 xDrive test vehicle, priced at $60,875, included extra-cost paint and wheels, ventilated front seats, and four option packages, making it a good value compared to its rivals.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade was equipped with a 3.8-liter V6 engine producing 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. While front-wheel drive was standard, the Calligraphy Night Edition came with all-wheel drive, offering a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds and eight inches of ground clearance. The Palisade featured multiple driving modes, including Eco, Comfort, Sport, Smart, and Snow, and allowed for locking the AWD system for off-road travel. However, it was best suited for less challenging terrain. The V6 engine provided ample power and satisfying acceleration, with the transmission always in the right gear. The AWD system distributed power effectively on dirt and gravel roads. The EPA estimated 21 mpg in combined driving for the AWD model, though our testing averaged 18.8 mpg in Comfort mode. The Palisade offered a quiet ride, especially in the Calligraphy Night Edition, with acoustic window glass and a firm yet comfortable suspension. It displayed some athleticism on mountain roads, with predictable handling and reliable brakes.

The 2025 BMW X3 30 xDrive featured a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine generating 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Despite its 4,176-pound weight, the X3 achieved a zero-to-60 mph time of six seconds, thanks to its eight-speed automatic transmission and xDrive AWD system. The engine’s power curve provided peak torque or horsepower from 1,600 rpm to near redline at 6,500 rpm. The X3 also included a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, enhancing off-the-line responsiveness and making the engine’s automatic start-stop system nearly imperceptible. For more power, the M50 xDrive offered a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with 393 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque, reaching 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. The X3 30 xDrive’s turbo-four engine was a gem, though mid-range passing power was lacking. The M Sport package with sport-tuned suspension and 21-inch wheels provided a proper BMW driving experience, though the ride quality was firm. The X3 excelled on twisty roads, offering a delightful driving experience, and achieved 24.2 mpg, slightly below the EPA rating of 29 mpg.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade offered a range of seating options, with the base SE trim featuring cloth seats and higher trims offering H-Tex artificial leather, real leather, or premium Nappa leather with microfiber inserts. Heated eight-way power-adjustable front seats were standard on all but the SE trim, with additional features like a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, memory settings, and an Ergo Motion massage function available on higher trims. The Calligraphy Night Edition provided a comfortable experience with simulated suede seat inserts, though it was only available with a black interior. The Palisade offered configurable storage between the front seats, with a large storage bin, cupholders, and a wireless smartphone charger. Second-row passengers enjoyed captain’s chairs with optional heating and ventilation, while the third row was more comfortable and roomy than most rivals. The Palisade provided 18 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, expanding to 86.4 cubic feet with the second-row seats folded.

The 2025 BMW X3’s interior felt wider and larger than most compact crossovers, with a simple dashboard featuring the BMW Curved Display, housing a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The front seats offered power adjustment, heating, and Veganza artificial leather, with optional ventilation. The driver faced a flat-bottom steering wheel with a thick, round rim. However, the rear seats were less comfortable, with passengers positioned too low and hard front seat-back panels causing discomfort. The cargo area measured 31.5 cubic feet, with a lightweight, easy-to-remove cargo cover, netted storage area, grocery bag hook, and illumination. The 40/20/40 split-folding rear seat allowed for carrying longer items and passengers simultaneously.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade featured a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel, available with the SEL Premium option package or higher trims. All Palisades had a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, supporting Bluetooth connectivity for two devices, Bluelink+ connected services, Wi-Fi access, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a rear-seat Quiet Mode. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto required a USB-A cable, while wireless charging was standard starting with SEL trim. The Harman Kardon premium sound system, part of the SEL Premium package, provided excellent sound quality. Additional technologies included a digital key function, digital rearview mirror, semi-autonomous remote parking system, and an available head-up display.

The 2025 BMW X3’s BMW Curved Display featured the new Operating System 9 software, offering a Quick Select user experience. Owners could create profiles using the MyBMW smartphone app, though we encountered issues accessing BMW Digital Services. The system occasionally froze and became unresponsive, prompting us to rely on wireless Apple CarPlay, which worked flawlessly. The navigation system, with optional augmented video, provided accurate directions. Despite the frustrating experience with the infotainment system, it’s possible the issues were unique to the test vehicle or user error.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade came equipped with the SmartSense collection of driving assistance systems, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, intersection assist, safe exit assist, automatic high-beam headlights, rear parking sensors, and a rear-seat reminder system. Highway Driving Assist paired adaptive cruise control with curve speed control and lane-centering assist. The Palisade earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS, though NHTSA crash tests were incomplete.

The 2025 BMW X3’s driver assistance features included the standard Active Driving Assistant suite with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and active blind-spot monitoring. The Premium Package added adaptive cruise control, Steering Assistant, and Parking Assistant Plus. The optional Driving Assistant Professional Package included hands-free Traffic Jam Assistant and Lane Change Assistant. The X3 earned a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA, with four-star ratings for the driver and front passenger in the frontal-impact crash test.