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"I'm utterly speechless."
"I'm utterly speechless."
Back in 2006, Hyundai introduced the Veracruz as their first attempt at a three-row midsize SUV, and the Veracruz was well deemed as "the worst SUV". Then in 2012, Hyundai came back with the Santa Fe, which was also deemed as a horrible midsize-three row SUV with a laughable third row. Now for 2020, Hyundai has come back with one of the most shocking SUVs to hit the market, the Palisade. Based off the already amazing Telluride, does the Palisade make its brother look like a bad investment? Meh, not really.
Trim Levels
Trim Levels
Trim levels and pricing applies to 2020 model year Palisade.
SE
SE
MSRP $31,775
(AWD +$1,700)MSRP $31,775
SEL
SEL
MSRP $33,725
(AWD +$1,700)MSRP $33,725
Limited
Limited
MSRP $44,925
(AWD +$1,700)MSRP $44,925
Exterior Design
Exterior Design
You may not even know that the Palisade is the Kia Telluride's brother when you see the styling. Hyundai always does a great job with differentiation between their products. The Palisade adopts the new Hyundai design language with the headlights divorced from the turn signals and DRLs. Halogen lights come standard, but when you go for the SEL with the Convenience Package or the Limited, they become full LED. The grille is pretty big for a Hyundai, and on the Limited trims, it is chrome-painted aluminum. The Limited trim is the only trim where all the body cladding is swapped for body-color. Wasn't expecting that. In other markets, the Palisade has a little "dingleberry" under the DRLs that continues the DRLs, which is really quirky in itself. I wasn't a fan of the grille when I seen it in pictures, but in person it fits very well.
Hyundai definitely made the Palisade different compared to the Telluride, as it is 0.8 inches shorter, but you really can't tell. To be honest, the side view of the Palisade actually looks shorter than its dimensions may state. On the SE trim, 18-inch wheels come standard, but step to the SEL trim and get the Convenience Package and you'll get 20-inch wheels. The Limited gets 20-inch wheels also, but they are silver-painted and they look really nice on the Palisade.
The Palisade has an oddly conservative rear end. The taillights are only LEDs (again) when you jump to the SEL trim with the Convenience Package, but ONLY the reverse lights are halogen. I'm okay with that. PALISADE is spelled out across the back just like the Telluride, and it also has the same exhaust setup as the Telluride. Interesting quirk; the white panels next to the taillights emit a soft light on the Limited trims. The Palisade's cargo area falls slightly short of its competition, but still has enough room for your junk.
We live in a world where people complain about how slow power tailgates open. Well, both Hyundai and Kia are the first to have a two-speed hatch, that can open in a speedy 4.5 seconds when set to Fast, and a still respectable 6 seconds in the Slow setting. I don't have anything to complain about with the speed of power liftgates, so people... JUST FREAKIN' DEAL WITH IT!!!
Ford Explorer
87.8
87.8
Kia Telluride
87.0
87.0
Subaru Ascent
86.5
86.5
Hyundai Palisade
86.4
86.4
Dodge Durango
84.5
84.5
Toyota Highlander
84.3
84.3
Interior Design
Interior Design
Never in my life have I felt ANY nicer of an interior out of ANY car I've reviewed than in the Palisade. Hyundai really killed it in the interior, dare I say DRAMATICALLY overdid it!!! I mean, I would say this interior has the quality of a darn Mercedes!
Sitting up front, Limited trims get a 12-way power adjustable seat with two things that Hyundai has never offered on any of their vehicles. 4-way power lumbar and a THIGH EXTENSION. I have complained a lot about how short the seat bottoms are in Hyundais, but this just fixes everything. Sadly, the passenger side drops 4 ways of adjustment and also loses the lumbar support and thigh extension, but its still unique that Hyundai offers a power passenger seat. The seats are both heated and ventilated, and the steering wheel is heated as well. Comfort is absolutely excellent. 10/10 for seating. The headliner has a suede or alcantra-like feel, which was REALLY UNEXPECTED, and shocked me once I felt it.
The Palisade comes standard with an 8-inch infotainment system, but the SEL trim with the Drive Guidance package and above get the excellent 10.25-inch touchscreen. Limited trims get a fully digital 12.3-inch gauge cluster with a good amount of customization. It's also got a refresh rate that makes an Audi look slow, which really wowed me. The Palisade was also the first Hyundai to have the shift-by-wire push-button selector. It's hands-down the best and most intuitive electronic shifter in the industry. The lower section that houses the climate control is a touch too cluttered for me, but it still is easy to navigate. The Limited trim of the Palisade gets a 12-speaker Harman-Kardon audio system with some of the most impressive bass I've ever tested. With our Bass Resonation Test, the Palisade's sound system created a 7.3-magnitude-equivalent earthquake.
The second row of the Palisade is where Hyundai best shows it's superior feature content. The rear seats are both heated AND ventilated, which is UNHEARD of in the midsize three-row SUV segment. The Telluride also offers them, but you have to add a package onto the SX trim to get it, but here on the Palisade its standard on the Limited trim. The seats also slide and recline, AND BOY DO THEY RECLINE. They also have two buttons to gain access to the third row on both sides, which is very thoughtful. Hyundai says the Palisade has dual-zone climate control with rear auto climate controls, but they should've called it tri-zone climate control cause you can adjust the fan speed, temperature, and the position. Second row legroom is plentiful as always in Hyundai products. The second row of the Palisade is a great place for adults, especially with the feature content for the price.
The Palisade's brother Telluride has a roomy third row, but I noticed in the Palisade it is a little more tight.
You get power folding, unfolding, and reclining third row seats, which the Telluride doesn't, and the Palisade joins the Explorer that has that option, and they do recline a nice amount.
Both head room and leg room are always tight in midsize three-row SUVs, but surprisingly, the Palisade and Telluride both have the best third rows in the segment. But in the third row, the Telluride wins. My teammate Grant struggled for head room, as he is six-two (same height as me), but found reclining the seats back made for better room. Leg room was actually quite tight for me with the second row seat the entire way back. I was NOT very comfortable. It was still tight in the Telluride, but I had less than a quarter-inch of leg room left with the seat the entire way back. The third row seats are really squidgy, and they don't sit extremely low in the interior, so it is definitely my pick if you carry third-row passengers often.
Hyundai also one-upped the Telluride with power folding and unfolding third row seats that can be controlled from the cargo area. You can also drop the second-row seats from separate buttons, but they aren't power-assisted. Only the Palisade and Ford Explorer offer power folding, unfolding, and reclining third row seats.
Safety & Technology
Safety & Technology
Hyundai stands at the top when it comes to advanced safety technologies. The Palisade is no different.
Among the standard equipment available on all trims of the Palisade, you get a nifty Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) system, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection (FCA-Ped), Smart Cruise Control (SCC) with Stop & Go, Lane Following Assist (LFA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Driver Attention Warning (DAW), High Beam Assist (HBA), and a high-resolution backup camera with dynamic guidelines as well as reverse parking sensors. But as you go to the SEL trim, you add Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA), Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance (RCCA), and a first for the industry Safe Exit Assist (SEA). Add a package and you'll get front parking sensors, Ultrasonic Rear Occupant Alert (Ultrasonic ROA), and an excellent Highway Drive Assist (HDA) system. But the Limited goes slightly farther. There the front parking sensors, the Ultrasonic ROA, and Highway Drive Assist come standard; then adds the Surround View Monitor with guidelines even for the front wheels, and adds the extremely innovative Blind View Monitor (BVM) that projects a crystal-clear live video feed of what's in your blind spot into the corresponding gauge when you trigger the turn signal. Hyundai just seriously out-does it when it comes to safety.
But the Palisade gains the upper hand compared to the Telluride. Sure, they have the same Good crashworthiness ratings on all six of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) crash tests, but the Telluride misses out on the 2020 Top Safety Pick+ award with Acceptable-rated headlights if you opt for the LEDs on the SX trim. The base halogens are rated Poor. The Palisade also earns a 2020 Top Safety Pick award, but offers a Good rating for the headlights if you get the LED option, Marginal for the base lights. For more on the 2020 Palisade's safety ratings, click here.
The pedestrian detection system in the Palisade is absolutely excellent. It avoided an impact in every test IIHS did except for one, where the 25-mph crossing child test showed a 22 mph speed reduction. In the 12-mph crossing child, 12 and 25-mph crossing adult, as well as the 25 and 37-mph parallel adult tests, the Palisade stopped entirely. Pretty remarkable how advanced the pedestrian detection system is in the Palisade.
Driving Impressions
Driving Impressions
I first reviewed the Palisade at Delaney Hyundai in Indiana, PA, but because of a misunderstanding that happened before the driving impressions video, I scrapped the entire review and refilmed it at my trusted Hyundai dealer, Piazza Hyundai of Pottstown.
The Palisade is available with only one engine option, a 3.8L V6. No turbos here (although I would've liked to see one as an option!) The 3.8L V6 makes a healthy 291 horsepower and 262 lb/ft of torque. It's also hooked up to Hyundai's own 8-speed automatic.
Comfort and effortless forward movement was definitely the focus of the Palisade. The Palisade rides like no other SUV on the market. In fact, I consider it's suspension setup on the Limited trim to be billions of miles ahead of above average. The Palisade is the best driving car I've tested. Steering feel is slightly numb but it is well connected and not darty in any way. It is unbelievably smooth and doesn't feel overly biased nor does it feel too sporty. In Comfort mode, the transmission is literally as seamless and smooth as a butter knife cutting through butter. You don't even have any sort of thrust feeling or any occasional hesitations when accelerating from a stop, everything is just so smooth.
As the Palisade is only offered with a 3.8L V6, I can see why they didn't put the 3.3L twin-turbo from the Stinger GT in the Palisade. Put the Palisade in Sport mode and step on the gas, and it provides a quick push in torque, softly gliding you back into the seat and provides plenty of torque for such a refined engine. The 8-speed automatic shifts quick and effortlessly.
The Palisade was easily the best driving car I've reviewed. It struck the most perfect balance between comfortable and very communicative. Way to go Hyundai.
Performance
Performance
Hyundai only offers the Palisade with a 3.8L V6 which can run on the Atkinson cycle, for improved fuel economy.
The 3.8L V6 is actually quite a potent engine in the class, making 291 horsepower and 262 lb/ft of torque, paired to a well-executed 8-speed automatic transmission built in-house by Hyundai.
All Palisades are available with their incredible HTRAC AWD setup with an AWD LOCK mode that locks the center differential at low speeds with an even torque split between the axles. The HTRAC AWD system is also fully automatic, varying power as needed whenever the AWD LOCK mode is disengaged. Hyundai's AWD systems are very great in snow, often not even losing traction for a split-second, and it also has a brake-based torque vectoring system that will brake the outside wheel for improved control when cornering.
The V6 has plenty of power, but I'd like to see if Hyundai will ever stick the 3.3L twin-turbo V6 from the Stinger GT in the Palisade, maybe even the 2.5L turbocharged I4 that's coming for the Sonata N Line. That could help the Palisade's fuel economy, which is a little abysmal compared to its competition.
Performance Figures
Performance Figures
3.8L Atkinson-cycle V6
Horsepower (hp @ RPM)
291 @ 6000
291 @ 6000
Torque (lb/ft @ RPM)
262 @ 5200
262 @ 5200
Transmission(s)
8-speed automatic
8-speed automatic
Drivetrain
All-wheel-drive
All-wheel-drive
EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy)
19 / 24
19 / 24
0-60 Time
7.5 seconds
7.5 seconds
1/4-mile (sec @ mph)
n/a
n/a
* - estimated
Final Verdict & REVIEWS Score
Final Verdict & REVIEWS Score
The Hyundai Palisade is an unbelievably amazing SUV from a manufacturer that you would've never expected it to come from.
The Hyundai Palisade is an unbelievably amazing SUV from a manufacturer that you would've never expected it to come from.
83/85 | Accumulated Score
83/85 | Accumulated Score
10 | Reliability
10 | Reliability
10 | Ergonomics
10 | Ergonomics
10 | Value
10 | Value
10 | Innovation
10 | Innovation
10 | Electronics
10 | Electronics
10 | Wow factor
10 | Wow factor
10 | Safety
10 | Safety
70/70 | Subtotal Score
70/70 | Subtotal Score
13/15 | Subjective Category
13/15 | Subjective Category
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