Photos: Brett T. Evans and Courtesy of Hyundai
By Brett T. Evans • Photos: Brett T. Evans and Courtesy of Hyundai
The 2020 Hyundai Palisade backs up its on-paper roominess with an exceedingly stylish and convenient interior. On our Palisade Limited tester, the big SUV’s dashboard is treated to a concave swath of metallic trim that wraps onto the door panels, which also feature quilted leather inserts that match the seats. A 12.3-inch digital instrument display joins a 10.5-inch infotainment touchscreen (analog gauges and an 8-inch touchscreen are standard on the SE and SEL). Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, although Hyundai’s infotainment system is reasonably intuitive as well.
Hitting the road, we were immediately impressed with how comfortable and “premium” the Palisade felt. The Nappa hides found on the Limited are heated for the first two rows and cooled for the front passengers, making us supremely comfortable for the chilly morning and hot afternoon we spent in the SUV. The Palisade’s 291hp, 262–lb-ft 3.8L V-6 offers plenty of grunt for most traffic situations, although once we started climbing hills, we could feel a relative lack of low-end torque. One wonders how the SUV would fare with a full load of passengers and/or a trailer (Hyundai claims a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds).
n truth, the 2020 Hyundai Palisade comes into its own on the highway. Its softly sprung suspension does a great job of swallowing up bumps and divots without too much bouncing, and the cabin offers plenty of sound deadening. In fact, the freeway ride is so hushed that the Palisade’s available Driver Talk in-car intercom is almost redundant—third-row passengers could participate in the conversation just as easily when Driver Talk was on as when it was off. One nice feature we see families using often is the standard Rear Seat Quiet Mode, which mutes the rear speak-ers while leaving the front speakers active, perfect for sleeping babies or kids who need a time-out from entertainment.
Our drive route provided us with a decent slate of twisty roads, but we won’t spill much ink on those. The Palisade is a large, front-drive–biased family crossover, so it’s not as happy on a winding route as it is in the city or on the open road—numb steering and slightly squishy brakes don’t inspire confidence in max-attack driving. Driven sensibly, the Palisade does the job just fine and never feels unstable, but, and we hope this is obvious, it’s not a Miata, and it doesn’t have to be.
Photos: Brett T. Evans and Courtesy of Hyundai
The route also took us on an “off-roading course,” which we put in quotes because it was nothing but a wide, groomed dirt road. It did start raining a bit while we were there, allowing us to splash some mud onto the Palisade’s handsome side panels, and the optional HTRAC all-wheel-drive took us through the dust and muck with nary a complaint. We didn’t experience off-roading that was technical or slippery enough to really test the Palisade’s traction or handling, but we presume it’ll be good enough to take the family through the rain and snow without too much concern.Compared to its competitive set, the 2020 Hyundai Palisade comports itself well. There’s plenty of space in all three rows for even full-grown adults, and we love its daring, contemporary interior and exterior styling a lot (perhaps even more than the handsome but somewhat anonymous Kia Telluride that shares its platform). Suspension tuning reminds us a bit of an old American sedan, with a small amount of floatiness accompanying an otherwise peerless, smooth, and quiet ride. And after a full day of less-than-delicate driving, our on-board computer displayed a probably-optimistic 21 mpg—the EPA rates the all-wheel-drive Palisade at 19 city/24 highway/21 combined mpg, and we think that’s totally realistic.
Its bold exterior styling might turn some off, but for those of us who like it, the Palisade seems to be an excellent value, with driving dynamics and interior quality that match or beat its competition in nearly every metric. No longer a scrappy upstart, Hyundai has proved it can build class-competitive, apology-free vehicles, and the Palisade is the latest evidence of that.
2020 Hyundai Palisade
BASE PRICE: $31,550
PRICE AS TESTED: $47,495
VEHICLE TYPE: Large seven- or eight-passenger
ENGINE: 3.8L V-6
power @ 6,000 rpm291 hp
torque @ 5,200 rpm262 lb-ft
trans 8 spd auto
TOWING CAPACITY: 5,000 pounds
CURB WEIGHT: 4,387 pounds
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 19 city/26 highway/22 combined mpg (front-wheel drive), 19 city/24 highway/21 combined mpg (HTRAC)
Source: TRUCKTREND.COM
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