[Disclaimer: Hyundai provided this Palisade for the purpose of this review. All images copyright William Byrd/Hooniverse 2020]
Reviewing cars is an odd profession. While you can, and should, weave in some of your own preferences and needs into the recommendation, you’re usually answering the question of “should you buy it” with “well, it depends”. I’ve been accused by fellow journalists, and likely some manufacturer reps, of being a bit too honest. That’s why I was surprised to get a recent comment on Twitter that my Tundra TRD Pro review on this site was the “most non-committal review I’ve ever read“. While I was honored to get such an award (and to be fair, even he couldn’t commit saying “I think this is the most…”) I thought that was important to put that into context as I drove my next press loaner – the 2020 Hyundai Palisade. So in that spirit:
Is it good? Yes it’s very good.
Should you buy one? Well, that depends.
What is it?
This is our second take on the new midsize SUV. Jeff drove it back in July, so I’ll try and get into some more detail from a consumer perspective. The Palisade is Hyundai’s new flagship midsize SUV, and as a family hauler, they knocked it out of the park. I drove the Telluride back when it came out for a different site (I won’t give them clicks, sorry DeMuro!), you can read the Hooniverse take here. Suffice to say, we both loved it.
The Palisade is basically Hyundai’s version of the Telluride, with the same basic interior layout, same 3.8L V6, and similar pricing. The Palisade starts at $31,775 for the base SE, bumps slightly to $33,725 for the SEL, which Hyundai helpfully denotes as the “most customizable”, thanks bro. The Limited that we tested rings in at $44,925 to start, our as-tested price was $47,605, more on that in a bit.
I personally like this layout of trim levels, it’s simple and easy to understand. They even dumb it down for us, SE is base, Limited is loaded (aren’t we all!), and the mid-range SEL has a ton of packages and options. With all Palisades having the same engine, your major options to consider include AWD, which is actually optional on all trim levels. The rest of the trim breakdown goes as such:
SE: Comes with an impressive list of standard features like an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and five total USB ports (three up front, two in the second row), heated mirrors, 2nd row AC controls, keyless entry, push-button ignition, adaptive cruise control, power-folding 2nd row bench seats, 60/40-split folding third-row seats, and rear parking sensors. Pretty solid for entry-level.
SEL: Adds stuff like a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, remote ignition (one of the first non-American cars I’ve seen this on), power heated front seats, second-row captain’s chairs (bench seat is also available), an auto-dimming rear view mirror, and a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (that actually works). The Convenience Package ($2,200) and Premium Package ($2,400) both ramp up the SEL’s list of features considerably, along with the price.
Limited: Our Palisade loaner came standard with everything from the above trim levels, along with premium leather seating with heated and ventilated front and middle seats, plus additional driver’s seat adjustments, dual sunroof, heads-up display, surround-view camera system, a really cool blind-spot camera, interior ambient lighting with color selector, and a pretty solid 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio sound system.
Our tester only added $160 in carpeted floor mats to get to the as-tested price of $47,605 including “inland freight and handling”. Whatever that is. I drive a lot of press cars, and many end up in this mid-to-upper $40,000 range.
The Palisade actually feels like you’re getting a lot for the money.
It’s Silver!
Many of my colleagues have stated that the Telluride looks better on the outside (agreed) but that the Palisade has a better interior. I think they are very much on par with each other though, which makes sense since they are both produced by the same company. Interesting note though, the Hyundai is built in Ulsan, South Korea, while the Telluride is built in West Point, Georgia.
Regardless, the Hyundai has an upscale interior with nice double stitching on the leather and comfy seats. Of note, the Limited has upgraded power adjustments for the driver’s seat and after multi-hour trips in the Palisade, my backside was happy.
With 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, it’s actually pretty usable with all seats in place. That’s something that large SUVs like the Tahoe can’t always say. You’ll get 87 cubic feet with both back rows folded down for you Home Depot run. Sounds like a nice little Saturday.
On the infotainment end, this was easily the best Apple CarPlay integration I’ve experienced. It doesn’t hop sources when I plug my phone in or when I get notifications. It just continues playing whatever I was listening to. The widescreen setup is great, and I love the fact that you can arrange it in three different sections, it isn’t just Apple CarPlay or nothing.
Overall, it’s a nice interior, although it is definitely a sea of silver in this specific color and trim combination. So I hope you like silver dawg, because I put some silver onto your silver! It’s a pretty pimp ride though.
Especially in purple.
It’s Purple!
The exterior of the Palisade is polarizing, but mostly just from the front end. Personally, I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrow headlights and massive fog light/running light area. I feel like the Telluride is a bit better proportioned and didn’t have weird details; even if it is a fairly direct rip off of the GMC Yukon. The Palisade in this Sierra Burgundy color was particularly cool, looking upscale and managing to keep from blending in with the sea of grey and silver SUVs.
Just like the Telluride, I feel like the Palisade looks a bit like the Bentley Bentayga from the side, and a bit from the rear. With the bulging haunches and the large tail lamps, it’s not a twin, but it looks like it could be a distant Korean cousin. The result of some weird shore leave scenario years prior I’m sure.
Driving
the 3.8L engine has 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. It’s enough, generally. You aren’t buying something like this to go fast, but the Palisade has enough get-up-n-go to stay out of its own way. Merging onto the highway isn’t a chore, it’s fairly effortless. The transmission was a little clunky on occasion, I feel like the push button gear changes facilitated that awkward transition. I experienced a worrisome “thunk” going from reverse to drive, like it stammered in the middle somehow. Perhaps a premonition of issues to come, or just growing pains on a new model, hard to say?
I should mention the drive modes, the Palisade has several. The coolest part is that the digital gauge cluster changes in a cool animated fashion as you roll through each setting. The “Sport” setting was particularly cool, even if it didn’t seem to do anything to add to the driving experience. The Palisade even includes a Smart setting, whatever that means, but does not have Smaht Pahk, yet.
I love that it has remote start, it remains one of the only non-American vehicles that I have tested that has that feature. We don’t all life in paradise like Jeff, so on a cold east coast day, it’s a life saver. I’ve been tempted to write an article asking why it’s just American companies that use remote start, maybe later.
The safety systems work pretty well, I had automatic braking activate when I got a little too close to a car in front of me stopping at a red light. I had things under control, but unlike some other super-intrusive systems, I felt like this worked pretty well and wasn’t overly cautious. As I was backing out of the driveway one morning, it panicked and hit the brakes because of a “cross traffic” warning of a car coming down the road. I had quite a few feet to go and it would not have been close, but again it felt more useful than not to have it as a back-up.
The trick blind spot system, similar to the one in the Telluride, is just awesome. You just need to train your brain to use it however. Instead of craning over your shoulder to see your blind spot, you look down into the instrument cluster, the screen is activated any time you click the signal. It’s a wide angle and I loved it, definitely a great example of technology that work sand makes things better.
Summary
So, definitive answer time, is the 2020 Hyundai Palisade worth buying? One hundred percent, yes! Assuming you want a 3-row SUV. And assuming you aren’t put off by a non-luxury brand name. I think that’s it.
I haven’t seen another midsize SUV on the market that has a better mix of standard features for the price. Plus, Hyundai’s simple trim package layout means it’s not hard to figure out which one meets your requirements and your budget. Starting at an incredibly reasonable $31,775, you get a ton of truck for the money. Well, a ton of crossover, you know what I mean.
Actually, there is one other SUV that compares just as favorably. But would I buy this over the Kia Telluride? Well, no. It’s still damn good though.
Seen with Norwegian eyes, this is insanely cheap – not just a good price. Even though your loaner was 50% up from base price.
Would you guys consider the manufacturering plant when buying new or used? Say, the Korean Hyundai trumps the American Kia, wity everything else considered as the same? Around here, an English-built Avensis commands less money used than one with a JP-VIN.
Seen with Norwegian eyes, this is insanely cheap – not just a good price. Even though your loaner was 50% up from base price.
Would you guys consider the manufacturering plant when buying new or used? Say, the Korean Hyundai trumps the American Kia, wity everything else considered as the same? Around here, an English-built Avensis commands less money used than one with a JP-VIN.
Not sure, that’s a good question. In some communities the “built in America” Telluride might be preferred over the “built in Korea” Palisade. I don’t personally, but I’m sure it’s a thing.
I suspect anyone buying one of these has absolutely zero idea where their car is built. And given that by the time Hyundai and Kia reached any legitimacy about 10-15 years ago, their American manufacturing was in full swing, so I don’t think that’s a driver (not like the reputation for Korean quality has really ever ascended beyond “fine”). It might be anecdotal observation, but Kia dealers do seem a little skeevier, although a lot near me are ex-Pontiac dealers that weren’t good enough to transition to Chevrolet stores back in 2008. That’s a small point in the Pallisade’s favour.
Oh, that’s also quite exotic to me. I read about those shady dealers and struggle to fathom how companies like that stay in business at all – and how Kia, a serious, well-run company, can accept that their product is being sold by what sounds like a wannabe mafia. All very strange.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/01d3982f23aaace5e576b25b67c475a2cde37cb7640d0df0040f717c6ac010eb.jpg That’s weird that the sport mode uses Howie Mandel as their icon. I hope he is getting royalties for that.
Other than that. What kind of gas mileage are these beasts getting or is it a case of if you have to ask than you shouldn’t be driving it?
It’s smart mode, and I’m assuming it’s supposed to represent beams of light coming from a cartoon head, maybe? Hell I dunno– I find it as unusual as you apparently do.
Maybe a lightbulb? LIke the “hey I have an idea” logo?
Officially, 22 MPG EPA Combined City/Hwy
The onboard computer was definitely down in the teens, but I sort of drive like an asshole.
And that’s funny about Howie Mandel. Is he still with us?
Oh yeah and still hosting shows.
Oh crap, right. He’s bald now and on America’s Got Talent. My bad!
You review an eight seater purple CUV and you DON’T name the article The Purple People Eater? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Purple_People_Eater
The fact that you might not be purple yourself is considered irrelevant here 😉
lol, touche
Perhaps if the styling weren’t so bizarre, and the Telluride didn’t exist. But it is, and it does, so no thanks.
The Telluride is it’s biggest competitor sadly.
Yeah, Hyundai/Kia should consider the fate of Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Mercury, and Plymouth… it’s far too easy to cannibalize your own sales when styling is the only significant difference between product lines.
Yeah, Hyundai/Kia should consider the fate of Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Mercury, and Plymouth… it’s far too easy to cannibalize your own sales when styling is the only significant difference between product lines.
My wife’s 2015 Accord has the RH blind spot camera (Lanewatch in Honda speak). It’sa RH side only system and uses the audio system screen in the center of the dash, which is more natural when going right than the instrument cluster. It includes guide lines to help you change lanes safely, like most backup cameras. There’s a button on the end of the turn signal stalk to activate it manually too.
It’s useless in the rain.
Interestingly, Honda discontinued it in favor of indicator lights on the mirrors.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/lanewatch1.jpg
I haven’t tried that system, noticed it on an Uber the other day!
And yeah, when it rained, the system was hosed on the Hyundai.
The Honda E has mirror cameras with an anti rain coating that seemed to work great in the review that was posted here a while back. I’m not sure why that wasn’t applied to the Lanewatch camera or backup cameras in general. I’m sure it’s cost, but these things need to work in any weather.
While I realize that technology is creating driver aids in order to improve safety, it unfortunately has the effect of dumbing-down driver skill level and awareness. Traction control, lane departure control, adaptive cruise control, etc. all remove some level of engagement and responsibility from the driver, and relax his/her attention. People are no longer committed to regular mirror use or over-the-shoulder lane checks. They drive too quickly and follow to closely because they count on ABS to stop them in time. They ignore road and weather conditions because they think traction control or AWD will keep them in check. Many people can’t even parallel park these days. They only check tire pressure and oil levels if a light comes on. They get bored while “driving”, check their phones, put on makeup, eat a sandwich, whatever. Modern drivers are getting stupid, and technology isn’t helping.
Talk of automated driving makes me think of that Pixar movie “Wall-E”, where ship passengers don’t even bother to walk anymore– they sit in chairs that take them where they need to go, and everything is brought to them rather than retrieved. They only interact with screens. They’re virtually potted plants. Some of the oblivious fools riding the left lanes of Ohio freeways appear to be headed the same direction.
My wife won’t let my son drive any car without modern safety features, and the father in me completely understands her wishes. But put him behind the wheel of a stick-shift car from the 60s, and I guarantee he’ll become both a better and less distracted driver. He’ll develop an understanding of physics that keeps his speeds down, his traveling distances far, and awareness high. That phone will stay in his pocket, because there’s neither place nor time for it.