The 2020 Hyundai Palisade is not Hyundai’s first introduction in the three-row SUV market. However, it’s certainly its biggest and its the best vehicle they have made. The Palisade offers comfort and luxury in addition to cutting edge technology and safety systems. The Palisades design is polarizing but it’s very bold and makes a statement.
Pricing
There are three trims this review covers the Limited trim but the trims are as follows.
- SE: $32,895
- SEL: $34,845
- Limited: $46,045
The Limited trim is certainly the trim to get. I also recommend adding all-wheel drive for an additional $1700 (even in markets where you get little snow as it increases resale value). The Limited trim comes with a suede headliner, with ventilated (and heated) seats for the first and second row. This is a feature that you don’t find in many luxury brands and is virtually non-existent in this range.
You also get Nappa Leather for your seats, a 12 speaker Harman/Kardon sound system, a 12-inch digital gauge cluster and their blind view monitor system.
When you see the Limited interior you basically go “ooohhh” with all the nice quilting, and how well everything is laid out. But let’s get into the engine first for the vehicle.
Powertrain
The Palisade is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 it is coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission that puts out 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. This is within the range of what I would say is acceptable it’s not as high as some of the competition but it certainly isn’t underpowered.
However, the transmission at times feels like it hangs onto gears too long notably between 2nd and 3rd gear. Afterward, it runs perfectly fine, off the line it is decent, and once you’re up to speed it’s perfectly fine.
What I like is that its perfectly fine for the class in terms of power and since its using a large V6 you don’t hear any loud noises coming from the engine bay. This is in stark contrast to the competition where you might hear a lot of whining from a 4 cylinder engine that has had a turbo slapped onto it.
If you’re like most drivers in the segment and prefer comfort over, the power you’re going to love the Palisade.
Fuel Economy
The EPA rates the all-wheel-drive version of the Palisade as 19 city and 24 highway. The front-wheel-drive version gets 19 city and 26 highway. Many owners routinely post getting higher than expected MPG particularly those who drive on the highway.
Mixed information suggests leaving the car in smart mode and use the highway driving assist to get the gas mileage.
Interior
The Limited trim is in a class above the rest only challenged by its Kia counterpart the Kia Telluride. This is the nicest vehicle you will get in this price range by far. The cabin is quiet (though some owners report a wind noise it doesn’t apply to all owners), controls are easy to access and are logically placed.
Every row of the vehicle gets USB ports in fact, there are enough USB ports for every passenger in the vehicle. They are well placed and easy to reach allowing you to easily add iPads or even a Nintendo Switch for passengers to play with or watch movies. You also get a power-folding and reclining third row for extra comfort and ease of access for passengers.
Back in the front of the vehicle, you get a 10.25-inch display with support for Android Auto & Apple CarPlay. The car can be started, locked, and unlocked via Blue Link (Hyundai’s mobile app) and it can be started remotely via Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Additionally, unlike the Kia Telluride, you also get remote start on the key fob.
Safety Systems
Hyundai did receive a top safety pick plus for the Hyundai Palisade 2020 Limited Trim. You get a bunch of the standard safety equipment including some of the following.
- Adaptive Cruise Control.
- Active Park Assist
- Blind Spot Monitoring
- Blind View Monitoring
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Etc
One thing that Kia Hyundai typically receives high praise for is the highway driving assist which essentially allows the vehicle to drive itself on the highway. Keep in mind that you can’t stop paying attention to the road these are assistants they are not able to drive on their own without human intervention.
Warranty Info
Hyundai has the best warranty in the business with its 10 years, 100,000-mile power train warranty.
- 5 years 60,000 miles limited warranty.
- 10 years 100,000 miles power train warranty.
- 3 years 36,000 miles of complimentary maintenance.
