Family-Friendly Luxury: Meet the Hyundai Palisade
The Hyundai Palisade has emerged as a standout option in the competitive three-row SUV market, blending family-friendly functionality with premium touches that elevate the everyday driving experience. As Hyundai's flagship SUV, the Palisade offers spacious accommodations for up to eight passengers, sophisticated technology features, and a comfortable ride quality that rivals luxury brands at a more accessible price point. For families seeking a balance of practicality, comfort, and upscale amenities, the Palisade presents a compelling case worth exploring.
Discovering the New Hyundai Palisade SUV
The Hyundai Palisade represents the Korean automaker’s most sophisticated SUV offering to date. With its bold exterior design featuring a prominent grille, vertical LED daytime running lights, and strong character lines, the Palisade makes a statement on the road. The vehicle stands out with its commanding presence while maintaining elegant proportions that avoid appearing bulky or unwieldy.
Inside, the Palisade continues to impress with its thoughtfully designed cabin that prioritizes both comfort and functionality. The interior offers premium materials across all trim levels, with higher trims featuring quilted leather upholstery, real wood accents, and brushed metal trim pieces that create an upscale atmosphere. The dashboard layout is clean and intuitive, with a floating center touchscreen that serves as the hub for the vehicle’s extensive technology features.
Key Features of the Brand New Palisade SUV
The Palisade comes equipped with an array of features designed to enhance the driving experience for families. Standard safety technology includes forward collision avoidance, lane keeping assist, driver attention warning, and safe exit assist that helps prevent passengers from opening doors when vehicles are approaching from behind. Higher trim levels add blind-spot monitoring, a surround-view camera system, and highway driving assist semi-autonomous features.
Comfort and convenience features abound in the Palisade. Available amenities include heated and ventilated front and second-row seats, a dual-panel sunroof, power-folding third-row seats, and a hands-free smart liftgate. The Palisade also offers an intercom system called Driver Talk, which allows the driver to speak to rear passengers through the vehicle’s audio system—particularly useful for families with children in the third row.
Technology integration is another Palisade strong point. The SUV comes with a standard 8-inch touchscreen that can be upgraded to a 10.25-inch version with navigation. Both systems include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. A fully digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster is available on higher trims, offering customizable information displays and enhanced visibility.
Performance and Capability of the Palisade Hyundai SUV
Under the hood, the Palisade is powered by a 3.8-liter V6 engine producing 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. This engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that delivers smooth and responsive shifts. Front-wheel drive comes standard, while all-wheel drive is available across all trim levels for enhanced traction in varied weather conditions.
The Palisade’s driving dynamics strike an impressive balance between comfort and control. The suspension is tuned to absorb road imperfections while still providing confident handling around corners. Road and wind noise are well-managed, creating a serene cabin environment even at highway speeds. For those who need to tow, the Palisade offers a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds when properly equipped, making it capable of handling boats, small trailers, or camping gear for family adventures.
Fuel economy is reasonable for a vehicle of this size, with the front-wheel-drive models averaging approximately 19 mpg in city driving and 26 mpg on highways. All-wheel-drive variants see a slight reduction to about 19 mpg city and 24 mpg highway, remaining competitive within the three-row SUV segment.
Palisade Trim Levels and Pricing Options
The Hyundai Palisade is available in several trim levels, each offering increasing levels of luxury and technology. The lineup typically includes SE, SEL, Limited, and Calligraphy models, with each step up adding more premium features and refinements to the driving experience.
The entry-level SE provides a strong value proposition with standard features like the V6 engine, 8-inch touchscreen, and comprehensive safety technologies. The mid-range SEL adds convenience features like a power driver’s seat, heated front seats, and dual-zone climate control. The Limited trim brings luxury touches including premium leather upholstery, ventilated seats, and the larger infotainment display. At the top of the range, the Calligraphy model transforms the Palisade into a true luxury contender with quilted leather door panels, a microfiber headliner, and exclusive exterior design elements.
| Palisade Trim Level | Starting MSRP (FWD) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| SE | $35,250 | 8-inch touchscreen, 18-inch wheels, 3-zone climate control |
| SEL | $37,950 | H-Tex leatherette seating, heated front seats, blind-spot monitoring |
| Limited | $46,500 | Leather seating, 10.25-inch navigation system, Harman Kardon audio |
| Calligraphy | $49,000 | Premium quilted Nappa leather, unique grille design, ambient lighting |
Prices, rates, or cost estimates mentioned in this article are based on the latest available information but may change over time. Independent research is advised before making financial decisions.
Comparing the Palisade to Segment Competitors
When evaluated against its key competitors in the three-row SUV segment, the Palisade offers a compelling value proposition. Compared to the Toyota Highlander, the Palisade provides more third-row space and standard features. Against the Ford Explorer, the Palisade offers a more upscale interior at similar price points. The Kia Telluride, the Palisade’s corporate cousin, shares many components but features different styling and slightly varied feature packaging.
The Palisade’s warranty coverage is another significant advantage in the segment. Hyundai offers a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and an impressive 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, providing long-term peace of mind for families that plan to keep their vehicles for many years.
In terms of interior space, the Palisade offers competitive dimensions with 18 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, expanding to 45.8 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 86.4 cubic feet with both rear rows down. Second-row captain’s chairs are available as an option, reducing seating capacity to seven but improving access to the third row and providing a more premium feel.
The Palisade Ownership Experience
Beyond the vehicle itself, Hyundai enhances the Palisade ownership experience with several customer-centric programs. Complimentary maintenance is included for 3 years/36,000 miles, covering oil changes and tire rotations. The Hyundai Bluelink connected car system allows owners to remotely start their vehicle, lock or unlock doors, and locate their Palisade via smartphone app.
Resale value and long-term durability are additional considerations for family SUV shoppers. The Palisade has been receiving strong residual value predictions from automotive valuation services, suggesting that it should hold its value well over time. Reliability reports have been positive in the model’s early years on the market, though as with any vehicle, proper maintenance remains key to long-term satisfaction.
For families considering the Palisade, the combination of thoughtful design, comprehensive safety features, competitive pricing, and generous warranty coverage creates a compelling package that merits serious consideration among three-row SUVs. While luxury badged competitors may offer more prestige, the Hyundai Palisade delivers a premium experience without the premium price tag.
