Long-Term Test Update: 2020 Hyundai Palisade

Is it wrong to confess how brilliant I am for picking my long-term test vehicle?Hockey season is in full swing, and between my sons experiment with the goalie position while coaching his team and my own beer league excursions, the Hyundai Palisade is the large crossover I never knew I wanted. The best thing about it, however, is that despite being large and accommodating in terms of passenger and cargo space, it doesnt feel large to drive the seating position is high and commanding, but the turning circle is nice and tight, the steering is linear and quick, and best of all, the excellent outward visibility, 360-degree cameras, and parking sensors make parking easy and stress-free. Even with the third row up, theres room for a couple of kids hockey bags and my coaching gear, so its carpool friendly even for hockey excursions. After enjoying the Palisade myself for a few weeks, I sent resident crank David Booth off with the Palisade for the weekend and the most criticism he could come up with was: The engine is not as smooth or as powerful as I expected. When hauling, theres more noise than expected and not as much fury as the cacophony promises. This criticism isnt even unanimous both my wife and I find the power level is entirely reasonable, and the throttle appropriately responsive in every mode. For example, even in Eco which I use frequently on my commute there is good jump off the line when you plant the throttle, while in ordinary situations it prioritizes smooth, tepid acceleration. Comfort and Smart both provide mildly different balances, and Sport is always ready with quicker throttle tip-in, holding gears longer and quicker downshifts when getting on the go-pedal at most speeds. Booth did agree on that point: I like the modes. There seems to be more differentiation between modes than in most vehicles.The transmission has also been nearly flawless, and only the most severe changes from cruising to braking and then acceleration have generated any hiccups. It doesnt hurt that the 3.8L V6 makes up to 291 horsepower and 262 lb.-ft. of torque, which doesnt sound like a lot these days, but between the eight-speed automatic and the throttle tuning, I dont feel that it struggles at all with the 2,022 kilogram-plus the weight of the family and gear were carrying around.Booth actually had many more positives to list from his short time, and speaking of transmissions, he noted, I find this the best push button control for an automatic transmission yet. Intuitive and easily deciphered even without looking, the separate park function works well. Here were in agreement, and even when making seven-point parking maneuvers (yes, Im a bit parking-challenged), the Reverse button on top and Drive button on the bottom have become second nature and I barely need to look.As mentioned, we wanted to answer any questions you had, and we had a few on our Driving Youtube channel that Ill share here. Our first question was about refinement: How is the comfort and the cabin noise compared to (the) MDX or GLE? I know these cars expensive to convert to. Just curious. Another viewer also was interested in the noise: Have read comments about some wind noise at front pillar and window, any thoughts? I can confirm the comments about noise: There is some wind noise from the front A-pillars, and as Booth points out, the sound of the engine is unrefined, but the comfort is just right, absorbing rough bumps erasing them without being soft and wallowing in turns. However, it is interesting to see that people are more than willing to compare the Hyundai to well-established luxury brands like Acura and Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes GLE only starts at $64,000, while the Palisade tops out at $53,999 for this fully loaded Ultimate.The base Acura MDX, which starts at $54,390, is a fairer comparison, but youre trading brand reputation (and likely some refinement) for features like the 360-degree camera system, perforated leather seats that are cooled in addition to being heated (if you have the second row captains chairs, those are also ventilated), various driving aids like blind-spot warning and rear-cross-traffic alert, and the MDX is showing its age as it does not even offer head-up display in any trim, though it does counter with a built-in widescreen in top trim to keep the kids zoned out on long trips.The next question we had was about the technology: How customizable is the digital display? How does the ACC and lane centre work compared to others?” At this point, I have used adaptive cruise quite a bit, and it’s been very good at maintaining the pace of traffic and smoothing changes of speed, without leaving huge gaps or lurching forward when a car moves out of the way. Lane keep assist has also been good, but it does sometimes react a bit late and give a bit of a jerky tug rather than smoothly getting the Palisade back to centred. The digital instrument cluster’s customization is a little disappointing, as I was hoping
Origin: Long-Term Test Update: 2020 Hyundai Palisade

Long-Term Test Introduction: 2020 Hyundai Palisade

Its been quite some time since Driving.ca last had a long-term test, but with the ever-increasing complexity of vehicles, all to often one week is barely enough to scratch the surface and really get to know it. With a family vehicle in particular, settling in to a routine and seeing how it holds up after weeks and months of harried schedules and never-ceasing activities reveals just how much it enables peace of mind or builds frustration.After a pair of glowing reviews and a Comparison Test victory, we still couldnt get enough of Hyundais entirely new 2020 Palisade. Hyundai has been delivering ever more refined products behind its Hyundai badge and making impressive first steps into the luxury market with its Genesis brand, and the Palisade makes a much more convincing play in the midsize-large-ish three-row SUV arena than the awkwardly styled Veracruz and undersized Santa Fe XL. There has certainly been a lot of interest in the Palisade, both from my colleagues in the office and hockey parents from my sons team, so we hope to answer any and all questions we get about its driving characteristics, capabilities and features. While the Palisade lineup starts with a front-wheel-drive model for $38,499 (plus all models carry a $1905 freight PDI charge), we were provided the all-singing, all-dancing, all-wheel-drive Ultimate 7 passenger in a lovely Sierra Burgundy. No matter the trim, the Palisade comes equipped with a 3.8L direct injection V6 paired with an eight-speed automatic. The all-wheel-drive system defaults to front-wheel drive but can shift up to 50 percent of torque to the rear axle, and the available AWD lock can keep a minimum of 20 percent of torque at the rear wheels. We look forward to an early snowfall that will afford us the opportunity to see how the AWD system handles typical Canadian winters.As far as first impressions go, between the 12.3-inch fully digital gauge cluster, 8-inch central touchscreen infotainment, head-up display and supple quilted, perforated Nappa leather seating and trimI kept thinking to myself: How is this not being sold with a Genesis badge? I cant say Im a huge fan of the grille, but the rest of the design is pleasing, and the interior is simple yet pleasing, neither too busy nor too spartan, and the pale cream leather really brightens up the cabin. Well see how that light colour holds up to messy kids and whether the quality is as good as it looks at first glance. Of course, the interior of such a large vehicle isnt just meant to be pretty, it also needs to carry lots of stuff, and the Palisade certainly has abundant passenger and cargo space. In fact, the very first thing my daughter said when she first got into it was, Can we take this on our next camping trip? She was convinced it had a much larger interior than the Kia Sedona we packed to the rafters for our trip to Killarney Provincial Park this past summer. In reality, its 509 litres of trunk space and 1,297 with the third row folded doesnt hold a candle to the Sedonas 960 L in the trunk, and 2,220 with the third row down. However, passenger space is on another level with massive headroom, legroom and shoulder room, especially for young children, but even for adults, and that translated into my daughters view that she could have brought six more bags of stuffed animals and diversions along for the ride.The Palisade is proving to be an easy companion for family life so far, so stay tuned for updates, a comparison with one of the most popular vehicles in this segment, and perspectives of various staff here at Postmedias head office. If you have any questions or requests, please post them in the comments below, and well do our best to answer or demonstrate in a future
Origin: Long-Term Test Introduction: 2020 Hyundai Palisade

SUV Comparison: 2020 Hyundai Palisade vs. 2019 Buick Enclave

Brian Harper: Its not as though the Palisade is Hyundais first kick at the three-row SUV can. No, there was the Veracruz, an ill-fated attempt at breaking into the market that ended poorly back in 2012. More successful was the Santa Fe XL, though stuffing three rows of seats into a mid-sized SUV was still a compromise.The XL has now been replaced by the flagship Palisade, the largest SUV the Korean automaker has ever built.Its longer, wider and capable of accommodating eight passengers. The Palisade is a more complete vehicle by all accounts, yet it still has a number of established rivals Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander, Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer, etc. plus a few recent arrivals, including the Volkswagen Atlas, Subaru Ascent, and the Palisades own corporate cousin, the Kia Telluride.However, were going to dial it up a notch and pit the Hyundai against a more premium-priced three-row sport-ute Buicks Enclave Avenir. Why? Well, the most obvious reason was that one was available. Beyond that, however, its been a while since weve gotten behind the wheel of the big Buick. Its a model thats been around for a dozen years, the second-generation version coming out for the 2018 model year. It sells reasonably well in both Canada and the U.S., and the Avenir sub-brand supposedly represents the highest expression of Buick luxury, with unique styling cues and an extensive set of standard features and premium materials throughout the vehicle. Hyundai has proven in the past its not afraid of moving its products upscale, though it has been accused of exceeding its place in the past. So, is the Palisade capable of mixing it up with a senior, albeit conservative, member of the family hauler class? Whaddaya say, kid? Nick Tragianis: Lets start with the fundamentals, shall we? Under the skin, the Palisade is identical to the Telluride. That means power comes from a normally aspirated 3.8-litre V6 rated at 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard on all but the base Palisade.Its a similar story with the Enclave. Its a bit more powerful than the Palisade, putting out 310 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque from its 3.6L V6. Its paired to a nine-speed automatic, and like the Palisade, all-wheel drive is standard on all but the base Enclave. These two make absolutely zero pretense to sportiness and thats OK. Both are drama-free that never once felt underpowered or overworked, both have light and fairly numb steering, but that just makes them easy to live with day to day. And both are museum-quiet and La-Z-Boy comfortable. If you need to tow, both can haul up to 5,000 pounds. Really, at this point, youre splitting hairs both the Palisade and Enclave are smart, no-nonsense family haulers.But the Palisade punches well above its weight on the inside, especially for the price. Like you said, old dude, Hyundai isnt afraid to push the upscale envelope. Thats abundantly clear in the Palisade materials and fit and finish are top-notch, the seats are comfortable and overall ergonomics are on point, and the available tech is nothing to sneeze at. Our particular tester, the almost-fully loaded Limited at a hair above $50,000, comes with a sharp 10.25-inch touchscreen controlling the infotainment system, plus power-folding third-row seats, heated and cooled front seats (the second row is also heated), and all the active safety features youd expect in 2019, including a crisp 360-degree camera system. Spec the right upholstery option and the interior feels bright and airy, and the faux wood and metal accents add a lovely touch, despite them being plastic. Seems as though the Enclave Avenir has its work cut out for it. BH: Im sensing you like the Palisade, kid. So do I. Still, the Enclave deserves some respect. Buick has been fine-tuning this full-sized rig for years, and has managed to make it fairly drama-free. It handles its family-hauling duties with a certain amount of panache, being far more distinctly styled than many of its rivals, including the more mainstream Palisade. And, as you mentioned, its particularly silent around town; Buick has this Quiet Tuning technology its been touting for some time, not to mention active noise cancellation.In a straight line, the Enclave will accelerate a bit quicker. When cornering, however, the Buicks extra 180 kilograms are noticeable; theres a certain ponderousness to it that works against it.Now the cabin: The best part is that the Buick offers a fair amount of cargo flexibility, with significantly more capacity than the Palisade 688 litres behind the third row versus 509 litres for the Hyundai; 1,643 litres behind the second row folded versus the Palisades 1,296 litres. Also, with the pull of a handle, the SmartSlide second-row seats glide back to enable easy third-row access. And with the push of a button, the power-folding split
Origin: SUV Comparison: 2020 Hyundai Palisade vs. 2019 Buick Enclave

The 2020 Hyundai Palisade will start at $38,499 in Canada

2020 Hyundai PalisadeJil McIntosh / Driving Hyundai is serious about getting North American families into its three-row products. With an intro price of under $39,000, the 2020 Palisade will no doubt attract some budget-conscious buyers in Canada. And so it should. The new flagship, which debuted at the L.A. auto show last year, will fill the hole left by the Santa Fe XL, which the brand recently sent into retirement. The Palisade is larger than its predecessor in most ways (it’s got to accommodate that extra row of seats, after all), with more legroom and cargo space. But as we noted in our first drive of the vehicle, the Palisade is far from a redone and renamed Santa Fe. The 2020 Palisade is based on a brand-new chassis, which it shares with its cousin, the Telluride, over at Kia. Its 3.8-litre V6 engine makes 291 horsepower and 262 lb.-ft. of torque and is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission in all models. That power is sent to the front two wheels in the entry-level Essential trim, but to all four for the rest of the Palisade fam. 2020 Hyundai Palisade Jil McIntosh / Driving These details add up to a nimble ride, which is made comfortable as well by interior features like Nappa leather and suede surfaces, standard heated front seats, and new safety tech like lane-following assist, highway driving assist and blind view monitor. Driving modes include the usual Comfort, Sport, Eco and Smart, but Hyundai has also pre-programed ‘terrain’ settings for mud, sand and snow. We shouldn’t need to tell you which of those will be most useful to Canadians. The Essential and Preferred trims are fitted with the 8-seat configuration featuring three rows of bench seats, and the Luxury trim has that option too. The top-of-the-Palisade-line Ultimate trim is available exclusively as a seven-seater. Here’s the full list of Canadian MSRPs for the 2020 Hyundai Palisade models set to arrive in Canada this month. Essential FWD 8P $38,499 Essential AWD 8P $40,499 Preferred AWD 8P $45,499 Luxury AWD 8P $50,199 Luxury AWD 7P $50,699 Ultimate AWD 7P
Origin: The 2020 Hyundai Palisade will start at $38,499 in Canada