There are so many three-row crossovers now that it's getting pretty hard to figure out which is the best one for your family. Thankfully, it's not a bad problem to have since so many of them are so good. One of the newest aiming to join that fray is the 2020 Hyundai Palisade, an all-new model that should be distinguished by its large size, strong value and genuinely premium cabin. We've had a preview of what to expect based on a brief drive of a Korean-market version, plus our review of the mechanically related Kia Telluride, but we'll need to wait a bit before knowing for sure if the new 2020 Palisade is a top choice in the segment. In the meantime, you can find out everything we know so far below. It's actually quite a lot.
What's new for 2020?
The Palisade is all-new for 2020. It technically replaces the old three-row Hyundai Santa Fe, but it's larger and better suited to compete with other large, three-row family crossovers. It is mechanically related to the 2020 Kia Telluride.
What's the interior and in-car technology like?
The Palisade has an elegant, attractive cabin highlighted by a large, high-placed infotainment touchscreen and a center console that rises to meet the dash, leaving extra storage underneath. It's both attractive and functional. Quality is also shockingly good, grossly outclassing the three-row Santa Fe it replaces, and challenging luxury models in its upper trim levels. It is certainly more stylish and looks less utilitarian than a Honda Pilot or Subaru Ascent.
Every Palisade comes standard with an eight-inch touchscreen, which is the upgrade unit in other Hyundais. It's easy to use, and thanks to the Palisade's design, easy to see. A new 10.25-inch widescreen unit is available on upper trim levels, much as it is in the Kia Telluride. Like that sister SUV, the Palisade also comes standard with a multitude of standard infotainment features including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio and five USB ports. An extra pair of USB ports is added to upper trim levels, however, which can also be outfitted with wireless smartphone charging, integrated navigation and an Infinity premium sound system. Also shared with the Telluride is the Driver Talk in-car intercom system that transmits the driver's voice to those sitting in the back.
How big is it?
The Palisade is one of the largest three-row crossovers, both on the outside and inside. Few are as long and wide, while third-row leg- and headroom are among the most generous in the segment. Even a tall adult can fit back there quite comfortably, while three pre-teens should be easily be able to shoehorn inside. Better still, the large rear quarter windows mean they won't feel too claustrophobic back there.
The second row offers a standard 60/40-split bench seat that results in an eight-person overall capacity, or captain's chairs that reduces capacity to seven. The seats themselves slide forward for third-row access easily at the press of the button, but the resulting pass through could be bigger.
Cargo capacity is excellent, although not quite as spacious as the boxier Telluride. There are 3 fewer cubic-feet behind the raised third row, which could be the difference in fitting an extra overnight bag, but nevertheless, there is a bit more space back there in the Palisade than most competitors offer at 18 cubic feet. There is 46 cubic feet when the third row is lowered, which is pretty average for the segment.
What's the performance and fuel economy?
Every Palisade comes with a 3.8-liter V6 engine that produces 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Front- or all-wheel drive are available, and an eight-speed automatic is standard. The towing capacity is 5,000 pounds.
Fuel economy estimates had not been announced at the time of this writing, but we would expect them to be the same as the Telluride: 20 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined with front-wheel drive, and 19/24/21 with all-wheel drive.
What's it like to drive?
We have yet to drive the Palisade with the 3.6-liter V6 we'll get in the United States, nor have our editors driven it on our roads. However, in our first drive of a Korean-market Palisade in Seoul, we reported that it feels solid, responsive and light on its feet. There's a satisfying heft to the steering, which is quick with a 15.6:1 ratio, and the Palisade feels agile on its optional 20-inch tires. Although it is, the big SUV doesn't feel nose-heavy. In fact, it feels much lighter overall than its 4,475-pound curb weight, and its balance should improve with the American market's V6, which weighs 150 pounds less than the diesel that other markets get.
There's plenty of road feel in the steering and chassis. The ride is comfortable, although some drivers may find it firmer than they expect. It's probably a bit more compliant on the standard 18-inch tires, which are considerably lighter, shaving 5.5 pounds off each corner. Sport mode unnecessarily adds more weight to the steering but cranks up the response of the throttle and transmission nicely.
We also drove the Palisade on some very mild dirt roads and a beach southwest of Seoul. This is no serious off roader, and we quickly buried the SUV up to its axles in the deep, soft sand. With 7.9 inches of ground clearance, at least Palisade will handle the gravel parking lot without breaking a sweat.
What features are available and what's the price?
Hyundai has not released pricing for the 2020 Palisade, nor has it published an in-depth features breakdown. However, we would anticipate that its price and value would be comparable to the 2020 Kia Telluride, which starts at $32,735. A fully loaded Palisade will likely top out around $48,000. We will update this review and buying guide when we know the pricing, which will likely be in June when we drive the North American-market Palisade.
Standard equipment is likely to include automatic headlights, a rearview camera, adaptive cruise control, an 8-inch touchscreen, five USB ports, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and satellite radio. We do know definitively that it will come standard with numerous advanced safety features, described below.
What's its safety equipment?
Every 2020 Hyundai Palisade comes standard with forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, lane-keeping assist, a driver inattention warning system, a safe exit assist (warns passengers of on-coming traffic when opening doors), and adaptive cruise control. There are also front, front-side, side-curtain and driver knee airbags standard.
What's new for 2020?
The Palisade is all-new for 2020. It technically replaces the old three-row Hyundai Santa Fe, but it's larger and better suited to compete with other large, three-row family crossovers. It is mechanically related to the 2020 Kia Telluride.
What's the interior and in-car technology like?
The Palisade has an elegant, attractive cabin highlighted by a large, high-placed infotainment touchscreen and a center console that rises to meet the dash, leaving extra storage underneath. It's both attractive and functional. Quality is also shockingly good, grossly outclassing the three-row Santa Fe it replaces, and challenging luxury models in its upper trim levels. It is certainly more stylish and looks less utilitarian than a Honda Pilot or Subaru Ascent.
Every Palisade comes standard with an eight-inch touchscreen, which is the upgrade unit in other Hyundais. It's easy to use, and thanks to the Palisade's design, easy to see. A new 10.25-inch widescreen unit is available on upper trim levels, much as it is in the Kia Telluride. Like that sister SUV, the Palisade also comes standard with a multitude of standard infotainment features including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio and five USB ports. An extra pair of USB ports is added to upper trim levels, however, which can also be outfitted with wireless smartphone charging, integrated navigation and an Infinity premium sound system. Also shared with the Telluride is the Driver Talk in-car intercom system that transmits the driver's voice to those sitting in the back.
How big is it?
The Palisade is one of the largest three-row crossovers, both on the outside and inside. Few are as long and wide, while third-row leg- and headroom are among the most generous in the segment. Even a tall adult can fit back there quite comfortably, while three pre-teens should be easily be able to shoehorn inside. Better still, the large rear quarter windows mean they won't feel too claustrophobic back there.
The second row offers a standard 60/40-split bench seat that results in an eight-person overall capacity, or captain's chairs that reduces capacity to seven. The seats themselves slide forward for third-row access easily at the press of the button, but the resulting pass through could be bigger.
Cargo capacity is excellent, although not quite as spacious as the boxier Telluride. There are 3 fewer cubic-feet behind the raised third row, which could be the difference in fitting an extra overnight bag, but nevertheless, there is a bit more space back there in the Palisade than most competitors offer at 18 cubic feet. There is 46 cubic feet when the third row is lowered, which is pretty average for the segment.
What's the performance and fuel economy?
Every Palisade comes with a 3.8-liter V6 engine that produces 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Front- or all-wheel drive are available, and an eight-speed automatic is standard. The towing capacity is 5,000 pounds.
Fuel economy estimates had not been announced at the time of this writing, but we would expect them to be the same as the Telluride: 20 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined with front-wheel drive, and 19/24/21 with all-wheel drive.
What's it like to drive?
We have yet to drive the Palisade with the 3.6-liter V6 we'll get in the United States, nor have our editors driven it on our roads. However, in our first drive of a Korean-market Palisade in Seoul, we reported that it feels solid, responsive and light on its feet. There's a satisfying heft to the steering, which is quick with a 15.6:1 ratio, and the Palisade feels agile on its optional 20-inch tires. Although it is, the big SUV doesn't feel nose-heavy. In fact, it feels much lighter overall than its 4,475-pound curb weight, and its balance should improve with the American market's V6, which weighs 150 pounds less than the diesel that other markets get.
There's plenty of road feel in the steering and chassis. The ride is comfortable, although some drivers may find it firmer than they expect. It's probably a bit more compliant on the standard 18-inch tires, which are considerably lighter, shaving 5.5 pounds off each corner. Sport mode unnecessarily adds more weight to the steering but cranks up the response of the throttle and transmission nicely.
We also drove the Palisade on some very mild dirt roads and a beach southwest of Seoul. This is no serious off roader, and we quickly buried the SUV up to its axles in the deep, soft sand. With 7.9 inches of ground clearance, at least Palisade will handle the gravel parking lot without breaking a sweat.
What features are available and what's the price?
Hyundai has not released pricing for the 2020 Palisade, nor has it published an in-depth features breakdown. However, we would anticipate that its price and value would be comparable to the 2020 Kia Telluride, which starts at $32,735. A fully loaded Palisade will likely top out around $48,000. We will update this review and buying guide when we know the pricing, which will likely be in June when we drive the North American-market Palisade.
Standard equipment is likely to include automatic headlights, a rearview camera, adaptive cruise control, an 8-inch touchscreen, five USB ports, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and satellite radio. We do know definitively that it will come standard with numerous advanced safety features, described below.
What's its safety equipment?
Every 2020 Hyundai Palisade comes standard with forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, lane-keeping assist, a driver inattention warning system, a safe exit assist (warns passengers of on-coming traffic when opening doors), and adaptive cruise control. There are also front, front-side, side-curtain and driver knee airbags standard.
