Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photography by Adrenaline Lifestyles
Since the Palisade appeared on the market it quickly became known to consumers as a reasonably priced SUV. During our annual Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA) Rally I had a chance to briefly get a ride and drive in it, but not enough time get a full review. I was excited to get behind the wheel during my loan period to review the 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy AWD.
The Hyundai Palisade is a mid-size crossover SUV. The Palisade debuted at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show on November 28, 2018. The Palisade is Hyundai’s largest passenger vehicle to date. The name Palisade refers to the coastal cliffs in the Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, California.
Upon first look you notice the Palisade’s truck-like exterior, while rectangular in appearance, is still sporty with the grille, headlights and fog lights. The robust emerald paint gleams bright, while the LED lighting around the headlights truly stands out. The palisade sits on 20” Calligraphy exclusive alloy wheels. The dual sunroofs are a great touch as well. On the hood and tailgate, “PALISADE” is prominently marked and nearly extends the width of the vehicle. I would classify the Palisade’s styling as bold, which is rare in its class. It does draw a close comparison to its corporate counterpart, the Kia Telluride.
The Palisade can seat up to eight passengers and offers a fair amount of cargo space. The Palisade features three rows of seating, with seating for up to seven passengers with the optional second-row captain seat. When you fold the third row down, cargo room is expanded. The seats up front are comfortable with driver-seat memory functions. The interior ambient lighting is a cool feature to have in the vehicle. The interior design is upscale with an impressive cabin filled with high-quality materials and an eye-pleasing design.
Hyundai equips the Palisade with a stellar technology package as well. The Palisade comes standard with a 12.3” touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, keyless remote, push button start, heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats and a Harman Kardon surround-sound system that is crystal clear. There is also a wireless phone charger, wifi hot spot, SiriusXM, a head-up display and so much more that adds to the luxury moniker.
The 2023 Hyundai Palisade is equipped with a 3.8-liter V6 engine that puts out 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, all pushed through a smooth shifting 8-speed automatic transmission. The Palisade is also equipped with active on-demand all-wheel drive. Gas mileage on the Palisade isn’t bad coming at 19 mpg in the city, 25 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined. The Palisade drives and handles well. Comfort and Eco mode are fine but the Palisade comes to life when in Sport mode. Throttle response is enhanced as well as improvement to the steering and suspension.
Hyundai is high on safety and it rated with 4 and 5 stars by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Palisade’s safety and driver-assistance features such as blind-spot monitoring, forward and reverse automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centering, lane-departure warning, and more.
The Palisade will receive the same impressive coverage as Hyundai’s other vehicles. This includes the Limited warranty that covers five years or 60,000 miles, the Powertrain warranty that covers 10 years or 100,000 miles, Anti-Perforation Warranty that covers 7 years or unlimited miles, 24-Hour Roadside Assistance that covers 5-Year / Unlimited Miles and the Complimentary maintenance that is covered for three years or 36,000 miles.
The Palisade sits in a competitive class amongst the Chevrolet Traverse, the Volkswagen Atlas, the Honda Pilot, Kia Telluride, Mazda CX-9 and the Subaru Ascent. The Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy AWD model that we tested came in at $52,310.00 . Please enjoy the photo gallery.
