Overview
Few SUVs offer the near-perfect blend of utility, value, and luxury of the 2024 Hyundai Palisade. It shares its underpinnings with the superb Kia Telluride, but it wears a unique look all its own. All Palisades come with a smooth-running 3.6-liter V-6 and an eight-speed automatic; all-wheel drive is optional—otherwise the Palisade drives the front wheels. While perhaps not as enjoyable to drive the Mazda CX-90, the Palisade’s on-road demeanor is nonetheless composed and relaxed, making it a great choice for long-distance treks. Its high-class cabin features upmarket finishes and three comfortable rows of seats. Hyundai has integrated plenty of connectivity and convenience features throughout the interior, so everyone feels at home. High-end Limited and Calligraphy models take the experience up to the near-luxury level, with features such as quilted leather upholstery, fancier trim, and second-row captain’s chairs.
What’s New for 2024?
A new top-spec Calligraphy Night Edition trim joins the Palisade lineup for 2024 and wears blacked-out exterior trim, unique black wheels, black roof rails, and a black leather interior. Only a few other minor changes are in store for Palisade this year, but dual-zone front and single-zone rear automatic climate control features are now standard on the base SE trim. The XRT now comes with rear-side window shades and the Limited gains ambient interior lighting.
Pricing and Which One to Buy
Our Palisade of choice would be the midrange SEL with the Premium package. It adds many of the SUV’s best tech and luxury features including the larger infotainment screen, in-dash navigation, and Hyundai’s most advanced driver-assistance features.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
The Palisade is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 and comes standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine’s 291 horsepower provides plenty adequate acceleration, and the Palisade’s transmission can be manually shifted with steering-wheel-mounted paddles if you seek a little more driver involvement. The gearbox shifts smoothly on its own, but there’s some busy shuffling of the ratios when climbing hills. Front-wheel drive is standard, while all-wheel drive is optional on SE, SEL, and Limited trim levels; it’s standard on the range-topping Calligraphy. All Palisades come standard with a transmission cooler and trailer pre-wiring and sway control, and are rated to tow up to 5000 pounds when equipped with the dealer-installed trailer hitch. Our test drive of a loaded Calligraphy model around Asheville, North Carolina highlighted the Palisade’s smooth ride and quiet cabin; we even gave some light off-roading a try and were satisfied that the big SUV can handle terrain beyond what you’ll find in the urban jungle. In our testing, our all-wheel-drive XRT test vehicle went from zero to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds and stopped from 70 mph in 161 feet.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
According to the EPA, the front-wheel-drive Palisade achieves a rating of 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. When equipped with all-wheel drive, the Palisade is rated at 19 city and 24 mpg highway. In our 200-mile highway test route, our all-wheel-drive SEL model managed just 23 mpg, compared to its 24-mpg rating. For more information about the Palisade fuel economy, visit the EPA’s website.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
The SE and SEL trims seat eight passengers, while the Limited and Calligraphy have second-row captain’s chairs that reduce passenger capacity to seven. Either way, there’s plenty of space in all three rows for occupants. The second row features a button to move the seat forward for easy access to the third row. Power-folding second- and third-row seats are optional on the SEL and standard on the Limited and Calligraphy. Noise from the road is suppressed; however, a significant amount of wind noise penetrates the doors. Cargo volume with all the seats folded is 86 cubic feet, and the Palisade fit a total of 33 carry-on suitcases with the last two rows down. With the second row in the upright position and the third row folded, stowage totals 46 cubic feet. With the third row in use, the volume shrinks to a modest 18 cubes. There is space underneath the load floor to store muddy or wet items, though. The cubbies in the doors are tight, but there is reasonable storage within and below the center console.
Infotainment and Connectivity
A 12.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, in-dash navigation, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Bluetooth connectivity is standard on all trims. Up to seven USB ports are available and you can connect two Bluetooth devices simultaneously. When equipped with Hyundai’s Blue Link app service, the Palisade can be locked, unlocked, and started remotely through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
On top of the standard safety equipment, nearly every advanced safety system can be added to higher trim levels. For more information about the Palisade’s crash test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:
- Standard automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Standard lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist
- Standard adaptive cruise control with semi-autonomous driving mode
Warranty and Maintenance Coverage
Hyundai’s warranty is one of the best in the business, highlighted by the 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain coverage for the first owner of the vehicle. The company also now offers complimentary scheduled maintenance that bests mainstream rivals such as Toyota.
- Limited warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles
- Powertrain warranty covers 10 years or 100,000 miles
- Complimentary maintenance is covered for three years or 36,000 miles
Specifications
Specifications
2023 Hyundai Palisade AWD
Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $38,785/$44,300
Options: XRT trim (20-inch wheels, power/heated front seats, sunroof, automatic climate control, XRT exterior trim), $5300; carpeted floor mats, $215
ENGINE
DOHC 24-valve Atkinson-cycle V-6, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 231 in3, 3778 cm3
Power: 291 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 262 lb-ft @ 5200 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 13.4-in vented disc/12.0-in disc
Tires: Hankook Ventus S1 noble2
245/50R-20 102V M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 114.2 in
Length: 196.7 in
Width: 77.8 in
Height: 68.9 in
Passenger Volume, F/M/R: 61/58/35 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind F/M/R: 86/46/18 ft3
Curb Weight: 4423 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.4 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.8 sec @ 95 mph
100 mph: 16.6 sec
130 mph: 36.5 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.8 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.2 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.3 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 131 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 161 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.84 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 17 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 21/19/25 mpg
