In a segment above the Santa Fe, Hyundai is entering a completely new territory competing with well-established competitors such as the Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, Honda Pilot, and Kia Telluride. Now, if you want to know whether the 2020 Hyundai Palisade is better than its competitors, you must continue to read this review.
The first thing we see on the Palisade is Hyundai's new design philosophy. A proper head turner, the new philosophy makes the brand’s products look a lot more premium and gives them that sense of presence on the road. How did Hyundai achieve that? With the cascading grille, extended hood, the composite headlamps, and the vertically connected lighting signature.
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When it comes to the interior, the Palisade also comes as a big comfortable SUV and is a car that can be used for many purposes. However, it is ideal for families as it can seat eight in comfort. One of the main pain points of vehicles that seat more than five is how easy it is to access the last row and if there are any features back there.
Thankfully, in the Palisade, there is a one-touch button that brings the seat forward for easy access into and out of the third-row seats. Those sitting in the third row, have access to AC vents, cup holders and they can also recline the seats for more comfort.
Speaking also about the AC, and for our region, there is nothing more refreshing than getting the right temperature. The Palisade, for instance, features a new roof vent diffuser for better air flow. In addition, 16 cupholders to ensure that everyone has a place to stow their own bottle of water, coffee or tea.
When it comes to the tech that will make your daily driving more pleasant, the Palisade comes with a 10.15-inch touch screen that can be connected to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. A good feature of this is that 2 devices can be connected at the same time. Meaning, if you want your mobile to be connected for phone calls call but want someone else to take care of the music, you can do that.
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With 7 USB outlets scattered all around the cabin, you will never have to unplug another person’s device to charge your mobile phone up. Speaking of charging, the 2020 Palisade also comes with wireless charging and can be used with compatible devices.
The Palisade is a big SUV and sometimes communicating with the rear rows might be a challenge. To solve that issue, it comes with a Talk in-car intercom system that will allow the driver to communicate separately with the second and third row. In addition, another interesting feature is the ‘Quiet Mode’. In a nutshell, if you have people sleeping in the second and third row, you can mute those speakers, so you don't wake them up while continuing to listen to your tunes in the front seats. It’s quite convenient if you manage to calm the kids during long road trips.
In terms of driving dynamics, the Palisade feels like it has the necessary power offering Hyundai's HTRAC All-Wheel-Drive system. On the road, you can choose from Sport, Comfort, Eco or Smart. And if you want to take this car off-road, it has some preset drive modes such as Mud, Sand, and Snow. While you will not be able to do hardcore off-road activities with this SUV, the ‘Mud Mode’ offers more torque while limiting transmission upshift which will help the wheels to spin. The ‘Sand Mode’, on the other hand, will prevent the wheels from digging into the sand by distributing the right torque to each one of them. While it might sound useless for our region, the ‘Snow Mode’ might come in handy once every five years when the roads become slippery due to heavy rain. Basically, it will ensure better stability than in the regular driving mode.
Family cars need to come equipped with safety and this is what the Hyundai Palisade has to offer. Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot Monitor, Lane-Following Assist, Rear Cross-traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, Rear Occupant Alert, Driver Attention Warning and Smart Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go. On top of that, it has six airbags as a standard, tire pressure monitoring, three LATCH anchors in the second row and two LATCH anchors in the third row.
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The 2020 Hyundai Palisade will hit Middle Eastern showrooms by September 2019, bringing an attractive option into the market at a price point that has not yet been revealed. Knowing it goes against the Pathfinder, Explorer and its sister the Telluride, we can assume it will start at AED 120,000-ish. So, why give it a try?
