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MM Static-Review: 2020 Hyundai Palisade
A Static Review of the all-new 2020 Hyundai Palisade
https://www.hyundaiusa.com/palisade/...palisade;image;;
Recently, in a static-review, I looked at the LX and SX versions of the all-new 2020 Kia Telluride....its corporate brother, the Hyundai Palisade had not yet started arriving here in the D.C. area. Palisades are now starting to arrive, and a few of them are in stock, although most are still on order or are in transit. And the few that do arrive don't last very long.....they are either pre-sold, promised to certain customers, or spend little time on the lot before they are sold. One of the largest Hyundai dealerships in the area, that also sells Genesis products (I like it because it is huge, easy in and out and easy to park) had a Palisade SE AWD model sitting on the lot, (apparantly) unsold and unlocked, so I decided to use the opportunity for at least a static-review. It was dark gray, with an attractive two-tone black/light gray cloth-seat interior, and, with almost no options, listed for $34,775....quite reasonable, IMO, when one considers that it includes AWD and a nice, normally-aspirated 3.8L V6 instead of the more common 2.0L turbo four in base versions of this class of vehicle. The SE trim-level, of course, is the base-level Palisade, with the SEL and Limited trim-levels as upmarket. I spent some time inspecting it inside and out, though, for several reasons, I put off a test-drive, at least for now, for several reasons....First, it was the only Palisade they had in stock, and I usually don't like to risk the (extremely small) chance of something happening to it on the road. Second, the dealership itself gave the impression that they themselves weren't too Gung-Ho on an idle test-drive, either (I suspect that this particular vehicle may have been, in fact, ordered for someone or was being held for them, though the dealership did not specifically state that). Third, traffic was quite dense around the area on this summer Friday, and it probably wouldn't have been a test-drive under the best of circumstances (D.C.-area traffic can sometimes try the patience of a saint). So, for those reasons and more, I limited the review today to a static inspection, though I do plan to test-drive either the Telluride or Palisade (perhaps both) later on, when more are available.
First, as I mentioned above, the Palisade and Telluride are corporate brothers, share the same platform/chassis/drivetrains, and are very similar in general shape and styling outside except for the grille/headlights/front-end, beltline below the windows, and the way some of the pillars are shaped. Both, in person, look somewhat smaller than in their media and ad-pictures.....much has been mentioned about that in reviews, and I agree. In general, I liked the Palisade's general styling more than the Telluride, which I thought was a little more blocky-looking. I also, in general, thought the Palisade's exterior trim was a little more nicely-done. Both seemed more solidly-built on the exterior, with less-tinny doors, better exterior hardware, and a more solid feel in general than the competing 2020 Ford Explorer XLT I just finished reviewing. Neither the Telluride or Palisade, however, seemed quite as solid with the door-closings as other recent Kia/Hyundai products....perhaps the Koreans are finally being forced into a little cost-cutting of their own. Still, no real problems on the outside, and both are still probably better than average (for today) in their solidness. The Palisade's paint job was extremely good.....better, IMO, than the Telluride's, though, to be fair, the Telluride's paint was somewhat dirty when I looked at it, while the Palisade's was clean enough to eat off of. The Palisade's exterior paint-color choice, though, was not impressive...the usual funeral-home shades, plus dark blue and Burgundy. As with most SUVs, a belt of black and brushed-metal trim runs around the lower-rim of the vehicle to protect the paint from salt and road debris.
Under the hood, the Palisade is simply worlds ahead of the XLT Explorer I recently reviewed. The Explorer had a turbo-four, a rather thin-feeling hood with no insulation-pad underneath (just bare painted metal), and a manual prop-rod for the hood. The Palisade, even in the base SE version, comes with a thick, solid steel hood, a nice insulation pad underneath, two nice gas struts to hold up the hood for you, and, perhaps best of all, a nice 3.8L normally-aspirated V6 instead of the turbo four. I'm a firm believer in non-turbo V6s over turbo fours, even if the turbo fours sometimes produce more torque. The V6 fits in underhood fairly well, and access is generally pretty good except for the (as usual) too-large plastic engine cover. Filler caps, dipsticks, and fluid-reservers, as usual, are generally easily accessible. And, to top it off, this Palisade was some 10K less on the sticker-price than the Explorer.......I think it's obvious who is offering the better value for the money.
Inside, like with the exterior, I generally preferred the Palisade SE to the (equivalent) Telluride LX...the sample Palisade I was looking at had a nice two-tone black/light gray cloth interior. The front seats were very comfortable and shaped almost perfectly for my frame and torso, although, as is typical with Hyundai/Kia and some Japanese-sourced vehicles, I found the seat-padding too firm for my tastes. In general, I also preferred the Palisade's dash and general interior styling theme a little more than the Telluride's. But, like the Telluride, the Palisade, in comparison to other recent Hyundai products, showed a slight degradation in the solidness of the interior/exterior hardware, buttons, and the precise-feel with how the controls/switches operate. Again, like wth the exterior, it was NOT serious, but just slightly noticeable. It could (?) be attributed to either cost-cutting or weight reduction....perhaps both. The Palisade uses large metallic transmission-buttons on the console for Drive/Reverse functions, and shift-paddles on the steering wheel for manual-shifting...less-awkward, IMO, than the Explorer's rotary-switch, but still not as nice as a conventional fore/aft shift-lever.
In back, the cargo area is generally well-finished and uses nice materials. It is reasonably space-efficient, in conjunction with the vehicle's squarish styling. The third-row seats, as in most mid-sized SUVs, are useful mostly for children, very small adults, or as a package-shelf.....don't expect to fit any NBA-sized guys back there. The third-row seats, if desired, can be lowered for extra cargo room. One bad design, though, on the Palisade, is the temporary spare tire being mounted completely under the rear end of the vehicle, under and forward of the rear bumper....a PITA to try and reach if or when you get a flat tire. However, having the spare tire out of the way like that (for most of the time when you DON'T have a flat tire) does allow for a rather nice storage-compartment under the rear floor of the trunk.
Also, before I close, to be clear, I do NOT mean, by my comments, to give the impression that the new Explorer is a piece of junk. It is not, and, in fact, can be a decently nice vehicle to drive....and I have yet to sample either the Telluride or Palisade on the road (I will in the near future). But, in the quality of construction/materials, design of the interior controls, and value for the money, it simply doesn't compare to what Kia and Hyundai are offering. I will be very interested to see how the Subaru Ascent compares.....I plan to take a look that before long. I took a short, quick test-drive in VW Atlas at the Washington, D.C. auto show earlier this year, and was favorably impressed....I also will take a better look at the Atlas in the future.
And, as Always, Happy SUV-Shopping.
MM
A Static Review of the all-new 2020 Hyundai Palisade
https://www.hyundaiusa.com/palisade/...palisade;image;;
Recently, in a static-review, I looked at the LX and SX versions of the all-new 2020 Kia Telluride....its corporate brother, the Hyundai Palisade had not yet started arriving here in the D.C. area. Palisades are now starting to arrive, and a few of them are in stock, although most are still on order or are in transit. And the few that do arrive don't last very long.....they are either pre-sold, promised to certain customers, or spend little time on the lot before they are sold. One of the largest Hyundai dealerships in the area, that also sells Genesis products (I like it because it is huge, easy in and out and easy to park) had a Palisade SE AWD model sitting on the lot, (apparantly) unsold and unlocked, so I decided to use the opportunity for at least a static-review. It was dark gray, with an attractive two-tone black/light gray cloth-seat interior, and, with almost no options, listed for $34,775....quite reasonable, IMO, when one considers that it includes AWD and a nice, normally-aspirated 3.8L V6 instead of the more common 2.0L turbo four in base versions of this class of vehicle. The SE trim-level, of course, is the base-level Palisade, with the SEL and Limited trim-levels as upmarket. I spent some time inspecting it inside and out, though, for several reasons, I put off a test-drive, at least for now, for several reasons....First, it was the only Palisade they had in stock, and I usually don't like to risk the (extremely small) chance of something happening to it on the road. Second, the dealership itself gave the impression that they themselves weren't too Gung-Ho on an idle test-drive, either (I suspect that this particular vehicle may have been, in fact, ordered for someone or was being held for them, though the dealership did not specifically state that). Third, traffic was quite dense around the area on this summer Friday, and it probably wouldn't have been a test-drive under the best of circumstances (D.C.-area traffic can sometimes try the patience of a saint). So, for those reasons and more, I limited the review today to a static inspection, though I do plan to test-drive either the Telluride or Palisade (perhaps both) later on, when more are available.
First, as I mentioned above, the Palisade and Telluride are corporate brothers, share the same platform/chassis/drivetrains, and are very similar in general shape and styling outside except for the grille/headlights/front-end, beltline below the windows, and the way some of the pillars are shaped. Both, in person, look somewhat smaller than in their media and ad-pictures.....much has been mentioned about that in reviews, and I agree. In general, I liked the Palisade's general styling more than the Telluride, which I thought was a little more blocky-looking. I also, in general, thought the Palisade's exterior trim was a little more nicely-done. Both seemed more solidly-built on the exterior, with less-tinny doors, better exterior hardware, and a more solid feel in general than the competing 2020 Ford Explorer XLT I just finished reviewing. Neither the Telluride or Palisade, however, seemed quite as solid with the door-closings as other recent Kia/Hyundai products....perhaps the Koreans are finally being forced into a little cost-cutting of their own. Still, no real problems on the outside, and both are still probably better than average (for today) in their solidness. The Palisade's paint job was extremely good.....better, IMO, than the Telluride's, though, to be fair, the Telluride's paint was somewhat dirty when I looked at it, while the Palisade's was clean enough to eat off of. The Palisade's exterior paint-color choice, though, was not impressive...the usual funeral-home shades, plus dark blue and Burgundy. As with most SUVs, a belt of black and brushed-metal trim runs around the lower-rim of the vehicle to protect the paint from salt and road debris.
Under the hood, the Palisade is simply worlds ahead of the XLT Explorer I recently reviewed. The Explorer had a turbo-four, a rather thin-feeling hood with no insulation-pad underneath (just bare painted metal), and a manual prop-rod for the hood. The Palisade, even in the base SE version, comes with a thick, solid steel hood, a nice insulation pad underneath, two nice gas struts to hold up the hood for you, and, perhaps best of all, a nice 3.8L normally-aspirated V6 instead of the turbo four. I'm a firm believer in non-turbo V6s over turbo fours, even if the turbo fours sometimes produce more torque. The V6 fits in underhood fairly well, and access is generally pretty good except for the (as usual) too-large plastic engine cover. Filler caps, dipsticks, and fluid-reservers, as usual, are generally easily accessible. And, to top it off, this Palisade was some 10K less on the sticker-price than the Explorer.......I think it's obvious who is offering the better value for the money.
Inside, like with the exterior, I generally preferred the Palisade SE to the (equivalent) Telluride LX...the sample Palisade I was looking at had a nice two-tone black/light gray cloth interior. The front seats were very comfortable and shaped almost perfectly for my frame and torso, although, as is typical with Hyundai/Kia and some Japanese-sourced vehicles, I found the seat-padding too firm for my tastes. In general, I also preferred the Palisade's dash and general interior styling theme a little more than the Telluride's. But, like the Telluride, the Palisade, in comparison to other recent Hyundai products, showed a slight degradation in the solidness of the interior/exterior hardware, buttons, and the precise-feel with how the controls/switches operate. Again, like wth the exterior, it was NOT serious, but just slightly noticeable. It could (?) be attributed to either cost-cutting or weight reduction....perhaps both. The Palisade uses large metallic transmission-buttons on the console for Drive/Reverse functions, and shift-paddles on the steering wheel for manual-shifting...less-awkward, IMO, than the Explorer's rotary-switch, but still not as nice as a conventional fore/aft shift-lever.
In back, the cargo area is generally well-finished and uses nice materials. It is reasonably space-efficient, in conjunction with the vehicle's squarish styling. The third-row seats, as in most mid-sized SUVs, are useful mostly for children, very small adults, or as a package-shelf.....don't expect to fit any NBA-sized guys back there. The third-row seats, if desired, can be lowered for extra cargo room. One bad design, though, on the Palisade, is the temporary spare tire being mounted completely under the rear end of the vehicle, under and forward of the rear bumper....a PITA to try and reach if or when you get a flat tire. However, having the spare tire out of the way like that (for most of the time when you DON'T have a flat tire) does allow for a rather nice storage-compartment under the rear floor of the trunk.
Also, before I close, to be clear, I do NOT mean, by my comments, to give the impression that the new Explorer is a piece of junk. It is not, and, in fact, can be a decently nice vehicle to drive....and I have yet to sample either the Telluride or Palisade on the road (I will in the near future). But, in the quality of construction/materials, design of the interior controls, and value for the money, it simply doesn't compare to what Kia and Hyundai are offering. I will be very interested to see how the Subaru Ascent compares.....I plan to take a look that before long. I took a short, quick test-drive in VW Atlas at the Washington, D.C. auto show earlier this year, and was favorably impressed....I also will take a better look at the Atlas in the future.
And, as Always, Happy SUV-Shopping.
MM