2024 Hyundai Palisade Review
2025 Hyundai Palisade
$52,600
3.8 Liter V6
291 HP / 262 TQ
MPG: 15 in mixed driving
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi :: Pictures: Manufacturer
The single that stood out to me the most with the 2024 Hyundai Palisade is this:
“Every. Single. Time. I got in it, I would exclaim: ‘wow, this is really nice’ ”
There is not a single ‘wow’ factor to the interior of the Palisade,, it’s everything. From the crisp graphcs, to the actual physical switchgear to the suprisginly good steering to the space. It’s just a really, really nice place to be, not just for the driver but for the passengers as well.
The second row seating has ventilated and heated seats! Plenty of foot, shoulder and head room and the third row even has it’s own climate control! All of the seats are comfortable and adorned with some decent leather. The rear doors open almost 90 degrees to the car, so making loading and offloading little people a cinch! Pair that with a simple button to slide the second row forward, to access the third row, the Palisade is beautifully simplistic.
It doesn’t end with the interior either, the powertrain is stellar! Eschewing the wee 2.0 liter turbo found in the Santa Fe, the Palisade is powered by a 3.8 Liter naturally aspirated V6. Making 291 HP and 261 TQ, paired to a 8 speed transmission. What is truly special is that ‘naturally aspirated’ part. That instant throttle response you only get with a naturally aspirated engine, paired with Hyundai VTEC cam change over around 4500 RPM, the Palisade feels much quicker than test numbers suggest. Oh it sounds pretty nice as well. Which is a welcome change to Hyundai/Kia engines of yore, which sounded agricultural at best.
The one thing I’m not a fan of is the styling. Front, side to rear, the Palisade looks like a designer took way too much Adderall and overdesigned every conceivable angle. The front looks like someone skinned a salmon and place it’s scales on top of Palisade grill. The headlight components are all seperated, which means that the DRL/Turn Signals, main light, foghlights and highbeams are strewn about the front of the Palisade. Which makes it look like a MOMA exhibit but not in a good way. The sides of the Palisade look like a minivan and the rear taillamps being accented with the satin aluminum trim just looks out of place.
Another knock is the fuel economy of the Palisade. The official estimates are 19 city, 24 highway and 21 combined. We achieved a pretty abysmal 12.8 in city alone, which is errr not good.
Let’s go ahead and break it down:
The Great
— Interior
Would you look at that? I mean the Palisade isn’t just nice…it’s NICE on the inside. With a bright, easy to use cabin, plethora of physical buttons and just an overall air of ‘niceness’.
— Engine
The 3.8 Liter Naturally Aspirated V6 is a breath of fresh air in a sea of 2.0 liter turbo engines. Excellent throttle response, high cam shenanigans at 4500+ RPM and a nice sound to boot
The Bad
— Looks
The front end looks like someone skinned a salmon and draped it across the grill. The separate headlight, foglights and running lights look disjointed and a bit odd. The side profile looks like a minivan and the rear taillights are overdone with the satin aluminium trim.
— Gas Mileage
Supposedly the Palisade gets 19 MPG in the city. Not sure how it got that number because we got 12.8 in the city. Which uhhhh is not good.
Overall
It’s just plain good. It undercuts the competition in price, warranty and features. It feels premium on the inside, drives better than it’s peers and makes you go ‘wow’ every time you get in. What else are you looking for?
