2023 Hyundai Palisade First Drive Review: Steady As She Goes
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2023 Hyundai Palisade First Drive Review: Steady as She Goes
Since its introduction in the 2020 model year, the Hyundai Palisade has done a great job acting as the automaker's flagship SUV. This three-row family machine is comfortable, competent and packed with good creature comforts. Solid as it is, there's always a little room for improvement. That's the conceit behind the Palisade's mid-cycle refresh: A few light tweaks here and there make a good car better.
The Palisade always looked fresh, but I think the 2023 refresh ramps it up. I like how the front grille is more prominent, maybe more intimidating, better blending with the daytime running lights and giving off a much stronger vibe. Hyundai's designers added a smidge more overhang up front to improve its side profile, but I barely notice a difference. The rear end loses some overhang and the lower half of the bumper picks up a butch new skid plate, but the overall look doesn't change much. A new set of auto-dimming side mirrors rounds out the exterior redo.
The Palisade's interior gets a little more love. A revised instrument panel looks just a bit fancier, with a full-width trim piece connecting the vents to add more visual width. The steering wheel looks fresher, too. The center console remains massive, housing most of the controls and offering a big storage cubby underneath. The third row remains a little tight for adults thanks to its raised floor, but it's more than spacious enough for kids, and a bevy of USB ports and storage spots means those in the back don't miss out on the Palisade's practicality.
Aesthetic tweaks aren't really the best part of the Palisade's refresh. Instead, it's all the new tech and creature comforts the automaker crammed in here. The 2023 Palisade picks up heated third-row seats, a massaging driver's seat, a 4G LTE Wi-FI hotspot running on the Verizon network, a boatload of faster USB-C ports, beefier wireless device charging and a digital rearview mirror. All trims now rock a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are onboard, it's a wired affair only. Hyundai also improved its phone-as-a-key tech, which is now compatible with Apple products as well as Samsung devices. The underlying infotainment tech remains the same, which is to say it's easy to use and mighty responsive.
Hyundai's steering wheels are some of my favorites in the industry, and the Palisade's is no exception.
HyundaiSafety tech abounds, as well. All Palisade trims come with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors, full-speed adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, and lane-keep assist. Highway Driving Assist, which combines some of the aforementioned systems to reduce some of the tedium of long expressway jaunts, is also standard on every Palisade. Moving up through the trims adds other features, like a surround-view monitor, blind-spot cameras and remote parking assist. Highway Driving Assist can also be upgraded to HDA II, adding lane-change assistance and shifting the vehicle's lane position if someone else is crowding you on either side.
The 2023 Palisade's powertrain is unchanged, with its 3.8-liter V6 producing 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, routed through the buyer's choice of the front or all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission. It's plenty fine, providing more than enough power for a three-row SUV with a decent exhaust note that never overwhelms the cabin. The transmission is a smooth shifter, and the stop-start system offers clean, annoyance-free operation. Simply put, it's a delight to pilot around town and never feels too large or onerous, even on tighter city streets.
Despite its size, the Palisade never really feels like a handful in the city.
HyundaiThe interior is a bit quieter than before, thanks to improved sound absorption materials, and my top-of-the-line tester offers some very cushy Nappa leather to keep occupants nice and comfortable. Visibility remains good from all angles, and the digital rearview mirror makes up for any heads in between my eyes and the rear glass. The ride quality is on the softer side, comfortable without feeling too floaty. I like that the suspension is the same across the entire range of trims, so whether you opt for the base SE or the high-end Calligraphy trim, the coddling is exactly the same. Load the SUV up with kids and cargo, and the ride should feel even smoother.
During my time with the Palisade, Hyundai put together an off-road course to show that the refreshed SUV can handle dirt and mud better than I might expect in all-wheel-drive guise. With a locking center differential, the Palisade cruises through deep, muddy ruts with ease, though its standard all-season tires aren't exactly engineered for the rough stuff. Bumpier, rockier roads don't really upset the car, nor introduce any strange sounds into the cabin; hell, the suspension is so competent that it stays pretty comfortable throughout the off-roading portion of my evaluation. The Palisade doesn't exactly offer class-leading approach and departure angles, but a couple steep drops didn't so much as plink the bumpers, so I am confident 99.9% of buyers will have no problem taking their Palisades wherever they want to go.
Is your Jimmy Buffett concert at the end of a gravel road? Have no fear, the Palisade can handle that, and a fair bit more, too.
HyundaiThe 2023 Palisade offers an impressive range of trims and price points. The base Palisade SE starts at $36,245 (including $1,295 for destination), with the SEL running $39,245 and the new rugged-looking XRT trim sliding in at $41,545. The penultimate Limited will set you back $47,795, while top-of-the-line Calligraphy trim asks for $50,195. All those prices are for front-wheel-drive models, mind you; if you want all-wheel drive, it's a flat $1,900 upcharge on every trim.
While the 2023 Hyundai Palisade might be on the light-to-medium side of mid-cycle refreshes, it's because Hyundai didn't need to do all that much. A few visual nips and tucks keep the aesthetics interesting, while a healthy addition of cabin tech and creature comforts make sure it remains competitive against cars like the Toyota Highlander and Ford Explorer. It's a great family car made even better.
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