2022 Hyundai Palisade

Overview

Hyundai's Palisade SUV aims for a class-above experience and nearly nails it, especially on upper trims where its cabin could be confused for one of the Genesis brand's luxury vehicles. It's not a Genesis, despite the look and feel, and it instead shares its platform with the also-excellent Kia Telluride. A smooth-running 3.8-liter V-6 is standard and is mated to an eight-speed automatic; front-wheel drive is the base setup, but all-wheel drive is also available. A generous amount of equipment is standard, including a ton of high-tech driver assists and modern infotainment connectivity features. The cabin is as roomy as it is comfortable and offers seating for up to eight passengers within the standard three-row layout. Overall, the Palisade is a well-rounded SUV with a premium vibe, which is why we gave it an Editors' Choice award.

What's New for 2022?

Hyundai has made several active safety equipment standard across the Palisade lineup for 2022, including rear cross-traffic collision avoidance and blind-spot collision avoidance, which intervene if the associated alerts of potential obstacles are ignored by the driver. All models also now come with side mirrors that feature integrated turn signals. On the top-spec Calligraphy model, the dark-brown leather upholstery is no longer offered.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

Our Palisade of choice would be the mid-range SEL with the Premium package. All-wheel drive costs $1700, but consumers in more temperate climates could forgo this choice. With the Premium package, our SEL Palisade slides in just under $43,000. It still offers much of the SUV's best tech and luxury features, including the larger 10.3-inch infotainment system, in-dash navigation, and Hyundai's semi-autonomous driving mode. If you're considering going with an all-wheel-drive version of the Limited—which comes nicely equipped with nappa leather seating surfaces, heated and ventilated first and second rows, a 12-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system, just to name a few items—we suggest taking a look instead at the top-level Calligraphy, which costs only $925 more and comes standard with all-wheel drive.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The Palisade is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6. Coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the engine's 291 horsepower is adequate for this application. The Palisade's transmission can be manually shifted with steering-wheel-mounted paddles. 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 robust transmission cooler and trailer pre-wiring and sway control. It can tow up to 5000 pounds when equipped with the dealer-installed trailer hitch. We tested an all-wheel-drive SEL, and it delivered adequate—if unexceptional—test results at our test track. In our testing, the Palisade went from zero to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds, and the Palisade needed 182 feet to stop from 70 mph. It proved to be slightly quicker than the Telluride but slower than the Chevrolet Traverse.

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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 gets 19 city and 24 mpg highway. In our 200-mile highway test route, our all-wheel-drive SEL model managed just 23 of its claimed 24-mpg rating. For more information about the Palisade fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

There's room for up to eight passengers in the SE and SEL trims, seven in the Limited and Calligraphy, and there's plenty of space in all three rows for their occupants. The second row features a one-touch button to move the seat forward for easy access to the third row. Noise from the road is suppressed; however, a large amount of wind noise penetrates the doors. With the second- and third-row seats folded, power operation is optional on the SEL and standard on Limited. Cargo volume behind the front seats is 86 cubic feet, which fit 33 carry-on suitcases in our testing. 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. Underneath the load floor, there is plenty of room to store muddy or wet items. The cubbies in the doors are tight, but there is reasonable storage within and below the floating-bridge center console.

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Infotainment and Connectivity

An 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Bluetooth connectivity is standard on SE and SEL trims. A responsive and intuitive 10.3-inch display rendered with sharp resolution—optional on the SEL and standard with the Limited and Calligraphy—offers navigation and SiriusXM satellite radio. Both systems also can be operated by physical knobs and buttons. Up to seven USB ports can be optioned as well as the ability to connect two Bluetooth devices simultaneously. When equipped with Hyundai's Blue Link app service, the Palisade can be locked and unlocked as well as 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 as the trim levels progress. 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

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

More Features and Specs