Yahoo Autos 2020 Hyundai Palisade First Drive | We finally try it on U.S. soil
COUER d'ALENE, Idaho — You're going to hear the name 2020 Hyundai Palisade a lot in future three-row family crossover reviews. As in, "This interior just doesn't have the premium feel of the Hyundai Palisade" or, "This is more expensive than the Palisade, but you get less equipment." That's what comes from creating such a well-rounded entry that checks just about every box for would-be buyers of three-row crossovers.
Now, the Palisade may be new, but it's not like Hyundai has hit a home run in its first at-bat. The forgettable but reasonably competitive Veracruz hit the scene back in 2007, and was then replaced by the three-row Santa Fe (known as the XL for 2019). Both of those had common flaws: They were less spacious than their competitors, they weren't as good to drive, and their styling hardly made them stand out from the crowd.
All of that is corrected with the Palisade, but surpassing the bar set by Hyundais past was rightfully not the goal. Hyundai's newest three-row crossover is considerably bigger than the Santa Fe XL (3 inches longer, 3.6 inches wider, and there's 4.5 extra cubic feet behind the third row), but the more relevant feat is that it's now more spacious than many three-row competitors. It was something we noted when we compared its dimensions to the Subaru Ascent, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander and Mazda CX-9, but it's readily obvious when experiencing it in person. You can fit someone taller than 6 feet in each row simultaneously (your kids will therefore be that much more comfortable), including in the third row. The rearmost row of seating provides plenty of headroom and under-leg support (unlike the new Ford Explorer) thanks to a seat bottom that was raised considerably from where it was in the Santa Fe XL.
That was one of that SUV's key flaws, but so was its six-person capacity when equipped with the popular second-row captain's chairs. Adding an extra seat belt to the third row (along with extra width) allows for seven — that the standard second-row bench seat results in an eight-person capacity was of secondary importance, according to product planning manager Trevor Lai.
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Another goal was to provide an enlarged cargo area, especially behind the third row. Lai says he and other product planners distinctly remember seeing Honda advertise that its previous-generation Pilot could fit a 75-quart cooler behind its third row. As such, they requested that engineers provided enough space for an 80-quart one. They got 100 quarts instead. That equates to two jumbo golf bags and multiple carry-on roll-aboard suitcases. A removable floor panel opens up additional space, which can also be used to stow the rolling cargo cover.
It's also not just a matter of space in the Palisade's two rear rows. There are two cupholders beside each outboard seat, air vents in the ceiling, and two USB ports in each rear row (SEL and Limited). The second-row seats slide forward by pushing one of two redundant buttons on the seat shoulder and at the base of the seat cushion. The resulting gap to the third row could be bigger, but there's a unique grab handle integrated into the C pillar that helps climbing inside. The third row's square-ish cupholders were also purposely shaped that way to serve double duty as a second grab handle to be used when climbing out. Thoughtful.
Admittedly, much of this packaging and rear-seat feature content is shared with the 2020 Kia Telluride, which utilizes the same platform. Indeed, if you look at their specs, it's pretty obvious they're fraternal twins. The Kia is just a wee bit more spacious due to its boxier rear shape. Feature content is awfully similar too, and if one's better to drive than the other, it would take a back-to-back drive to notice. Nevertheless, there are a handful of things the Palisade gets that the Kia does not. One is an available power-folding third row and the Limited's standard all-digital instrument panel that changes its design depending on drive mode. You also get a push-button electronic shifter that's refreshingly not gimmicky and genuinely serves a purpose by saving space on the center console, which provides Honda-like levels of clever small-item storage solutions.
