Test-Driving The Brawny, Plush 2023 Hyundai Palisade

The 2023 Palisade is solid, stylish, capable and spacious, and the equal of others in its class. You will definitely name this vehicle something – it’s got lots of personality and detail and quirks as well as couple of “What-the-devils?” we’ll get to.

The first news is its refresh for 2023. The grille has been revised as have bumpers, headlights and dashboard design with updated screens and the latest tech. For more coin you can get the XRT trim with its roof bars, blacked-out grille and glossy black trim. There is no electric or hybrid option available, not to say it won’t happen down the pike.

It is sharp-looking from all angles, a plus when you’ve three rows and wish to maintain some kind of hipness, even if it’s in your own mind. The Palisades is mighty-mighty whether looking at its front, sides or rear, with choppy angles, a huge mouth in the back with the gate up and a nice slab o’metal hoodwise. It feels nice to sit in, as plush inside as it is gargantuan outside.

The second row now features nice headrests that bend to provide lateral head support. All three rows now have heated seats. The first and second rows have, as always, ventilated seats. There is a massage feature for the driver – I’ve always hated those touchy-feely auto massages, but maybe you don’t. I loved, on the other hand, the digital key allowing Apple and Samsung users to lock, unlock, and start the Palisade with their phones.

All Palisades continue to be powered by Hyundai’s 291-hp, 262-lb-ft 3.8-liter V-6 engine mated to an eight-speed automatic. Handling is quite good for a big boy like this, as was braking. It was neither speedy nor sluggish; it’s right there in the middle. You will not be racing anyone when the light turns green. You do not buy this ride to smoke anyone.

You buy this ride because you can fit a LOT of stuff in it whether people or things. In this manner, it knocks it out of the park.

Your innards are wide and they are long, and even the third row is relatively generous for the tall if not the wide among us. If you do get stuck in the third row, at least you have grab handles and one-press power buttons to play with. You can also fold everything flat and toss your bikes back there, or your drums, or your (fill in the blank) There is 18 cubic feet of space behind the third row when it’s raised – that’s a lot. Up front there are nooks, crannies, spaces and more spaces, and the doors also hold a healthy amount of wrappers, coffee cups, change and such.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade is available in five different trim levels—SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy. Prices start at $36,245 for the SE and rise to $50,195 for the Calligraphy. The all-wheel-drive option adds $1,900.

The one beef I had was with the lane-departure warning system. Myself? I don’t want it and never use it if I can disable it. I don’t have a problem staying in a lane. But Mama Palisades goes overboard. If you so much as breathe in the direction of the left or right of the lane, not only will you promptly be scolded via chimer, but your sound system will cut off until Mama thinks you’ve come to your senses. Since almost nobody including me has a perfect lane score – and we also change lanes, which interrupts the music, too – this may drive you up a wall. If not, it is a practical and necessary feature for those who can’t stay in a lane, which includes quite a few drivers, eh?

For example:

I had a girlfriend – let’s call her “Erica” – who was a self-admitted terrible driver and simply could not park in her garage without bashing into the wall ahead of the vehicle, or scraping a side of the car on something – a telephone pole, a wall. This system would work for Erica. Or my late father who would adjust his sound system and when he lowered the volume, the car would veer left, and when he raised it, the car would veer right.

Careful out there, folks!

What are the Palisade’s interior and in-car technology like?

Every Palisade comes standard with an 12.3-inch touchscreen with navigation that’s easy to use and to see. You can devote the entire screen to one function, split it between two (such as the navigation map and audio system information), or leave it on the home screen that shows various functions. It’s similar to what you see in various luxury brands, and it’s just as well-executed, if even a bit better, in the Palisade. Hyundai added a pay-by-the-month WiFi hotspot to the Palisade for 2023. A digital rearview mirror is also newly available, but only comes on the Calligraphy as standard equipment.

Hyundai’s big family hauler also comes standard with a multitude of standard infotainment features including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio and five USB ports (one USB-A and four USB-C ports). An extra pair of USB-C ports is added to upper trim levels, and wireless phone charging is standard on all but the base model. A Harman/Kardon surround sound audio system is standard on the upper trims levels. Shared with the Telluride is a rear seat mute function that easily disables the rear speakers (for sleeping kids, or those who don’t want to listen to your lame old music) as well as the Driver Talk in-car intercom system that transmits the driver’s voice to those sitting in the back.

How big is the Palisade?

What are the Palisade’s fuel economy and performance specs?