The 2023 Hyundai Palisade is a fortress of comfort

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A palisade can refer to a type of fortress, and you might well think that Hyundai has named its largest offering literally here. Just look at that grille — the metal breastplate of a giant, girded for war. Like most vehicles in its class, the Palisade projects a sense of authoritative security; in the sea of pickup trucks that is modern traffic, the three-row crossover represents safety through size.

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Not that long ago, parents would have crammed the kids into a minivan, and before that the brood were sliding around the vinyl seats of some whale-sized station wagon without any seat belts on. Average family sizes are down a bit over the last few decades, but the cars that serve families have grown. With a new, buffer and boxier styling for the 2023 year, this big Hyundai is ready to take on anything your family can throw at it.

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This example looks black or dark grey throughout an overcast week, but an errant ray of sunlight revealed a lovely metallic green paint. Beyond the paint and the grille and the big wheels, Hyundai’s designers have basically been handed a brief that’s all about disguising a big box. The Palisade is largely unfussy, and you could even call it handsome were the Kia Telluride (riding on the same platform) not slightly better looking.

But like the coffin-sized cardboard box Amazon used to send you a penguin-themed pencil case, it’s what’s on the inside that counts here. All that exterior squareness results in a bright and airy cabin, with plenty of real estate for everyone. Technically you get more space in a minivan, but the Palisade was more than spacious enough for my two kids. With one of them finally out of booster seats, there was much oohing and aahing over the luxury of second-row heated seats. (And, because the other one is still in a booster, much squabbling immediately thereafter.)

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The Palisade slightly edges out Toyota’s Highlander here in terms of roominess and cargo capacity. With the rear-seats folded, as will likely be common in most Palisades, the trunk was a respectable 1,297L, or 509L with the third row deployed. In a nice touch, the third row is fully power-folding, and folding down the second-row captain’s chairs presented a flat loading surface for a trip to that nice Swedish furniture store that sells particle board bookcases and also vegetarian meatballs, and maybe don’t think too hard about that.

Every parent knows you don’t need three rows for two kids — until you do. For the same reason that shoppers choose pickup trucks though they may only tow a trailer a handful of times a year, the Palisade’s third row is exactly the kind of thing to come in handy when shuttling extra kids to birthday parties, Guides meets, or various sports. Again, a minivan makes its owner carpool royalty, but the Palisade is plenty flexible here. Roomier rear seating can be found in the just-launched Honda Pilot, but the Palisade is again bigger than arch-rival Toyota.

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And touching on towing, the Palisade will also haul the same 2,267 kg as the non-hybrid Highlander. Hyundai only offers one powertrain option: a 3.8L V6 paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. All Canadian Palisades are all-wheel-drive, though the vehicle is not really an offroader. However, tackling some gravel roads en route to a summer campsite shouldn’t be an issue.

Peak power from that V6 is 291 hp at 6,000 rpm, with peak torque of 262 lb-ft. The application here is smooth rather than sporty, and the engine pairs well with the Palisade’s relaxed demeanour. Mixed-use fuel economy is rated at 11.1 L/100 km, and observed consumption was actually slightly better. The lack of a hybrid option may give pause to those with mostly urban driving requirements.

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For everyday duties, the Palisade excels as a background car. It is smooth, comfortable, and competent. While not being particularly exciting to drive, it’s not entirely disconnected from the road. Light steering makes things low-effort. For more on-road personality, the upcoming Mazda CX-90 looks like it has additional zippiness, but for just trying to get everyone home in time for dinner after choir lessons, the Palisade’s laid-back feel is a welcome refuge.

The technology interface is a 12.3” touchscreen that’s mounted high on the dashboard. Like all Hyundai systems, it’s easy to navigate through, with large icons and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’d be nice to see Hyundai update the latter to be wireless, given the proliferation of wireless phone charging (it does have a wireless charging pad, after all). However, Hyundai should be praised here for sticking to a wide selection of physical buttons and switchgear for many functions.

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Beyond being straightforward to use, the infotainment has a few typically Hyundai-ish quirks, including a pre-loaded selection of ambient sounds. If you wish, you can drive around in your Palisade with the heated seats and steering wheel on, listening to the crackle of a roaring fire. Or the noise of a busy cafe. It’s charmingly weird.

Also weird but less fun is the push-button gearshift and rotary terrain control management. It’d be better if they switched roles, as the former takes a double-check every time, and the latter isn’t going to see much use.

Being the Calligraphy top trim, this tester came with the 12-speaker Harmon-Kardon premium audio. The mid-spec Urban trim gets this as well, and it’s perfectly up to the task of blasting out whatever K-Pop the kids are asking for. All Palisades also come with a driver intercom system and a mode that quickly mutes the rear speakers. If your little road-trippers have nodded off, it’s a quick swipe and a push to leave them in peace while you switch over to your favourite audiobook or podcast.

At $47,999 to start, and $56,799 for the Calligraphy edition, the Palisade is not inexpensive, but is a decent value versus its rivals. Top trim to top trim, it’s a great deal less expensive than the Honda Pilot, for instance.

Big, friendly, and easy to live with, the Palisade is a safe choice in this segment. It may be more car than a medium-sized family needs, but there aren’t many drawbacks to having the extra space. Like all the best fortresses, this one’s all about preserving the peace.

Check out the latest Hyundai Palisade model.