2024 Hyundai Palisade Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Distinctive styling sets the Palisade apart from its rivals, making it impossible to lose in a sea of lookalike, family-friendly SUVs. It might not appeal to everyone, but if you like the Palisade’s looks, chances are you’ll like most other things about it.

Hyundai offers the 2024 Palisade in SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, Calligraphy, and new-for-2024 Calligraphy Night Edition trim levels. Prices range from $36,650 to $53,850, not including the $1,395 destination charge. Our test vehicle came in Calligraphy Night Edition trim with extra-cost Hyper White paint and carpeted floor mats. It wore a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $55,930.

Although lower trims of the Palisade come standard with front-wheel drive (FWD), the Calligraphy Night Edition comes only with all-wheel drive (AWD) and features a blacked-out appearance including a mix of dark chrome and gloss black exterior trim, badges, and wheels. Hyundai offers it only in Abyss Black or Hyper White paint colors paired with a black interior featuring leather with artificial suede inserts.

As with the standard Palisade Calligraphy, the Night Edition has an artificial suede headliner that seems decadent on a mass-market midsize family SUV. That, plus the quality upholstery, metal speaker grilles, striped dashboard and door trim, and overall sophistication of the interior makes a loaded Hyundai Palisade look and feel like a luxury SUV.

Every 2024 Palisade has a 3.8-liter V6 engine generating 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission powers the SUV’s front wheels, unless you upgrade to an AWD model. The maximum towing capacity is 5,000 pounds and the Palisade offers eight inches of ground clearance.

Several driving modes are available. They include Eco, Comfort, Sport, Smart, and Snow. In addition, when traveling off-road, you can lock the AWD system to evenly split engine power between the front and rear wheels. However, we recommend keeping the Palisade on paths more traveled because even in XRT trim, it’s not meant for tackling challenging terrain.

The V6 engine offers plenty of power and satisfying acceleration. The transmission always seems to be in the right gear at the right time, and on dirt and gravel roads the AWD system expertly distributes the power depending on traction and conditions. According to the EPA, a 2024 Palisade with AWD should get 21 mpg in combined driving. On our testing loop, the SUV averaged 18.8 mpg while in Comfort mode.

As you move up the Palisade trim-level ladder, the SUV adds acoustic window glass, and the Calligraphy Night Edition proved remarkably quiet inside when driving on the highway. Hyundai tunes the suspension for a firmer, more connected ride, but it’s not uncomfortable. When driving in the city, the excellent outward visibility helps when parking and maneuvering in tight quarters, as does the top-down surround-view camera.

Unexpectedly, the Palisade displays some athleticism when threading mountain and canyon roads. In this environment, it trades the firm city and highway ride for gentle body motions that gradually react to pavement heaves, dips, and lumps for predictable handling free of sudden weight transfer and head toss. Better yet, the brakes withstood some abuse without grumbling, shuddering, or fading.

Overall, driving a Hyundai Palisade is a simple pleasure. The least appealing thing about it is the real-world fuel economy.

Fans of cloth seats will want the base Palisade SE trim level because the others feature H-Tex artificial leather (SEL, XRT), real leather (Limited), premium Nappa leather (Calligraphy), or premium Nappa leather with microfiber inserts (Calligraphy Night).

In addition, all but the SE trim have heated eight-way power-adjustable front seats. A heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats are available with SEL trim and standard starting with the Palisade Limited. In addition, the Limited gets memory settings and an adjustable thigh support cushion for the driver while the Calligraphy has an Ergo Motion massage function for the driver.

Equipped with all of these upgrades, our Calligraphy Night Edition test vehicle was quite comfortable. If you prefer cloth seats, this model’s generous simulated suede seat inserts are great, but Hyundai offers the Night Edition only with a black interior. Also, it would be nice if Hyundai made the memory settings, adjustable thigh bolsters, and Ergo Motion comfort functions available for the front passenger.

Between the front seats, the Palisade offers configurable storage. Keep the lid closed, and it serves as a shallow console-top tray. Open it, and you’ll find a large storage bin. You can transform half of it into cupholders while using the other half as a wireless smartphone charger. Separately, a sizable bin lives under the center armrest with a small tray to contain items that might easily be lost. Hyundai also provides a floor tray under the bridge-style center console and trays carved into the door panel armrests.

Second-row passengers enjoy a three-person bench seat in SE trim, while all other Palisades come with captain’s chairs. If you prefer a bench seat, you can get one on the Palisade SEL at no extra cost. Stick with the captain’s chairs, and they’re optionally heated and ventilated with SEL trim. The Limited, Calligraphy, and Night Edition include those features as standard equipment. In addition, the top three trims have heated third-row seats and a dual-panel sunroof.

Comfort in the second row is excellent, and all trim levels include a rear climate control panel. Side window sunshades are an option with SEL trim and are standard on the Palisade XRT and higher trims. Hyundai offers USB charging ports built into the front seatbacks, and the storage pockets include a separate netted sleeve made specifically for smartphones.

To enter the third-row seat, you can squeeze between the captain’s chairs or use the standard one-touch access function. Clearance is decent and the third row is more comfortable and roomy than what you’ll find in most of the Palisade’s rivals. Hyundai includes standard third-row heating and air conditioning vents and the top three trims feature heated third-row cushions.

In the back, a hands-free power tailgate is standard, starting with SEL trim. It senses the proximity of the key fob and, after a few seconds, will automatically power open without requiring you to dance around on one foot while waving the other one beneath the bumper. Obviously, that’s dangerous if there is ice and snow underfoot.

The smart tailgate feature is great when you need it but irritating when you’re simply standing nearby talking with someone. Especially when you’re parked on a hill, that could allow things to fall out of the cargo hold. You can turn it off through the infotainment system if you’d rather not use it.

The Palisade provides 18 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seat, including the generous underfloor storage compartment. Fold the third-row seat down to create 45.8 cubic feet of cargo capacity, and with the second-row seats folded in half, cargo volume jumps to 86.4 cubic feet.

To get a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel in a new 2024 Palisade, you can add it by choosing the SEL Premium option package or by buying the Limited, Calligraphy, or Calligraphy Night Edition. The test vehicle had the digital gauges, and they’re excellent.

All Palisades have a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation. It supports Bluetooth connectivity for two devices and offers Bluelink+ connected services, Wi-Fi access, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a rear-seat Quiet Mode. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard, but they require a cable plugged into a USB-A port to use them. Wireless charging is standard starting with SEL trim.

Since we didn’t have a cable on hand (and certainly not one compatible with USB-A), we elected to stream music via Pandora and Apple Music instead of running Apple CarPlay. That kept us within the native Hyundai technology, where the voice recognition system worked well. However, while listening to SiriusXM, it was unable to find reggae music even when we specifically requested Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio. Yet it had no trouble finding Alt Nation when we asked for it.

Bluelink+ is new for 2024. It’s the same as Bluelink, except that original owners now receive the same connected services at no cost for as long as they own the Palisade. Highlights include remote engine starting, automatic collision warning, SOS emergency assistance with panic notification, safe teen driving features, and much more.

Audiophiles will appreciate the 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system. It is part of the SEL Premium package and is standard with Limited, Calligraphy, and Calligraphy Night Edition trim. The Harman Kardon speakers provide excellent sound quality for this segment, and the test vehicle had speaker grilles that would do a Mercedes-Benz proud.

Additional technologies worth noting include a digital key function that turns your smartphone into the SUV’s key, a digital rearview mirror, and a semi-autonomous remote parking system that works when you’re standing outside of the Palisade. The available head-up display is also excellent, showing plenty of data including upcoming navigation instructions, the operational status of safety features, and visual blind-spot warnings. Unfortunately, it did not play nice with cheap polarized sunglasses.

Hyundai equips the 2024 Palisade with its generously equipped SmartSense collection of driving assistance systems. It includes forward-collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, intersection assist, safe exit assist, automatic high-beam headlights, rear parking sensors, and a rear-seat reminder system.

Also part of SmartSense is Highway Driving Assist (HDA). This pairs the adaptive cruise control system with curve speed control and lane-centering assist to provide a hands-on driving system for highway travel. Starting with the SEL Premium option package, HDA includes a lane-change assist feature. During our evaluation, HDA worked beautifully, demonstrating just how close Hyundai is to offering a hands-free version of the technology.

Starting with SEL trim, the rear-seat reminder adds ultrasonic sensing to provide alerts for 24 hours after you’ve locked and left the vehicle. It also notifies you of any movement inside via a smartphone app while activating the horn and lights to get the attention of passers-by.

In addition to lane-change assist, the SEL trim’s Premium package equips the Palisade with front parking sensors, front cross-traffic alert, and evasive steering assist. It also adds a surround-view and Blind-Spot View Monitor camera system. Unfortunately, none of those features are available with the XRT trim.

One reason to get the Palisade Limited, Calligraphy, or Calligraphy Night Edition is their three layers of blind-spot safety. In addition to the standard blind-spot monitoring system, these trims include the head-up display with its blind-spot notifications and the blind-spot view camera system. All three systems are useful for preventing accidents.

However, should a collision occur, know that the 2024 Palisade earns a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Valid for the 2024 calendar year, this rating does not reflect the SUV’s performance in a new moderate overlap frontal-impact test that measures rear occupant safety because the IIHS hasn’t performed that assessment yet.

Crash tests from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are incomplete. The SUV gets the top five-star rating for side-impact collisions and a four-star rollover resistance rating, but there aren’t any frontal impact test results to reference.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade isn’t particularly fuel efficient, but that’s one of the worst things you can say about it. Otherwise, the Palisade is an excellent value. In addition to long warranty and roadside assistance plans, the SUV comes with three years of complimentary scheduled service. In addition, original owners benefit from a free Bluelink+ connected services subscription for as long as they own the Palisade.

Thankfully, there is more to this SUV than just a good deal. It offers genuine substance wrapped in thoughtful packaging, and the 2024 Palisade suffers few flaws. If you’re shopping for a new midsize three-row SUV and you like the way this Hyundai looks, you owe it to yourself to take a test drive.

But if you’re not a fan of the styling, there are plenty of other SUVs to consider in this segment. They include the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Explorer, GMC Acadia, Honda Pilot, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Kia Telluride, Nissan Pathfinder, Mazda CX-90, Subaru Ascent, and Volkswagen Atlas.