2019 Honda Pilot vs 2020 Hyundai Palisade

The 3-row crossover is the king of family vehicles. Sure, minivans remain a popular choice for large families, but there has been a pendulum swing from the days of blocky old Dodge Caravans to now. Having one or two children does not immediately necessitate a minivan, and there are plenty of useful, capable, and more nimble SUVs from which to choose.

The 2019 Honda Pilot stands as one of the cornerstones of this 3-row SUV market. It’s large, versatile, and designed specifically with families in mind. It may not have the sliding doors or built-in vacuum of the Honda Odyssey, but for active families, a vehicle like this truly rivals a minivan in actual usability.

The Pilot joined the SUV market in the early 2000s, at the height of the SUV craze and in the waning days of the minivan’s rule. With plenty of cabin space, moderate ability to get off the beaten trail, and V6 power, the Pilot was perfectly positioned for rising fuel prices later in the decade. As many consumers ditched their traditional truck-based SUVs to save on fuel, the Pilot only grew in popularity.

The Pilot is now in its third generation, having received a mild refresh for 2019 that includes slightly updated front and rear styling. It also receives an updated infotainment system and, more importantly, it brings the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assistance features as standard equipment.

When your job is to test drive cars, you start to see trends happening before your eyes. You mention something once, then again, and before you know it, it's unavoidable. The downside is I end up sounding like a broken record to a lot of shoppers. Car reviewers started seeing huge improvements from Kia and its parent company, Hyundai, years ago. Now, these Korean automakers are so good, they're genuine contenders in nearly every segment.

We saw this earlier this year with the 2020 Kia Telluride, which Cliff Atiyeh reviewed. Now we’re seeing it again with the all-new 2020 Hyundai Palisade. This is a spacious, comfortable, and versatile 3-row SUV, and one you should seriously consider against cornerstones of the family SUV market, like the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot.

The Palisade has been a long time coming for Hyundai, which has been without a true contender in the segment. From 2008 to 2012, Hyundai offered the 3-row Veracruz, but that was more of a glorified 2-row SUV that had extra-small seats in the back for kids. More recently, Hyundai has offered the Santa Fe XL with three rows, but that was a stopgap car. This is a similar situation to Subaru, which offered the Tribeca for a number of years but didn't become a serious contender in the space until it debuted the Ascent. There are no half-measures in the family-hauler market.

This little history lesson serves to indicate the lengths to which automakers will go to stand out in the 3-row family SUV segment. The Palisade is already making headlines, but will it move the needle for Hyundai? Read on to find out, and to learn which trim of the Palisade CarGurus recommends.