2020 Lincoln Aviator vs 2020 Hyundai Palisade

Hyundai had absolutely knocked the Palisade's styling out of the park. This vehicle could have worn a Cadillac logo, and shoppers wouldn't have blinked an eye. The Palisade stood out more than Caddy’s new XT6 3-row luxury SUV. Its bold, in-your-face styling was characterized by a massive grille and rakishly thin headlights. Interestingly enough, the upper headlight assembly was only part of the headlight puzzle. What appeared to be larger fog lights made up the rest of the headlights. With them on, there was a character line of LEDs that extended from the upper headlights down through the mid-level assembly.

Speaking of unique style choices, Hyundai was known for doing interesting things with chrome and vehicles' character lines. This trend continued with the Palisade, which had a large chrome strip that ran from the base of the A-pillar up over both side door windows, and interestingly, finished right after the rear door. This visually broke up what might otherwise have been a very long design. The cabin of the Palisade continued that upscale feel, but with more elegance and simplicity. It had a fully digital instrument panel, a large touchscreen that flowed seamlessly across the dash, and a center console bristling with controls that rose up along the centerline.

The Aviator slotted below the Navigator and above the compact MKC and its replacement, the Lincoln Corsair. The new look for Lincoln was unified across all its sedans, crossovers, and SUVs, including handsome headlights and an upright chrome grille. The Aviator’s roofline tapered a bit, giving the vehicle a more elongated look, and its low, wide beltline almost gave the Aviator a boat-like appearance. The cabin of the Aviator had a flowing design, soft-touch materials, and selective use of brightwork. The seats appeared both elegant and sturdy, and the shifter buttons almost had a piano-key design to them.

The front seats were incredibly comfortable and backed up their appearance. They used soft-touch materials throughout, and from the dash to the door panels to even the sides of the center console, plush leather was found even where it didn’t necessarily need to be. The Aviator had some really nice touches, like its massive panoramic moonroof and unique warning jingles, which were recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The Aviator’s lineup included five trims: Standard, Reserve, Grand Touring, Black Label, and Black Label Grand Touring. The Standard came well-equipped, with three-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, leather upholstery, and heated front seats.

The Palisade came equipped with a 3.8-liter V6, the only engine offered, making 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Power was sent to the front wheels or available all-wheel drive (AWD) through an 8-speed automatic transmission, operated via a push-button shifter. The automatic transmission managed power well, and the V6 engine provided solid acceleration. The drive mode dial offered Sport, Comfort, Eco, Snow, and Smart modes. Smart mode toggled between the other modes based on driving habits. In Comfort mode, the V6 and the transmission took a half-second to respond to the desire to speed up, but eventually brought on strong acceleration. Sport mode made the gas pedal twitchier and improved cornering.

Fuel economy for the 2019 Hyundai Palisade FWD was 19 mpg city, 26 highway, 22 combined. With AWD, fuel economy was 19/24/21. In a week of combined city and highway driving, observed fuel economy was 20.3 miles per gallon.

The Aviator came standard with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, making 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque. The Grand Touring combined the 3.0-liter turbo V6 with a 100-hp electric motor, resulting in a net 494 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque. Both powertrains sent power through a 10-speed automatic transmission. The base V6 sent power to either rear-wheel drive (RWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), while the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) was an AWD setup. Both versions did 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds.

Fuel economy for the conventionally powered Aviator with RWD was 18 mpg city, 26 highway, 21 combined. With AWD, those numbers fell to 17, 24, 20. Fuel economy for the PHEV drivetrain was a combined 23 mpg, with a 21-mile electric-only range and a rating of 56 miles-per-gallon equivalent combined.

The Palisade had 45.8 cubic feet with the third row down and 86.4 cubic feet with all rear seats dropped. Space in the third row felt manageable, even for longer trips. The Palisade just barely found itself in the category of 3-row SUVs with third rows designed for adults. The second-row captain's chairs were the place to be, with multiple cup holders and seatback pockets providing plenty of space.

The Aviator’s optional second-row captain’s chairs were fantastic. The power-closing third row was adequate for adults but probably best suited for kids on any trip longer than 30 minutes. Dropping the second and third rows provided 77 cubic feet of cargo space. The seats and the door handles were a bit confusing, with the seats having a complicated control system and the door-release function being unnecessarily complicated.

Hyundai supplied the Palisade with plenty of standard tech, including an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The SEL trim could be upgraded with a $1,250 Driver Guidance package, which included a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, satellite radio, and the Driver Talk in-car intercom system. The Limited trim came with a Harman Kardon premium audio system, a surround-view monitor, and a head-up display.

The Aviator came standard with the Sync 3 infotainment system, operated via a 10.1-inch touchscreen. The Aviator’s Sync 3 screen used a more conventional landscape layout, presenting Apple CarPlay across the entire screen. The Aviator had a fully digital instrument panel and a massive head-up display, providing a lot of information while being minimalist and unobtrusive.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named the 2020 Hyundai Palisade a Top Safety Pick+, its highest award. The Palisade came loaded with the latest driver-assistance tech, including forward-collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, a driver-attention warning, and parking sensors. The digital instrument panel allowed for the Palisade’s unique blind-spot camera system, projecting live images on the instrument panel when the turn signal was activated.

The Aviator came with a full complement of driver-assistance systems as part of Lincoln Co-Pilot360. This suite included forward-collision avoidance, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Other safety tech included blind-spot monitoring and a head-up display.