The upscale Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy competes with luxury European SUVs

Written by Marco Carvajal

2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy AWD

Several years ago most luxury car buyers wouldn’t have imagined that Hyundai would be producing a three-row large midsize SUV so premium, elegant, and fully loaded that could compete with European car producers, but today this is a reality with the new Palisade.

This SUV is powered by a very good capable engine for its midsize segment, a 3.8-liter V6, with 291 horsepower, and 262 lb-ft of torque. This V6 engine works together with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Palisade is designed for all-terrain and all-whether with front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive optional. The Calligraphy model that I am test-driving includes all-wheel drive.

Especially when you look at the top trim models in the Palisade lineup you can fall in love with this SUV and start to understand that you can buy a top-of-the-line car for several thousands of dollars less than what you would normally pay for luxury car brands.

The Palisade can be compared to importing a luxury SUV like a Range Rover or BMW X7 into Hyundai’s family.

The Palisade is Hyundai’s Flagship SUV, just born a few years ago. It is a new player in the three-row midsize SUV market becoming very popular in the United States.

The 2024 Palisade is a great SUV you can buy with better pricing than key competitors, starting around $36K.

The Palisade has many similar elements to its cousin the Kia Telluride, but when we look at the exterior design both SUVs look very different, with their own original design and features.

The Palisade has a bold exterior and a sense of luxury, safety, and safety for all the family on board which attracts car buyers in higher income brackets.

Some of the main competitors of the Palisade are the Volkswagen Atlas, Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Subaru Ascent, Mazda CX-9, Subaru Ascent, Nissan Pathfinder, and the Dodge Durango. The Palisade is not just one more SUV in the Hyundai Lineup it is becoming one of Hyundai’s luxury-level icons.

The Palisade has a wonderful design and interior architecture, providing more luxury and premium style than the Hyundai Santa Fe and Hyundai Tucson. The Palisade is my favorite SUV in the Hyundai lineup.

One of the benefits of buying a Hyundai SUV like the Palisade is the very generous long warranty during 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Hyundai Palisade top-trim Calligraphy

The Palisade includes most modern features and a luxury style to be successful and compete well in the SUV segment.

For 2024 the Palisade is available in six trims, SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, the top-of-the-line very elegant models Calligraphy that I am test driving, and the Calligraphy night.

The three-row Hyundai Palisade top-trim Calligraphy I am test diving looks fantastic and drives very well. This top trim is more luxurious and premium than most SUVs in the midsize segment, with pricing around $50K for this top-of-the-line model.

This is one of the most attractive and practical 3-row mid-size luxury SUVs you can find in the US market, with all the top-tier features you can wish for.

The Palisade Calligraphy trim model I am driving has a good price of around $50K and even if the price is much higher than the base model SE, it includes many features standard that make it comparable with much more expensive, top-quality SUVs produced by prestigious European brands that can cost around 35% more compared to this SUV.

The Calligraphy trim model has everything and more than you can expect on a top-of-the-line luxury SUV, with its own exclusive grille design and a Calligraphy exclusive bumper, premium side door garnish, trendy ambient lighting, premium Nappa leather seating surfaces, exclusive 20-inch alloy wheels, and a very practical class-exclusive safety feature, Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA).

The new Calligraphy and Calligraphy Night are the most luxurious Palisade models, elevating Hyundai’s brand to a very high level of premium elements and features.

With this top model, you can get everything you dream of in a new SUV and probably more. The top-of-the-line Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy that I am test driving has a 3.8L V6 GDI Engine, 8-speed Automatic SHIFTRONIC, 7-passenger seating with 2nd-row captain’s chairs, 12.3-inch touchscreen display with navigation standard, Proximity Key with push button start, WiFi Hotspot, Premium Nappa leather seating surfaces⁠, Exclusive 20-inch alloy wheels⁠, Ergo-motion driver’s seat⁠, Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA), ambient lighting, and much more.

Continuing with the generous list of features that Hyundai included on the Palisade Calligraphy you can find Quilted leather door panels, Premium rear LED accent lighting, a Leather-wrapped two-tone steering wheel, Full-display rear view mirror, Calligraphy exclusive front bumper and grill, Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist – Reverse (PCA-R), Premium side door garnish, Puddle lamps, Ergo-motion driver’s seat, Microfiber headliner, LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), Bi-LED headlights, Satin chrome exterior door handles, Multi-device connection, Bluelink Connected Car System, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration for your phone, Dual automatic temperature control, Heated front seats, 8-way power driver seat.

2024 Palisade Trim Models

The new Palisade is about $500 more expensive than the previous year’s model which is a very low pricing increase compared to other cars going up in pricing with a margin of $1,000 or more every year.

2024 Hyundai Palisade SE $36,40
2024 Hyundai Palisade SEL $39,150
2024 Hyundai Palisade XRT $41,550
2024 Hyundai Palisade Limited $47,700
2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy $50,100
2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night $53,600

All Weather and All Roads Performance

When driving a Palisade the pilot can feel the power and precise driving experience of this SUV.

Hyundai’s Palisade has been one of the best additions to the lineup. This SUV has everything a demanding driver may wish for, from a 291 Horsepower engine with different driving modes for snow and more to a very luxurious and beautiful exterior and interior design that will make you wish to keep driving the Palisade.

The name Palisade compares this SUV with a line of high cliffs, and with the strength of a fortress, relating to the bold exterior and the sense of safety and security for all the family on board.

The bolt and elegant exterior design of the palisade are enhanced with full-volume over-fenders and body sides with muscular detailing.

According to Hyundai, the Palisade is an expression of rugged utility with premium detailing, using a unique & distinctive “Crocodile Eye” light signature look. The Palisade’s design has been inspired to reflect the atmosphere of the modern serenity of yachting, with relaxing comfort and family adventure.

Driving the Palisade goes very well with the tranquility of driving near the ocean in my hometown Florida. You feel powerful and safe while the interior is very spacious from the first to the third road. The passengers onboard love riding inside the Palisade, with great audio and multimedia, very comfortable seats, and very good space for everyone.

The new Palisade offers Hyundai’s HTRAC, All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) system for more power on all the wheels, which also adds Tow Mode. The “Tow Mode” adjusts the towing powertrain profile, holding lower gears longer and reducing the frequency of shifting response.

The HTRAC AWD system was developed as a multi-mode system, providing an electronic, variable-torque-split clutch, with active torque control between the front and rear axles. It has been tuned to conditions such as straight-line acceleration, medium- or high-speed cornering, and hill starts where more power is needed on every wheel.

The driver-selectable HTRAC Normal, Sport, and Smart mode help provide confident control in all weather conditions.

Fuel Economy

If there is room for improvement we can talk about fuel consumption, as the Palisade is not the most economical car in terms of fuel economy, but it has a normal fuel consumption considering that it has a large V6 Gasoline engine.

The FWD version Palisade has a fuel range of 22 Miles per Gallon Combined, 19 MPG in the City, and 27 MPG on the Highway. The Palisade AWD version has 21 MPG Combined, then 19 MPG in the City, and finally 25 MPG on the Highway⁠.

Hyundai already has electrified versions of many of its vehicles including the Tucson, Santa Fe, Kona, Ioniq 5, and Ioniq 6, in addition to hybrid versions for more models. As electrification keeps moving forward, I am sure that the automaker would produce a Palisade hybrid or electric, but not yet!

Interior Style

Hyundai accomplished what most drivers are looking for, to have a lot of interior space without having to drive a huge car.

The front seats are among the best in the segment and the passengers in the rear seats have plenty of legroom and three rows of seats that can accommodate adults in almost any position, something not easy to find on a three-row SUV, especially when you look at the competition.

For those who love premium audio quality, Harman Kardon premium audio is available.

Hyundai designers want to produce relaxing comfort and family adventure. Besides great distribution and a lot of practical spaces, the Palisade includes large seats and the interior feels premium and expensive with good materials and a high-quality feel.

The Palisade is not huge but it is large enough and the interior is very spacious. Passengers onboard the Palisade can enjoy intelligent storage, such as cubicles and shelves, a blessing for long trips.

Behind the third row, there are 18 cubic feet for the load which rises to almost 47 cubic feet with the third row folded flat.

The Palisade front seats are very spacious, the driver and front passenger have enough space to stretch their legs, and arms, bring accessories, purses, or bags on board without feeling too tight. The second row and the third row both have very comfortable space too.

The distance between the second and third rows is larger than in most 3-rows with enough space for adults to sit in the third row. The trunk has a very good size compared to most 3-rows.

I love the space in the middle of the second-row captain chairs for easy walk-in from second to the third row. Usually you have to bend one of the seats in the second row in order to access the third row, but with the convenient space between the two seats in the second row, you obtain similar seat distribution and large interior space as minivan, but with the elegant style of the Palisade.