Sacrificing the regular Palisade’s V-6 for the four-cylinder hybrid is an easy choice to make, as the powertrain suits this three-row so well.
The car game used to be played by the simple rule of pay more, get more. Pricier models within a range would normally get bigger engines, often with more cylinders. But in this age of downsizing, that’s no longer the case. The regular Hyundai Palisade uses a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6, but the Palisade Hybrid that sits above it in the hierarchy has a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four that works in conjunction with two electric motors. The hybrid is more powerful and more economical—and also the pick of the range.
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Hyundai hates the idea of potential buyers suffering from a lack of choice. Those in search of a three-row SUV have multiple options, between the lower-priced Santa Fe and the all-electric Ioniq 9 EV alongside the more luxurious Palisade. The Palisade Hybrid’s turbo four-cylinder makes 258 hp and 260 lb-ft in its own right and works in conjunction with a high-voltage hybrid system that includes a pair of electric motors. The more potent of these, with a nominal output of 72 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque, provides drive through the six-speed automatic transmission, while the second works as a starter-generator.
View Price on AmazonThe Palisade Hybrid isn’t a plug-in; the 1.65-kWh battery can’t be recharged through a socket. But the electric side of the powertrain is potent enough to raise peak system output to 329 hp and 339 lb-ft. Both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions are available, with the latter—tested here—bringing slight penalties on price and mpg.
More Specs
Powertrain: 2497-cc turbocharged inline-four engine + 2 electric motors
Power: 329 hp (system peak)
Torque: 339 lb-ft (system peak)
0–60 mph: 6.4 sec (Hearst Autos)
Transmission: six-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
EPA Fuel Economy (City/Highway/Combined): 29/30/29 mpg
Nobody in the market for a family-focused 5030-pound three-row SUV is expecting an athletic dynamic experience. The Palisade has been engineered to deliver comfort and refinement as its top priority, yet it can also manage brisk acceleration and handling precision up to its low overall limits. It’s not an enthusiast car by any stretch of the imagination, but there is still plenty here for enthusiasts to admire.
Chassis settings are supremely relaxed, with the Palisade Hybrid softly sprung and damped to give a pliant ride rather than lashed-down body control. That resulted in progress smooth enough to cause a passenger to ask whether SoCal’s lumpy, bumpy freeways had been upgraded since our last visit. They had not. Double-pane glass and effective noise insulation resulted in a very hushed cabin at rapid cruising speeds too. Even without considering its classy interior, the Palisade provides a genuinely luxurious driving experience.
The plush suspension does bring compromises. Riding on steel springs and passive dampers—when more expensive rivals use air springs and adaptive shocks—means there is no way to tighten chassis settings when the road turns more twisty. That translated to lots of roll under cornering loads in canyons and on mountain roads, even at everyday speeds—enough to have rear-seat passengers complaining of motion sickness early and often.
Pirelli Scorpion all-season tires provided respectable levels of grip, and for something so large and heavy, the Palisade changes direction with precision up to the point where the rubber started to complain and the front began to edge wide. But there was no encouragement push on twisty asphalt through the numb steering, the soft-feeling brake pedal, and the frequently dull-witted shift algorithm controlling the automatic gearbox.
It is possible to take manual control of the six-speed gearbox using the paddles behind the steering wheel, but beyond proving that the engine will indeed rev to an indicated 58
Source: roadandtrack.com
