2023 Hyundai Palisade Reviews, Pricing & Specs

As Hyundai’s largest SUV positioned above the compact Tucson and two-row midsize Santa Fe, the Palisade was already hard to miss on the road, and it now has an even more commanding presence following the styling update for 2023. The bolder strokes of the new front fascia frame new headlights and give the SUV a stronger look. LED accents, daytime running lights, and headlights are standard across the lineup and LED taillights are standard on Ultimate Calligraphy, but it’s the straightened lines of the new, squared-off grille that really change the face of the Palisade and allow it to loom rather than lurk.

Body-colour mirrors are standard across the lineup and packed with features of their own: All 2023 Palisades get heated, powered mirrors, and approach lighting is included with the Ultimate Calligraphy. This top trim is also distinguished by premium rear accent lighting, a unique grille of glossy black and chrome and its own bumper.

In Canada, 20-inch alloy wheels are standard across the board. The new multi-spoke alloy wheel design that comes with the Ultimate Calligraphy trim may not be as visually interesting as the old Ultimate Calligraphy wheels, but they convey a premium feel fit for an expensive vehicle that would look right at home in an Uber Black fleet. They won’t win you any points with the tastemakers, but they also won’t offend.

A new colour, Robust Emerald, is available for Ultimate Calligraphy models in 2023. This is the latest in a line of smoky, ambiguous colours we’ve seen from the Hyundai-Genesis family recently, and it’s dark enough that it does not appear in most lights to constitute a departure from the grayscale. We would call it “subtle” or “elegant” before we’d come up with “robust.”

The interior of our Ultimate Calligraphy-trim tester was attractive and stylish, and even with the dark seats, it was brightened up by the dual-pane sunroof. (A single sunroof is equipped on lower models.) The horizontal quilting and dash lines seemed to take a page out of Mercedes-Benz’s book. Materials were nice: Premium Nappa leather is standard in the Ultimate Calligraphy we drove. The base Preferred model comes with cloth seats, including an eight-way power-adjustable chair for the driver with two-way lumbar support. All other trims have eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and front passenger seat with four-way driver lumbar support for the driver; they’re covered in leatherette for Urban. Heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated second-row seats are standard; ventilated front seats come in at Urban, while ventilated rear seats are equipped in the Ultimate Calligraphy trim.

Second-row seats come in a bench configuration for Preferred and Urban, while second-row captain’s chairs are available on the latter and standard on Ultimate Calligraphy, where they’re tricked out with new wing-out headrests. This means that if you need your Palisade to accommodate eight passengers, you’ll have to opt for one of the two lower trims.

As was true of its predecessor, the 2023 Hyundai Palisade comes with a single powertrain option: a 3.8-litre V6 engine that makes power specs of 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This is competitive for the class and makes the Palisade substantially more powerful than the Mazda CX-9 and Volkswagen Atlas, a touch more so than the Honda Pilot and Nissan Pathfinder, and just a bit less so than the gas-powered Toyota Highlander and the Ford Explorer. The eight-speed automatic transmission can be manipulated with the standard paddle shifters. In Canada, an all-wheel drive (AWD) drivetrain is standard. We got to see the HTRAC all-wheel drive system in action on a muddy off-road test drive and found it capable when the vehicle started to slide.

Light off-roading aside, the Palisade does not have the clearance for rock-crawling, but it does offer a comfortable ride that will likely be of far more value to the vast majority of its target audience. Its capability is competitive for its class, particularly when it comes to towing: The 2023 Palisade can haul up to 2,268 kilograms (5,000 pounds) behind it, and a dedicated Tow Mode optimizes shifting to hold gears longer. In terms of fuel economy, the Palisade consumes 12.6 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving, 9.5 on the highway, and 11.2 combined.

The midsize Palisade is plenty large enough to comfortably seat seven or eight. It offers 1,052 millimetres of legroom in the front row, 1,077 in the second, and 798 in the third—more than the Toyota Highlander—and passenger volume measures 4,397 litres. Second-row seating easily gives way to facilitate access to the third row, thanks to the standard one-touch seat slide, and the ingress/egress handles make it pretty easy to climb into the back. 60/40-split seats are standard for the third row and for second-row bench seats, and they fold completely flat—manually in the Preferred trim, or with power folding in Urban and Ultimate Calligraphy. Cargo space totals 509 litres behind the third-row seats, 1,297 litres behind the second row, and 2,447 litres with all but the front-row seats folded flat. A hands-free smart liftgate is standard on all but the base Preferred trim.

Eager to play the gracious host to all of your passengers, the Palisade has HVAC vents in all three rows and provides two cupholders per person, no matter which second-row configuration you have. The centre console includes a phone holder in addition to the two cupholders and also leaves space to stow a bag on the shelf below. The very welcome physical buttons and knobs are laid out in a compact and fairly intuitive manner, and automatic dual-zone climate control is standard.

Hyundai has managed to up the ante on the technology front. A new 12.3-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system is standard. It features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, HD Radio, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Bluetooth connectivity. A premium 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system is standard in Urban and Ultimate Calligraphy. Up to two devices can be connected via Bluetooth at any one time in any 2023 Palisade, and up to seven can charge using USB ports located in the first and second rows, as well as the third. A wireless charger is standard on Ultimate Calligraphy.

Palisade drivers enjoy a 4.2-inch colour driver info display, or a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster if you buy an Urban or Ultimate Calligraphy model. On both models, an in-car intercom that lets front-row occupants communicate more easily with those in the back is standard. On Ultimate Calligraphy, a colour head-up display is also standard.

Perhaps most impressive are the Palisade’s remote accessibility and management features. Hyundai’s Bluelink connected vehicle system is now standard on all Palisade trims, and it comes with enhancements for 2023. The app lets you view detailed vehicle information such as fuel level and window and door status remotely. Heated seats, or cooled seats where equipped, can now be turned on remotely using the app, and you can include them in one or more of your four remote start presets.

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade earned a Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The 2023 Hyundai Palisade comes with Hyundai’s Smart Sense suite of safety features standard. Highlights include forward collision avoidance, driver attention warning, high beam assist, and lane-keeping assist and lane-following assist. Blind-spot collision avoidance and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance are newly standard on all Palisades. All trims also have adaptive cruise control with stop and go. Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist I, which helps maintain a safe following distance and keep the vehicle centred in the lane, is standard on Urban models. Highway Driving Assist II, which also helps with lane changes, is standard on Ultimate Calligraphy. A full-display digital rearview mirror is now offered on Ultimate Calligraphy, and it worked quite well on our tester.

Safe exit warning is now standard on all Palisades, as is rear seat occupant alert. It uses an ultrasonic sensor to monitor the back seats, and if the system detects movement after the vehicle is parked and locked, the Palisade will honk its horn, flash its lights, and alert the driver via text. Rain-sensing wipers are equipped on the Ultimate Calligraphy grade.

Canadian pricing on the 2023 Hyundai Palisade starts at $47,999 for the Preferred trim, $53,199 for the Urban, and $56,799 for Ultimate Calligraphy. Destination fees are $1,975 extra. With the exception of the second-row captain’s chairs available on the Urban trim for $500, no optional features or packages are offered.

Like the 2022 model, the 2023 Palisade is covered by a five-year/100,000-kilometre new vehicle limited warranty, which also covers the powertrain for the same period. Three-year/60,000-kilometre or four-year/80,000-kilometre new vehicle warranties are more common for the segment.

The Palisade Preferred is packed with standard safety and tech features and comparable in price to other 3-row SUVs such as the base Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander but roughly $7,000 more than the base Subaru Ascent and just under $3,000 more than the entry-level Chevrolet Traverse. However, most purchasers of the 2023 Palisade will tend to opt for higher trims. Handsome and well-equipped, the pricier Palisades have plenty to recommend them, and the Ultimate Calligraphy model might even lure shoppers away from the likes of the Infiniti QX60. It may not be ready to go after the German luxury midsize SUVs yet, but the Palisade can certainly play with even the more premium of its Japanese counterparts.

Note: Images and video show a US model.