2022 Hyundai Palisade vs 2023 Toyota Sequoia

The 2022 Hyundai Palisade, which replaced the Santa Fe XL as Hyundai's flagship SUV, showcased a sophisticated and striking design. It stood out with its distinctive lines, prominent grille, and sculpted wheel arches, offering a visual appeal that was a departure from earlier Hyundai models. The Palisade's exterior was further enhanced by expressive LED lighting and 18-inch alloy wheels, giving it a premium look that could easily be mistaken for a luxury brand. Inside, the Palisade continued its elegant theme with high-quality materials and a well-designed dashboard featuring a horizontally arrayed screen. The spacious interior offered comfortable seating for up to eight passengers, with options for captain's chairs in the second row and a roomy third row suitable for adults on short trips.

In contrast, the 2023 Toyota Sequoia presented a bold and commanding presence, drawing inspiration from the Toyota Tundra pickup truck. Its redesigned exterior featured a traditional grille and front bumper, giving it a more SUV-like appearance. Inside, the Sequoia shared design elements with the Tundra, offering an industrial yet upscale feel, especially in the Capstone trim with its leather, wood, and metallic finishes. The Sequoia's interior was dominated by a large 14-inch infotainment screen, and while it appeared luxurious, some materials reminded occupants of its pickup truck origins. The Sequoia's lineup included various trims, with the Capstone model offering a premium experience, though some interior compromises were evident due to its hybrid powertrain.

The 2022 Hyundai Palisade was powered by a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter V6 engine, producing 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This engine, while not the most fuel-efficient, offered a smooth and responsive driving experience with no turbo lag. The Palisade's fuel economy was rated at 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway for FWD models and 19 mpg city/24 mpg highway for AWD models. It featured a four-wheel independent suspension system, providing a comfortable ride and capable handling. The Palisade could tow up to 5,000 pounds with trailer brakes, making it a practical choice for families needing to haul trailers or boats.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia, on the other hand, was equipped with a hybrid powertrain consisting of a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine, a 10-speed automatic transmission, and an electric motor. This setup delivered an impressive 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque, significantly enhancing its towing capacity to 9,520 pounds. The Sequoia's fuel efficiency improved over its predecessor, achieving 20 mpg with 4WD and 22 mpg with RWD. Despite its hybrid nature, the Sequoia maintained a similar weight to the previous model, resulting in improved straight-line performance. The Sequoia offered multiple driving modes, including Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Sport+, allowing drivers to tailor the driving experience to their preferences. However, the ride quality could be busy and jittery, especially in urban settings, and the steering was slow, requiring more effort in tight spaces.

The 2022 Hyundai Palisade excelled in interior space and versatility, making it an excellent minivan replacement. It offered comfortable seating across all three rows, with ample legroom and headroom. The Palisade provided 18.0 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, expanding to 45.8 cubic feet with the third row folded and 86.4 cubic feet with both the second and third rows down. Additional storage options included an underfloor compartment and roof rails capable of holding up to 220 pounds. The Palisade's interior featured a compact shift-by-wire gear selector, intuitive controls, and a dual-panel sunroof on higher trims, enhancing the overall ambiance.

In contrast, the 2023 Toyota Sequoia's interior was best suited for highway cruising, with comfortable front seats and a premium sound system. However, the Sequoia's hybrid powertrain impacted its interior space, resulting in a smaller cargo area compared to its predecessor. With the third-row seat in its rearmost position, the Sequoia offered just 11.5 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 22.3 cubic feet by sliding the third row forward. The third-row seats folded to provide 49 cubic feet of space, and with the second row down, the total cargo capacity reached 86.9 cubic feet. The Sequoia's interior featured power-deploying running boards, a panoramic sunroof, and adjustable cargo shelves, but the high floor and limited third-row comfort were notable drawbacks.

The 2022 Hyundai Palisade showcased Hyundai's technological prowess with a range of advanced features. The infotainment system varied by trim, with the Limited and Calligraphy models offering a 1920 x 720 color touchscreen and a 630-watt Harman Kardon premium audio system. The system included wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, HD Radio, and satellite radio, with multiple USB ports and a Qi wireless charging pad. The Palisade also featured a rear-view monitor, surround view function, and a head-up display on higher trims. Hyundai's Blue Link connected car system provided remote engine start and vehicle monitoring, enhancing convenience and security.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia introduced a new Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system, with the Capstone trim featuring a large 14-inch touchscreen. The system offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with connected services for user accounts and an Intelligent Assistant for voice commands. The Sequoia's technology suite included a 10-inch head-up display, a surround-view camera system, and a digital rearview mirror. However, the system experienced some glitches during testing, and the display's glare was a concern, especially in the Capstone trim with its white leather interior.

The 2022 Hyundai Palisade boasted a comprehensive suite of safety features, earning it a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS and a five-star rating from the NHTSA. Standard safety features included seven airbags, anti-lock braking, electronic stability control, blind-spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance, and forward collision-avoidance with pedestrian detection. The Palisade also offered advanced driver assistance features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and Highway Driving Assist on higher trims.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia came equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, a comprehensive package of driver-assistance features. This included forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and road sign recognition. The Sequoia also featured blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and front and rear parking sensors with automatic braking. While crash test ratings were not available at the time of review, the Sequoia's platform shared with the Tundra, which received high safety ratings, suggested strong safety performance.