2023 Toyota Sequoia vs 2024 Hyundai Palisade

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, which distinguished it from the Tundra's more unconventional look. Inside, the Sequoia shared many design elements with the Tundra, offering an industrial theme with luxurious touches in the Capstone trim, such as leather, wood, and metallic finishes. The 14-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system dominated the dashboard, but some interior materials reminded drivers of its pickup truck origins. The Sequoia lineup included various trims, with prices starting at $59,895 for the base SR5 and reaching $79,895 for the Capstone with 4WD.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade stood out with its distinctive styling, making it easily recognizable among family-friendly SUVs. While its appearance might not appeal to everyone, those who appreciated its design likely found other aspects of the vehicle appealing as well. The Palisade was available in several trims, including the new Calligraphy Night Edition, with prices ranging from $36,650 to $53,850, excluding the $1,395 destination charge. The Calligraphy Night Edition featured a blacked-out appearance with dark chrome and gloss black exterior trim, badges, and wheels, available in Abyss Black or Hyper White paint colors. Inside, the Palisade offered a luxurious feel with an artificial suede headliner and quality upholstery, making it resemble a luxury SUV.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia was equipped with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine, a 10-speed automatic transmission, a 36-kilowatt electric motor/generator, and a 1.87 kilowatt-hour nickel-metal hydride battery pack. This hybrid powertrain delivered 437 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 583 pound-feet of torque at 2,400 rpm. The Sequoia's towing capacity increased to 9,520 pounds, and its payload capacity rose to 1,730 pounds. Fuel efficiency improved, with EPA ratings of 20 mpg with 4WD and 22 mpg with RWD. The Sequoia offered various driving modes, including Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Sport+, but its steering was slow, and the regenerative braking system felt unresponsive.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade featured a 3.8-liter V6 engine producing 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Palisade's maximum towing capacity was 5,000 pounds, and it offered eight inches of ground clearance. Driving modes included Eco, Comfort, Sport, Smart, and Snow, with the option to lock the AWD system for off-road travel. The Palisade's V6 engine provided satisfying acceleration, and the transmission was responsive. The EPA rated the AWD Palisade at 21 mpg in combined driving, and it averaged 18.8 mpg during testing. The Palisade displayed some athleticism on mountain roads, with predictable handling and effective brakes.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia excelled on open roads, offering a comfortable cabin with soft leather upholstery, a JBL premium sound system, and a triple-zone climate control system. However, the panoramic sunroof reduced second-row headroom, and the third-row seat was less comfortable due to its high floor and low roof. Cargo space was limited, with only 11.5 cubic feet behind the third row, expandable to 22.3 cubic feet. The Sequoia's maximum cargo capacity was 86.9 cubic feet, significantly less than its predecessor and competitors.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade offered a range of seating options, from cloth seats in the base SE trim to premium Nappa leather with microfiber inserts in the Calligraphy Night Edition. The Palisade's interior was comfortable, with heated and ventilated seats, configurable storage, and a rear climate control panel. The third-row seat was more spacious than most rivals, and the hands-free power tailgate provided easy access to the cargo area. The Palisade offered 18 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, expandable to 45.8 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 86.4 cubic feet with the second row folded.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia featured a new Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment system, with an 8-inch touchscreen in the base SR5 trim and a 14-inch touchscreen in higher trims. The system included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but glare on the display was an issue. The Intelligent Assistant responded to voice commands, but there were occasional glitches. The Capstone trim included a 10-inch head-up display and a surround-view camera system, but the digital rearview mirror was only available in higher trims.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade came with a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation. The system supported Bluetooth connectivity for two devices, Bluelink+ connected services, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though they required a cable. The Palisade offered a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a digital key function, and a semi-autonomous remote parking system. The head-up display provided useful information, but it was not compatible with polarized sunglasses.

The 2023 Toyota Sequoia came standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, which included forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beam headlights, and a road sign recognition system. Additional safety features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and Safety Connect services. The Sequoia had not been crash-tested by the NHTSA or IIHS, but the Tundra, on which it was based, received high ratings from the IIHS.

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade was equipped with Hyundai's SmartSense collection of driving assistance systems, including forward-collision warning, pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, intersection assist, safe exit assist, automatic high-beam headlights, rear parking sensors, and a rear-seat reminder system. The Palisade also featured Highway Driving Assist, which combined adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assist. The Palisade earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS, but NHTSA crash tests were incomplete.