Today is the traditional media day at the 2019 Toronto Auto Show, and Hyundai used the occasion to put on the Canadian premiere of its new full-size SUV, the 2020 Hyundai Palisade.
The utility model that will take over top spot in the Korean manufacturer’s lineup when it launches this summer can welcome up to eight passengers, all while offering a truly amount of cargo space behind. The Palisade is built on an all-new SUV chassis that allowed Hyundai’s engineers to allocate more room for the second- and third-row passengers.
According to Hyundai, all of the Palisade’s exterior dimensions are larger than those of the Toyota Highlander, to give you an idea.
The appearance
Hyundai wanted to make clear the flagship status the Palisade will inherit vis its styling. The model thus leads with a pretty dominant cascading grille, on each side of which are composite headlights aligned vertically. These headlights as well as the daytime running lights and the turn signals, are available in LED form.
The hood is relatively elongated and the wings and large side panels are designed to give the shape of the model a more muscular look. Behind, the lights are also arrayed vertically and the lines are drawn to highlight the width of the vehicle. All of it rides on available 20-inch alloy wheels.
The interior
Obviously, we’re talking here about a pretty vast space. The models with leather seating get stitched Nappa leather, and the dashboard gets fine wood trims, as do several other areas within the cabin.
Among the new technologies of note, the third row of seats is power adjustable and the second row is one-touch power adjustable to provide easy access to the last row. The second-row seats are ventilated.
In front, the navigation system is accessible via an enormous 10-inch screen; there are also seven USB ports, wireless smartphone charging and a new air ventilation system that allows for diffusing air more evenly throughout the cabin. Another neat feature is a new interphone system called Driver Talk, that allows for conversing with passengers way back in those last two rows.
The fully digital TFT screen at the heart of the instrument cluster is 12.3 inches across and adjusts the display and lighting according to the drive mode selected. The available head-up display of the Palisade projects a virtual image on the windshield so that drivers can keep their eyes glued to the road.
Safety
The Palisade comes with blind spot monitor as well as collision avoidance assist in blind spots as standard features. Also present are a slew of drive –assist systems like forward collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, rear transversal collision avoidance, safety exit and driver inattention warning, as well as intelligent cruise control with stop/start function.
Performance
The 2020 Palisade runs on a 3.8L direct-injection Atkinson cycle V6 engine with double CVVT. This engine delivers maximum estimated 291 hp and estimated 262 lb-ft of torque, working in conjunction with an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Buyers can opt for the availabl HTRAC all-wheel-drive system, which features a multimode system with electronic variable torque vectoring and active torque control between the front and rear wheels. Four drive modes are available to choose from: Comfort, Eco, Sport and Smart.
