2023 Hyundai Palisade offers room for the family and for the driver too

2023 Buick Enclave Avenir AWD 1SP vs. 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy AWD: Surprising midsize three-row SUV performances.

This week: Hyundai Palisade

Price: $52,310 as tested. Carpeted floor mats added $215 as the sole option.

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver likes the “intuitive control layout, generous standard equipment, value-oriented pricing,” but not the “narrow door cubbies” and says “exterior styling isn’t for everyone” and “large mirrors create wind noise at highway speeds.”

Marketer’s pitch: “Family first, from the very first mile.”

Reality: Family may be first, but the driver is not forgotten either.

What’s new: The Palisade gets a new look inside and out for the 2023 model year.

Competition: Buick Enclave, Kia Telluride, Honda Pilot, Volkswagen Atlas, and Mazda CX-9.

On the road: A blustery day greeted us when the Lovely Mrs. Passenger Seat and I landed at JFK Airport after a week in Honolulu, picking up the Palisade to bring home. Between my sleep depravity — er, deprivation — and the caution signs all over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the Palisade veered from side to side like a staggering fool.

On the bright side, the wind caused most of the swaying, but even after the pressure differentials evened out, the Palisade lacked any semblance of fun on the road.

The best modes were Smart and Sport, although both had their drawbacks. In Sport’s favor, it made winding-road handling much nicer, fun enough for a three-row SUV. Still, sharp bends and corners packed a lot of lean.

Up to speed: The Palisade has fairly agreeable acceleration — the 0-60 time is 6.4 seconds, a little faster than the Enclave, according to Car and Driver. The 3.8-liter V-6 engine creates 291 horses.

Throughout most of the test week, every acceleration of the three-row SUV jolted the vehicle’s occupants, embarrassing Mr. Driver’s Seat to no end. But on the final few days, I found a happy medium with the accelerator and didn’t feel so jostled. Still, it’s noticeable enough to think about if you test drive one.

Shifty: The 8-speed automatic transmission performs admirably through shifts, although it could conceivably be the culprit behind the abrupt starts.

It’s operated through a Hondaesque row of buttons on the console, PRNDL from top to bottom.

Driver’s Seat: I’d have to agree with Car and Driver that the controls are easy to find. This airport landing was a far easier experience than the previous introduction to the Tesla Model Y, which baffled to no end.

Hyundai and Kia CarPlay are among the simplest to engage, and I didn’t feel like I needed to read a flight manual before attempting to pull onto the Shore Parkway.

The Nappa leather seats are comfortable, adjust plenty, and are heated and ventilated.

Friends and stuff: Middle-row passengers received captain’s chairs, fairly comfortable ones at that. There’s plenty of room with the seats pushed all the way back, of course, but the third-row folks will definitely squawk over that. (They’ll have enough on their minds with the tight headroom.)

Making enough room for slightly scrunched knees in the way, way back, middle-row occupants will find cozy accommodations, similar to a plane’s economy-class seats. (A struggle that’s fresh in my mind.) At least the entry/exit is simple between the captain’s chairs, and the seats also fold out of the way if you’re not inclined to duck around inside.

Cargo space is 18 cubic feet in the rear, 45.8 with the third row folded, and 86.4 with the second folded, all slightly smaller than the Enclave space. The power-folding third-row seats were easy to reach from the center of the vehicle, and they fold completely without adjustment even with the second row pushed all the way back. (I hate those vehicles where the seat folds, folds, folds, then bumps into the other seats.)

The Palisade matches the Enclave’s 5,000-pound towing limit, and it even gets a tow mode for the 2023 model year.

Play some tunes: Hyundai’s upgraded infotainment systems has a lot going for it beyond the simple CarPlay setup. The big 12.3-inch touchscreen is easy to get around, although the home button seems to vanish when the map is running.

Dials control the volume and tuning, but are distant enough that I mistook them for heater controls for a while.

Sound from the Harman Kardon system is very good, maybe an A- heading toward an A.

Keeping warm and cool: The Palisade has a nifty little screen on the console for HVAC controls. Dials on the left and right control the temperature and a not-so-small, clear touchscreen adjusts air source and fan speed.

Fuel economy: I averaged about 21 mpg in a whole lot of highway-heavy testing, rolling from Queens to Chester County one day, then into Center City another, and finally some back roads to Delaware. The vehicle had averaged just under 20 in 2,000 miles of various drivers.

Where it’s built: Ulsan, South Korea

How it’s built: The Palisade gets 3 out of 5 for reliability from Consumer Reports, matching the Enclave.

In the end: Though the Enclave is a nice vehicle to drive and is roomy, the Palisade provides a great combination of space, drivability, and user-friendliness. But tune in soon for a comparison review of the Kia Telluride and all-new Mazda CX-90 for further three-row SUV information.