Hyundai has just unveiled the hotly anticipated Palisade, a large crossover available with up to eight seats across three rows. It's being presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show and is aimed squarely at the American consumer, even though they got K-pop legends BTS to endorse it.
The gargantuan model is said to measure 196.1 inches long, 77.8 inches wide, and 68.9 inches tall, which means you're going to see it up against the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot or the VW Atlas.
The engine is quite fitting for this type of crossover, the 3.8-liter Hyundai V6 running the Atkinson and direct injection to produce 291-hp and 262 lb-ft (355 Nm) of torque. This is matched to an eight-speed automatic sending power to the front or all four wheels via the HTRAC system, which has four selectable modes - Normal, Sport, Snow and Smart.
HTRAC is a major highlight because if have AWD locking, can shuffle power side-to-side and even influences shifting according to available grip. Of course, it comes with all the latest safety systems, but what's interesting is that the warnings can be displayed on the head-up display.
Styling is always going to be considered subjective, but we think it's great, sort of like a bolder Range Rover with that slab-sided design. The front borrows from the all-new Santa Fe by adopting the cascading grille and two-tier headlights.
At the back, we have the Palisade name boldly spread out across the trunk lid while the Led taillights provide a distinctive look while not compromising the trunk. But it's the interior where this 8-seater really shines.
As a self-respecting American crossover should, the Palisade boasts 16 cupholders, two for each passenger, as well as seven USB ports. The minimal dash features aluminum buttons, push-button start, 10-inch infotainment, and the multi-functional TFT instrument cluster.
The Korean-built Palisade will go on sale in the United States in the summer of 2019 with colors including Beckets Black, White Cream, Lagoon Silver, Steel Graphite, Sierra Burgundy, Moonlight Cloud, and Forest Rain.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News