For 2020, Hyundai puts a new name on its latest attempt to crack the three-row SUV segment. The eight-passenger 2020 Palisade makes its global premiere at the 2018 Los Angeles auto show before going on sale early next summer. Palisade is an extremely important vehicle, said Mike O'Brien, vice president, Product, Corporate & Digital Planning for Hyundai Motor America. It's a flagship SUV. "In the old days [the flagship] would have been Azera, but now an SUV is the flagship." "It's the largest SUV we've ever made," O'Brien said. The 2020 Palisade is 3.0 inches longer than the Santa Fe at 196.1 inches, with a 4.0-inch-longer wheelbase, at 114.2 inches. The new three-row crossover is also 3.6 inches wider. Hyundai has tried to crack this nut before. It stretched the Santa Fe, calling the long-wheelbase version the Santa Fe XL for 2019. But it was too narrow to comfortably accommodate seven passengers with three squished into the third row, and there wasn't enough room to maneuver between the seats in the second row to access the very back. The Santa Fe XL struggled to complete in a tough segment that includes well-known names including the Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Nissan Pathfinder, Dodge Durango, and Mazda CX-9. The segment also has newcomers: Volkswagen Atlas and Subaru Ascent. Last year Hyundai sold fewer than 28,000 three-row Santa Fe SUVs in the U.S. compared with 270,000 Explorers, 127,000 Pilots, and almost 216,000 Highlanders. The Santa Fe XL will be discontinued after the 2019 model year. Before the Santa Fe XL, Hyundai had the seven-passenger Veracruz, which was discontinued after the 2012 model year. The 2020 Palisade still uses some Santa Fe underpinnings, sharing modules with the smaller crossover. But the number of changes, including a new chassis for the larger SUV, almost constitutes a new platform, O'Brien says. It is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 Atkinson engine that generates 291 hp at 6,000 rpm and 262 lb-ft of torque at 5,200 rpm. The engine is part of the Lambda family, but this iteration debuts on the Palisade. The Atkinson cycle should improve the fuel economy of the naturally aspirated engine. EPA city/highway/combined fuel economy figures are not yet available, but to meet or exceed the competition, Palisade needs at least 20/27/23 mpg with front drive and 20/26/22 mpg with all-wheel drive. The available all-wheel-drive system has torque vectoring to reduce understeer, and the Palisade can tow 5,000 pounds. The hitch is standard, and there are optional accessories. The Palisade will be on sale in early summer 2019. If pricing stays in line with the outgoing Santa Fe XL, expect the Palisade to start about $32,000.
2020 Hyundai Palisade - YouTube |
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