What's the 2020 Hyundai Palisade's Price? Look to the Japanese for Your Answer

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Hyundai blanketed the rollout of its new three-row Palisade with descriptive terms that positively oozed luxury and refinement. Hell, just the name of the thing should conjure up a swanky seaside image or two.

It’s clear the Korean automaker feels its eight-passenger crossover (successor to the Santa Fe XL, formerly just “Santa Fe”) stands on par with its foreign competitors, as its price reflects this newfound feeling of confidence.

There’s no choice of powertrains in this vehicle, so all 2020 Palisades will carry the same 3.8-liter V6 and eight-speed automatic when the model arrives at dealers. That arrival, by the way, is imminent. Once here, would-be owners will only need to concern themselves with content level and number of drive wheels.

Starting at $31,550 for a base front-wheel-drive SE, the Palisade demands a $1,045 destination fee. What other models appear with this starting price, you ask? Let’s see… The Honda Pilot LX FWD ($31,350, plus destination), the Toyota Highlander SE FWD ($31,680, plus destination), and the Nissan Pathfinder S FWD ($31,350, plus destination).

Hyundai must have employed the services of a shoehorn to squeeze itself into the middle of this closely-spaced pack. If you’re looking for a three-row unibody with a bargain basement starting price, look no further than Detroit. The Chevrolet Traverse L FWD carries a sticker of $29,930 before destination.

Even when you add all-wheel drive to the equation, the Palisade doesn’t budge from its crowded perch. An SE AWD will set you back $33,250, plus destination. Compare that to the pre-destination price of Honda’s cheapest AWD Pilot ($33,350), Toyota’s AWD Highlander LE ($35,190), and Nissan’s Pathfinder S AWD ($33,220). It seems Hyundai hopes that customers view its status as being above that of the Americans, just a hair above the value-packed Nissan brand, basically on par with Honda, and a quarter-step below everyone’s favorite purveyor of reliable runabouts.

With no fancy hybrid systems or uplevel engines in tow, a top-flight Palisade Limited AWD tips the financial scales at $46,400, plus destination.

As it prepares to enter a hotly contested (and potentially lucrative) battle, the Palisade hopes to win on the strength of its content, interior room, and design. Standard equipment includes automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and power folding second-row seats.

Let the games begin.

[Images: Hyundai]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • James Charles James Charles on Jun 13, 2019

    Well Hyundai and Kia will become priced with the more established players. Expect more of this from their other vehicles. Globally, Chinese vehicles will fill the void left by Hyundai and Kia. I suppose this is leaving FCA as the cheap (and often crappy quality) offering. Mitsubishi are another cheap producer, but I would invest in a Hyundai or Kia over a Chrysler or Mitsubishi any day.

  • Cdotson Cdotson on Jun 14, 2019

    The name should conjure swanky images? For me, the name only conjures faint memories of a cheesy Boomer-pop song with carnival tunes and a crowd soundtrack. Not what one would call aspirational.

  • 3SpeedAutomatic R&T could have killed the story before it was released.Now, by pulling it after the fact, they look like idiots!! What's new??
  • Master Baiter "That said, the Inflation Reduction Act apparently does run afoul of WTO rules..."Pfft. The Biden administration doesn't care about rules. The Supreme Court said they couldn't forgive student load debt; they did it anyway. Decorum and tradition says you don't prosecute former presidents; they are doing it anyway. They made the CDC suspend evictions though they had no constitutional authority to do so.
  • 1995 SC Good. To misquote Sheryl Crow "If it makes them unhappy, it can't be that bad"
  • 1995 SC The letters on the hatch aren't big enough. hard pass
  • Ajla Those letters look like they are from AutoZone.
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