Sacramento,
California -- It's a special feeling when a motor vehicle model flawlessly
matches up with a specific environment.
I experienced
this perfect pairing last week, taking the all-new 2020 Hyundai Palisade SEL AWD
midsize sport-utility vehicle up to Lake Tahoe.
Rugged sport-ute meets alpine setting for a fall rendezvous. What could be better?
Not much
actually. And this Palisade is versatile.
If you've been
following the advertising campaign for the Palisade, you're used to seeing
photos and video footage of it tackling everything from off-road trails to
suburban roadways. During my week in the
Sierra Nevada and along Tahoe's shores, I discovered the mountain country charms
of the vehicle.
The Palisade
dug into hard hill climbs with casual, yet authoritative ease. The 3.8-liter V-6 rated at nearly 300 horses
barely seemed to labor doing the most difficult of chores. The ultimate test came just east of the
Stateline, Nev., casinos as our cabin in the sky -- 7,400 feet -- had to be
reached by a nearly straight-up road.
My tester
responded to the challenge with strong acceleration and impressive,
curb-hugging agility. Even at full song,
virtually no engine noise reached the interior cabin, an impressive bit of
engineering by the Hyundai team.
The capability
of the braking system -- with brake-force distribution and brake assist -- was
tested on a run down that same steep road at dusk. A brown bear suddenly darted out of a small
pond on the right side of the roadway, and I somehow got my foot on the brake
just as the woodland creature darted into my path.
The Palisade
braked sans panic or rocking and easily gave the bear six feet of clearance to
live another day. I've always been skeptical about motor vehicles saving you
bacon -- yeah, I'm a defensive driving nerd -- but the Palisade was a
crunch-avoiding lifeguard on that day.
Besides, it
would have been a sin to have a bear torso bend the Palisade's bold, jumbo-size,
cascading grille -- by far the most prominent exterior feature of this
three-row SUV.
For all its
rugged exterior look, the Palisade is a comfortable, luxurious transporter on
the inside. Everything is in its place
and within easy reach. A blizzard of
top-notch safety/driving-enhancement/comfort/convenience features can be
mastered quickly.
Power folding
seats can be flattened for impressive cargo space -- nearly 46 cubic feet. With seats at attention, full-size adults
will be entirely comfortable. Fuel
mileage is so-so at 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the
highway. The tester's bottom line was
$43,155.
This Palisade
is Hyundai's new flagship SUV, and it wears that label well.
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