Reviewing the 2023 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy.
This was my first experience with Hyundai. This vehicle was a reward to myself in so many ways.
My previous vehicle was a small SUV and I wanted something larger to accommodate my soccer coaching gear, had a sunroof, felt upscale when I wasn't being a soccer coach and was safe, reliable and smart. The Calligraphy model fit that bill. I have a few small qualms: 1. The engine on the 2023 model is undersized, which makes the engine work a little harder m. I notice this because I live on a hill and I experience this every day. It also makes the vehicle a little slower off the line. Not that I'm drag-racing, but there are times I want/need acceleration and it's not there.
2. The stock tires are pretty bad. I have had my vehicle for about 28 months and have less than 21,000 miles on the odometer. In that time, I have had numerous issues keeping air in the tires, as well as passengers reporting a rough ride, even after having the tires regularly rotated. It got so bad that I just purchased a new set of tires 18,000 miles in. A friend just purchased the 2025 version and had similar issues with her tires, with less than 1,000 miles.
3. Side mirrors. For all of the great features that the Calligraphy model has, I wish it would have come with folding side mirrors. I love the parking assistant feature (which was a selling point for me), but not having folding side mirrors makes the vehicle seem a little less luxurious.
4. Voice command for my USB. This is a rather small detail, but I could use voice command to play a song in my previous vehicle (2018 Ford Edge). I know there are a variety of entertainment options, but I don't use the USB because I have over 2,000 songs on the USB and don't like having to toggle through to find a song I want to listen to.
5. Channel/Song Toggle switch - This was an odd one. I've had the vehicle for more than 2 years and I still forget that pushing up on the toggle is back and pushing down is forward. It seems backward to me.
With that, I have heard that the 2025 Calligraphy has a larger engine, so that was fixed. As I said, I love the parking assist features. I also love how safe the vehicle is. I love the auto drive and hope that I can either get an upgrade to have it last longer or that future models have longer auto drive features. I also love the massage on the driver side and the heated steering wheel.
Recommended
Verified Owner
