It could be better
I really wanted to love our 2025 Hyundai Palisade… and there are things about it that are genuinely great… but overall, it just misses the mark in ways that matter…
The ride itself is comfortable, no argument there… the seats are fantastic, especially with the heating and cooling in both the front and rear… that’s been a lifesaver on more than one Florida day… and the heated steering wheel? Absolute bliss… those comfort features are honestly the highlight of the whole vehicle…
Where it falls short is in the actual driving experience… when you try to accelerate quickly, it gets surprisingly jerky… almost like the internal gears can’t quite keep up, and instead of a smooth transition you’re getting this awkward lurching forward that feels unnecessary for a brand new model… it’s not the kind of thing you expect in something advertised as refined…
I also wish the vehicle sat a little higher… it doesn’t have that commanding view of the road I’m used to, and I find myself adjusting the seat or shifting around more than I should just to compensate…
The biggest frustration, though, is the backing system… the camera makes things look perfectly straight, but half the time I get out and realize I’m crooked… or angled… or somehow magically both… it’s not intuitive enough to trust completely, and when you’re depending on that tech in tight spaces, it really matters…
And speaking of trust… I hate admitting it, but I don’t feel fully confident in the crash detection or automatic stopping features… something about it doesn’t feel as responsive or protective as I’d prefer… and that’s a rough realization in a vehicle that’s supposed to inspire confidence…
There are definitely things the Palisade gets right… the comfort is solid, the interior is thoughtful, and it does have some nice touches… but overall? For me, it just doesn’t deliver the smoothness, accuracy, or sense of safety I expected… it could be so much better… and I honestly wish it was… because I really wanted this SUV to be “the one”… but right now, it’s not quite there…