2020 Hyundai Palisade vs 2020 Kia Telluride: Advantages and Similarities

Until last year, within the Hyundai catalog, there was an XL version of the Santa Fe. The 2020 Hyundai Palisade is actually a somewhat stretched version of the traditional Santa Fe to accommodate a third row of seats. For 2020, Hyundai is releasing a new, even larger SUV, the Palisade.

But the 2020 Palisade is also very similar to the 2020 Kia Telluride. In this review I am going to talk about the 2020 Palisade and compare it to the 2020 Kia Telluride.

Hyundai and Kia have returned to full-size utility vehicles that have not been on the program for several years. At Hyundai the last to carry this title was the Veracruz, present on our roads from 2006 to 2012, while at Kia the passage of Borrego was even shorter. It was only in 2008 and 2009 that the latter appeared on North American soil and faced with the failure of sales, it disappeared. The Borrego continued its career under the name Mohave in South Korea. In 2011, we saw the arrival of the Kia Sorento in a more reasonable format.

Compared to the 2020 Kia Telluride the Palisade has a more daring drawing in the front. The large grille and the beautiful headlights offer a more modern touch than at the Telluride. The top trims of the 2020 Palisade also benefit from an LED visual signature with touches of chrome.

2020 Hyundai Palisade Back

The Engine and Driving Modes of Palisade and Telluride

No matter which version you are interested in, both the 2020 Hyundai Palisade and the 2020 Kia Telluride come with the same 3.8-liter V6 engine with the eight-speed automatic transmission. You have 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque in reserve. This mechanism has no sporting claim, even if you select the Sport mode from the five driving modes available.

The gearbox is calibrated for imperceptible gear changes that promote better fuel consumption. Only the base model offers two-wheel drive while all the others come automatically with all-wheel drive. The most interesting driving mode is the Smart option which adapts to your driving. For example, let's say you are making a fast entry on a highway ramp it will adapt to your driving. This is why this driving mode is called Smart.

Palisade's Excellent Price vs Equipment Ratio

The 2020 Palisade, in the Essential basic version, includes 18-inch wheels, automatic headlights with high beam, electrically adjustable heated side mirrors, eight seats, heated front seats, a driver's seat with six manual settings, an infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, air conditioning with second row controls, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, a tilt and telescopic steering column, as well as an adaptive cruise control.

The SE trim of the 2020 Hyundai Palisade starts at $31,775. Then the price gradually goes up with the SE AWD, SEL, SEL AWD, Limited and Limited AWD top trim, which comes at $46,625 MSRP.

Standard safety equipment includes tire pressure monitoring, front collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic braking, lane keeping and lane departure assistance, driver warning and sensors rear parking.

Preferred mid-range version includes 20-inch wheels, door handle lights, auto-leveling rear suspension, blind spot monitoring, eight-way power front seats, heated rear seats, two zones for automatic air conditioning, a gauge on a seven-inch screen, a sunroof, a passive keyless entry system, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and rear cross traffic alert.

2020 Hyundai Palisade Interior

The Luxury versions of the 2020 Paliside and the 2020 Kia Telluride offer LED headlights, leather seats, ventilated front seats with driver's seat extension, power folding third row seats, a 10.25-inch touch screen with navigation, a 12-speaker audio system, a 360-degree outdoor camera, a hands-free power liftgate, LED interior lighting, a blind spot monitor, front parking sensors and highway driving assistance.

Both cars' top trims come with LED lights, illuminated side mirrors, wipers with rain sensor, seven-seat configuration, Nappa leather trim, four-way driver lumbar support, ventilated seats second row captain type, head-up display, wireless charger, suede headlining, digital gauge, double panel sunroof and 115-volt outlet.

The driving seems flawless.

The Palisade has completely achieved its mission of giving an impression of luxury SUV with a quality finish and above all a comfortable and silent driving. The V6 engine accomplishes its task without complaining. Despite its size, the Palisade is very easy to drive and is not afraid of winding roads.

You have, moreover, several driving modes: Comfort, Eco and Sport, in addition to the Sand, Mud and Snow modes - the latter locks the rear differential, starts the Palisade in second gear, switches gear changes to reduce traction losses and sends 50 to 80% of the engine power to the front wheels.

My conclusion of the 2020 Hyundai Palisade is that the top trim has all the equipment and tools you need and at $46,625 MSRP provides as much luxury as German luxurious SUVs do.

2020 Hyundai Palisade 2nd Row

Regarding the 2020 Kia Telluride I could do it simply and tell you that everything that applies to the Hyundai Palisade can be taken over for the Kia Telluride, except for a few details. These SUVs are twins. The platform of the 2020 Telluride, like the engine and transmission, is the same as Palisade. Physically, the Kia offers a slightly more robust, adventurous appearance. Its lines are a little less fluid than those of the Palisade. It is not better or bad; just a little different.

The interior appearance is also somewhat different with dotted patterns, button styles and separate materials, while retaining the same 10.25-inch touchscreen. Choose the style that works best for you - despite Kia's desire to create a more adventurous all-terrain image, the two have exactly the same approach and driving styles.

Telluride: Always Well Equipped

The trim levels of Telluride include the EX, SX and SX Limited. All use a 3.8-liter V6 engine as stated above developing 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque with the same 8-speed transmission as Hyundai.

The basic EX version of the 2020 Telluride includes 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, automatic high beams, a sunroof, electrically heated and foldable side mirrors, an eight-seat configuration, heated front seats with power adjustment driver and two-way lumbar support, heated steering wheel, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear lever, wood trim and three-zone automatic air conditioning.

2020 Kia Telluride

10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen provides access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and you also get wireless charging, electric parking brake, passive keyless entry, hands-free tailgate, lighting Interior LEDs, blind spot monitoring, lane departure assistance, forward collision avoidance assistance, rear parking sensors and rear cross traffic alert.

The 2020 Telluride is the largest vehicle offered by the Korean carmaker. Sharing its drivetrain with the Hyundai Palisade, it places Kia in the class of high-end passenger vehicles. If the “timing” of the Borrego, which arrived in the middle of the economic crisis, was not very good, the timing of Telluride is better, because it does not offer a V8 engine like the Borrego.

2020 Hyundai Paliside vs Kia Telluride Conclusion

These Kia and Hyundai models are naturally in competition, but more broadly, they have in their sights the Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander and Chevrolet Traverse, among others. The best-equipped models will also play in the backyard of the GMC Yukon, Acura MDX, Lexus LX 570, for a fraction of the price.

Speaking of competing with Honda Pilot. Since its arrival on the market in 2003, the Honda Pilot has been repeatedly cited as an example, with reason, as the model to own if you are looking for a family utility vehicle. It is reliable, spacious and well built and retains good value. Many candidates have come and gone for more than 15 years and none has really yet been able to measure themselves against the master. Hyundai and Kia have decided to tackle the problem with the 2020 Palisade and Telluride. Not only is the Palisade comfortable and quiet, it also offers plenty of space for passengers and their luggage.

Advantage of the 2020 Hyundai Palisade

The little differences are really in the details. The 2020 Palisade offers, for example in its luxury versions, a third row which can be folded down with an electric button, which is not possible at Kia. The Palisade's base price is also more affordable than that of the 2020 Telluride.

There is no doubt that Hyundai is making a dramatic entry into the mid-size SUV segment. It will allow us to quickly forget the Santa Fe XL. Well, the look polarizes opinions with its excess of chrome and its disproportionate grille, but if we focus on the essentials - its skills - the 2020 Palisade impresses.

The 2020 Kia Telluride Advantage Over The Palisade

The Telluride offers a cleaner style in its aesthetic approach. The Palisade, with its crocodile headlights at the front and its oversized grille, plays with a little more daring, which will not please everyone (I liked it). The 2020 Elluride is also marginally larger in size than the Palisade.

Similarities between the 2020 Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride

We could almost say that everything else is the same between the 2020 Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride. The interior space, driving, fuel economy, mechanics, warranties and so on, all are similar between these two SUVs.

Which One Should You Buy: the Palisade or the Telluride?

I was reading a comparison between these two SUVs by Benoid Charette at Auto 123 who concludes that "It's really a matter of taste, because you have two similar vehicles at similar prices. One thing is certain, in both cases, Hyundai and Kia are playing their noses at the competition by offering a lot of SUVs for the price." With both SUVs, you get a fully equipped vehicle for just over $ 50,000. This price is thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars less than the competition, without sacrificing quality, equipment and driving.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.