If there was one theme consistent across my drive on the media launch and my long return trip home, it's that the Palisade is comfortable. Even though my tester was equipped with 21-inch wheels (larger wheels typically mean a worse ride), the Palisade remained composed over a variety of surfaces, from the manicured city streets of Walnut Creek in the East Bay to the hard-ridden asphalt of Interstate 5 in California's Central Valley. There weren't many roads that upset the Palisade's suspension tuning.
The exception was some undulating roads that produced a bouncy motion that took the Palisade a couple of seconds to recover from. In all other circumstances, the ride was settled. But even though the suspension is tuned for comfort, the Palisade is quite stable when you need to hustle it around a mountain corner. The supportive seats mean you won't go slip-sliding around when you're navigating a set of switchbacks either.
Speaking of the seats, the range-topping Calligraphy has the adjustments you'd expect, plus four-way lumbar, side bolster width adjustment and an extendable lug cushion. It proved perfect for long-legged drivers who want extra support on lengthy drives. There's also a button that reclines the seat and extends the cushion so you can chill while you wait in the school pickup line. The driver's seat also has a massage function, which is a rarity in the non-luxury class.
Passengers in the second row also receive the first-class treatment. There aren't any legrests here, but they do get power adjustment. Add another tally to the "rare for non-luxury vehicles" list. There's even a single-touch "max relax" button that moves the seat all the way back and reclines it. Another button moves the seat forward and tilts it up to aid third-row entry and exit. And of course, the second-row seats are heated and ventilated starting at the midtier SEL Premium model.
And if that still wasn't enough, the third row is also power-adjustable. That means you can move your seat rearward and even recline if you want to increase passenger space at the minor expense of ultimate cargo capacity. Those seats are also heated, by the way. Rare for the non-luxury class? Try nonexistent. There's no other vehicle in this class that puts this kind of priority on third-row passengers, and I salute Hyundai for being so thoughtful.
Having power-adjustable seats in every row pays other benefits too. Dropping the third row from the cargo area automatically scoots the second-row seats forward (if needed), which is terrifically convenient. You can also rearrange the second- and third-row seats from the front touchscreen if you need to quickly reconfigure the cabin for ride-share duty.
I found very few faults with the Palisade's interior. The biggest is the driving position. The steering wheel is mounted a little low on the dash, and if you have the leg extension raised, you create a fairly narrow gap between the seat and wheel to actually slide your leg into. And because the easy entry/exit feature moves the seatback forward, you actually scrunch up as you try to exit the car. I ended up turning it off and just leaving from a slightly reclined position.