By Frank S. Washington
DETROIT – As Hyundai continues its climb up market, it has introduced the Calligraphy trim line of its full size 2021 Hyundai Palisade.
This trim line is an appearance and content package. This Palisade had 20-inch alloy wheels, signature LED lighting fore and aft and there was a micro-suede headliner.
Our test vehicle had a double paned glass roof. The front section was a moon roof, capable of opening. The back pane was fixed over the second-row seats.
There has been no change in the Palisade’s engine for 2021. It was a 3.8-liter V6 that made 291 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque. It was mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle-shifters.
This combination moved the Palisade with ease. It was quiet and shifts were precise. The EPA rating was 19 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg combined.
And although it was brutally cold and mounds of snow were everywhere, the cabin seemed like our private cocoon.
The door panels of the Palisade were quilted, and the seats were perforated leather. Both the front seats and the second-row captain’s chairs were heated and cooled.
What looked like light grained wood paneling spanned the dash and the front and rear doors. The Palisade was rift with connections. There was a USB charging port and a wireless charging pad just beneath the touch infotainment screen which could tri-split between the map, the radio, and the weather, above the climate vents.
The cupholder were adjustable, the instruments in front of the driver were all digital. The front of the center console tilted upward which made it easy to reach. A second USB charging port as well as a 12V charging plug were in the center console.
There were five drive modes to choose from: sport, comfort, smart, snow and eco. We also had stop start and pushbutton lock and unlock. In other words, the 2021 Palisade was keyless. It also had a heated steering wheel.
We also found a climate control panel in the second row with a 12V plug and a 115 V plug with ground on the back of front center console. There was no standalone center console for the second row. There were privacy shades over the rear side windows too. In a first, for us anyway, there was a USB jack on the side of each front seat.
There was also a USB jack on each of the panel walls of the third row. From the rear, the second-row seat backs could be lowered with the push of a button, but you had to restore them manually. However, the third-row seat backs could be lowered and raised with the push the button. The liftgate was power.
The Palisade had shift by wire, an electronic parking brake and a downhill brake control. There was forward collision assist, lane keeping assist, driver attention warning, a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, rear occupant alert, rear cross traffic collision avoidance and safe exit assist were among its advanced technology.
Of course, there was Bluetooth, voice controls, a navigation system, satellite radio and the rest. The interesting thing about our 2021 Hyundai Palisade was that it had no options. As tested, it had a sticker of $49,070.
