RAGS747

Have never been impressed with the Volvo’s, test drove an XC90 last year and remember thinking that after all these years they still do not know how to deliver a nice damped ride like the Germans. Actually preferred the Durango RT and Grand Cherokee which both drove better imo. Hell, I was super impressed with the Alfa Romeo Stelvio as well which rides like the Germans. I always put the Swedes ride quality in with the Japanese and again after all of these years it is just not that impressive to me.

Would love to to see a pic of that Genesis badge on the boot lid, you probably have people rushing home and looking it up.

cvp33

Some reviewers called the Volvo ride ‘brittle’, we didn’t get that impression. We did love our Jeep GC’s ride though, but have to be honest. The Hyundai is better. As far as the Genesis badge. I’m positive Hyundai will have something in the next 2 years based on the Palisade’s architecture. It will give them an excuse to put the V8 in it, up the tech and push the luxury even further. My guess would be a range topping model for $80K that rivals the Mercedes and BMW in every way. Just go drive a V8 G90 Ultimate.

fyreline

Interesting. We drove a few different Mercedes, and found the XC90 to ride nicer than any of them. Some Volvo owners say the XC90 can be very sensitive to different wheel & tire combinations, and then there is always the air ride option that some love and some do not. Again, to each their own, and it's nice that there are so many excellent choices. My youngest son bought a new Range Rover Evoque for his wife, and he actually prefers the Volvo after having driven both - but his wife just HAD to have the "cute" Range Rover. As I said, to each their own, I guess.

Tommy79

I'm also looking for the wife. She likes the Kia. I like the Kia OUTSIDE and the Palisade INSIDE....

cvp33

Problem solved.

Hammer

Great write up!
Did you consider the Mazda CX-9 ?

cvp33

Thanks. The Mazda would've been in our consideration set a few years back when it first came out. But now:

1) Undersized compared to nearly everything we looked at, especially the third row seating, but also overall leg room, headroom, shoulder room, cargo space......it's just a smaller vehicle.

2) No self driving unlike Volvo, Kia, Hyundai

3) No 2nd row captain's chairs, not even an option. I think this is to maintain their 7 seater holding. There's no way you're getting 3 humans across the 3rd row, so you need to preserve the 2nd row for 3.

4) Styling is really starting to get dated. Sounds crazy after the 2016 redesign, but it's just kinda bland. Like VW and Honda-bland. I'll be honest, when I see them from any view I don't know if I'm looking at a CX5, CX9, Jaguar F pace, Infiniti FX 35, Qx50 whatever.....Just feels like that rounded shape is ubiquitous.

5) We really preferred the digital dash and 12" infotainment screen to the Mazda gauges and 8" screen.

6) Weak warranty compared to the Infiniti, VW, Volvo, Kia, Hyundai. I know Mazda is trying to move upmarket, they'll need to start with their warranty.

I could go go into a ton more about options and tech (heated/cooled 2nd row, blind spot cameras, etc) but suffice to say the Mazda is just a generation behind right now taking a 2016 model (knife) to a 2020 model (gun) fight. I'm sure they'll leapfrog here in a year or two.....they always do.

But wait, there's more.....I just saw a review where the Hyundai FWD (our model) hit a 6.9 second 0-60. I knew it felt deceptively quick, but that's decently quick for a vehicle this size. I believe it as an AWD Telluride tested at 7.1 seconds. The Mazda gets there in 7.1 (zoom zoom) and also gets 28mpg vs. the Hyundai's 26mpg. Although our real world highway mileage has been 31mpg@55/65 and 29mpg@70/75.

cvp33

Just a quick update. 2 months and 3,000+ miles and we're still loving the Palisade. Not first gen' issues and hoping none come. Just saw the iihs crash test numbers and the Palisade scored top safety pick + with good ratings for every test and an overall superior rating for the Limited model we have. Headlights seem to be a issue with most base models including Honda, Volvo, VW, Subaru, etc. The Ascent scored the same for iihs with TSP+. Strangely the Volvo XC90 nor the Atlas were able to earn the "+" rating. All the pre-read stuff we saw kept referring to Kia/Hyundai's use of up to 59% high strength steel. That use to be Volvo's thing with the whole boron steel. Looks like all of the Volvo XC90 did poorly for headlights and driver's torso was acceptable versus good. I know a lot of these new offset tests caught manufacturer's off guard along with pedestrian tests. The Palisade has all the new safety tech advantages of being a new model so they knew what they'd be up against. Also passed the standard front crash prevention system test, earning a superior rating — with an autobrake system that successfully avoided collisions in both the 12 and 25 mph IIHS track tests.

@fyreline I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the Volvo's headlights. That's something that I've not had to worry about with our 2017 Avalon, 2019 Z06 and now the 2020 Palisade. These LED's are incredibly bright. I half wonder if the iihs tests are hyper-critical in this area. IIHS dings the standard Palisade lights and all of the Volvo and VW lights for not providing enough light. I can't think of a modern vehicle I've ridden in where I needed more headlight lumens.

Snowwolfe

Very nice looking ride. If we were not so happy with our Limited Expedition it would be on the top of our list to buy.
Keep us posted.

cvp33

5,000 trouble free miles. As it should be. Car and Driver finally did a test. Lost to the Telluride by 2 points on styling. Obviously that doesn't matter to us as we picked the Palisade because we liked the styling better. LOL Actually beat the Kia on amenities, 1/4 mile, gas mileage and more. More surprising is just how far behind the new Ford Explorer was. Even some areas where I thought it would do better.....it just didn't.

Romulus

Nice, and not surprised.. S. Korea has been killing it the last 10 years with vehicles.

Did you consider the Lexus GX? It gets terrible mileage, but is dead nuts reliable on a proven platform and is in that price range.

cvp33

Honestly no. Most rank the Lexus 19th in the Top 20 3 row SUV's. To get it optioned like the Palisade Limited would've cost $65K versus the $45K we paid. Gas mileage is shocking at 15/18 with the thirsty V8. We're currently getting 22/29 in the Palisade. The Palisade actually has more interior leg room, better warranty and unbelievably, the Palisade is quicker 0-60 in 6.9 seconds versus 7.8 seconds for the V8 equipped Lexus.

A few things after reading the Car and Driver comparison.

1) I DEFINITELY preferred the Kia styling to the Palisade, but my wife felt exactly the opposite. It does look better in person, but the 3/4 front view is a little tough to look at on the Palisade.

2) Amenities still amaze me. If you can find a dealer with a Limited model and a knowledgeable sales person it's worth a trip and 30 minutes to see this tech in person. It's Tesla-like with driver-aids and Hyundai USA will pay you $50 for your time.

3) We received $2,150 off ours which included the $50 test drive and $500 conquest rebate for driving a Jeep. I don't think that deal would happen today given the demand. We also got 60mos@1.9% compliments of Hyundai finance. So value was easy for us.

4) I'm singing the praises because I'm confident that no self-respecting car guy has had a Hyundai on their shopping list and certainly not a 3 row SUV after the SanteFe and Borrego misfires. Now Hyundai/Kia has earned the right to be in the consideration set.

5) No truck frame SUV is going to feel as planted as these unibody options, nor will it have the interior room. Just look at the leg room in the Palisade compared to the Tahoe or Lexus. The Palisade crushes the Tahoe just because the packaging is better. BUT, these unibodys can't support the towing levels of a truck-based SUV.

6) How the heck did the Palisade manage 1mpg (22 mixed) more and .1 second 0-60 (6.9 secs) quicker than the same motored Kia? Interesting.

7) Even more telling, the Palisade ties (with Enclave) for the fastest 0-100 with 19 less HP than Enclave and 48 fewer TQ's than Explorer? Better yet, it spanks all comers 0-120mph in 27.3 seconds compared to 30.2 for the Ford and 32.6 for the Buick. Not that anyone will be doing 0-120mph sprints in their Palisade......besides me.

cvp33

Well I’m man enough to admit it. Our 2020 Palisade turned out to be a lemon and we are in the process of a buyback. Every manufacturer has ‘em. I had a bad Z06 so I know the drill unfortunately. I’ll post up what we replace it with once we pull the trigger.

TheRobSJ

The recent offerings from Hyundai/Kia/Genesis have really been worth a second look. I went and checked out a Genesis G70 recently, and was utterly amazed at what I saw for the money compared to everything else in its segment. Palisades have been flying off lots ever since it came out. And for good reason. You get every bell and whistle imaginable, plus fit and finish seems quite good.

However. Korean vehicles have quite the stigma hanging over them. Car enthusiasts remember their rather unremarkable offerings really, not that long ago. People like me who see cars a little more "behind the curtain" so to speak have an even bigger stigma hanging over Korean vehicles. They're pretty much disposable...for a number of reasons. You bought an econobox Kia/Hyundai for $15k, put a bunch of miles on it, now lots of stuff going wrong with it? Not worth it to fix it, not even close. You either give it to your kid, trade it in for some mercy offer of $1000, or donate it to charity. But now...now we have Korean cars costing $40k, $50k, and some even $75k. Not so easy to write that off. But as a mechanic, I know that they are still cheaply made, even the Genesis line. It's not like when Lexus came out. The quality was there, and you could see it inside and out. These Korean brands? Getting real good at making them look nice and appealing outside, but the jury is still out if this latest batch has improved inside.

Stories like this, suggest Hyundai really hasn't changed much. And the mainstream car journalists maybe suffering a case of the emperor's new clothes.

cvp33

Can’t argue with any of that. Our Palisade had a number of issues. The one that seems to be plaguing them is wind noise. Ours got so loud we can’t stand to drive it. See below starting at :14.

We drove a new Aviator and it was vault quiet and deceptively quick - 0 to 60 in 5.4 secs. The revel sound system, massage seats and dynamic drive system that sees the road ahead and adjusts are pretty damned cool. With the dealer concessions we’re looking at a $75K unit for $64K that’ll run circles around the Hyundai in amenities, quality of materials and definitely performance. Still can’t believe is gets the same gas mileage as the Palisade and makes 400hp.

TheRobSJ

Aviator is super nice. You’re gonna love it. Those seats with the zillion different adjustments are game changing.

For that kind of money, it’s worth giving the Volvo XC90 a look as well.

cvp33

We drove the Volvo before the Palisade. I loved it, she hated it. It does rank lower as well in reliability which surprised us. But doesn’t matter, we drove them all and my wife wants an Aviator. Dealer is now up to $11K off MSRP so way less than the similarly equipped Mercedes, Audi, BMW.

TheRobSJ

Happy wife happy life. Aviator will be a winner.

Getting to be a very competitive segment. My own brand used to have one of the best, and now our offering is quite a bit long in the tooth. Supposedly an all new MDX in the coming months.

cvp33

UPDATE

3 weeks and the nightmare is over. Hyundai is buying our Palisade back with a $5,000 mileage penalty. So in essence I get my entire purchase price refunded including dealer fees, taxes, etc minus $500. We get to drive it as many miles as we want until their repurchasing office opens. Any payments we make in the interim will also be refunded.



SURPRISE

Well as fate would have it we‘re not buying the Lincoln Aviator. Ended up taking 3 more test drives and it just wasn’t getting us as excited as the Palisade. It’s a great vehicle, but if it weren’t for the wind noise, the damn Palisade is pretty unbeatable for $48K. That was until we drove the BMW X7. Holy shitballs that thing is absolutely awesome. I really didn’t want to believe all the BMW hype, in fact I nearly refused to believe what I was experiencing. We drove the Aviator, then X7, back to the Aviator and finally the X7 again. Both dealers knew what we were doing and both thought theirs would win.



HANDS DOWN WINNER

I could immediately hear (much quieter) and feel (air suspension) the difference. It’s absolutely quick - 5.4sec to 60mph like the Aviator, but so insulated you couldn’t feel the speed. I was fairly confident my wife couldn’t feel the difference. I was wrong. She immediately noticed all the differences and refinement. But how the hell am I going to pay for an $83K BMW (damn these things ain’t cheap).



NEGOTIATING

We actually drove a dealer DEMO. It’s got 4,000 miles, but they made it CPO. So now the warranty is B2B for 4.5 years and UNLIMITED MILES. (I read up on this because frankly I didn’t believe it, but it’s true!). It also has free maintenance for 3yr/36K miles. Good news is the price went from $83K to $73K. I locked in my target price of $63K and started negotiating via text and email over the last 7 days. I honestly thought the deal would happen sooner to hit April 30th, but that actually when the sale manager got pissed and walked away at $66K and wouldn’t budge. I dug in and waited.



DONE DEAL

I received 1 more text in the following 3 days asking me if I would move closer to them, I said no, and frankly doubted we would ever get it done. Today, after sending 6 price requests around northern VA I found 2 dealers willing to go $14K OFF MSRP. So I decided before I drive up the NoVA to buy my X7 I’d give the local dealer 1 more chance to make our deal happen. Frankly I wanted the CPO with unlimited miles more than new because we’re driving 20K miles a year and that makes the BMW warranty expired after 2.5 years for us. No bueno. Great news, after 2 back & froths we settled at $63,700. I’m definitely good with that.



MODS

Let the mods begin! Here’s ours below on 21” wheels. I hate the way they look so found some original BMW takeoffs on eBay 90 miles from my house. Picking them up tomorrow. Definitely going to look better once I get them mounted.

TheRobSJ

The new X7 is great. It’s the only BMW that actually “fits” the new oversized twin kidney grille they’ve been hanging on their newest models.