Hyundai Takes Pot of Inky Paint to Palisade
Bad news for anyone who likes their vehicles in Visible Light – the styling department at Hyundai has decided to expand the Night package to its Calligraphy trim on the Palisade.
Looking for all the world like it has been dipped in an old-timey inkwell, this Calligraphy Night Edition not only slathers the body panels and wheels in black paint but also takes a dark-tinted brush to the brightwork on its grille, bumper garnish, and Hyundai logo. Exterior badges get the same treatment, too, because why not? Obviously, this package can be paired with Abyss Black paint though Hyper White is also an option for those wishing to rain maximum contrast on their neighbors’ eyeballs.
There are some interior changes compared to other trims. Easy stuff like the upper console trim has been swapped out for one in a dark aluminum finish but it’s notable that the Night package brings completely different seats. Dark (of course) micro-suede seating surfaces now cover the chairs, ditching Nappa leather seating surfaces generally found on Calligraphy models. It seems the rest of its interior is unchanged, which is not really a bad thing given the Palisade’s excellent cabin environment.
No changes are mentioned or expected under the hood, where a par-for-the-course 3.8-liter V6 engine will make 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. We’ve always found this to be an agreeable mill whose personality suits this huge crossover very well, paired as it is with all-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic. It is worth noting that the Palisade (and its cousin, the Telluride) is appearing in the driveways of addresses in our town where a Hyundai or Kia would never have previously resided. That says much for the appeal of this thing, showing up as a good mix of attractive styling and cosseting interior – though I’ll argue the former plays a big part in most buying decisions.
The 2024 Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition is available at Hyundai dealers now, starting at $54,935 including destination charges.
[Images: Hyundai]
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Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.
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Although the Disaster Area treatment does it no favors at all, the Palisade is better looking than the Telluride. There, I said it.
The Telluride is too much of a cheap, try-hard Range Rover knockoff. The Palisade just looks like a midrange three-row, which is what it is. It's more honest.
My friend's roomate's brother's nephew works for the military and said the Special Forces are trialing the Telluride as a next generation weapons platform and that it's successfully carried firing mini railgun with stock tires, suspension and chassis. All they had to do was take it in for an engine recall. If you think the "Toyota War" was a spectacle just wait for the "Telluride Siege" .