The 2020 Hyundai Palisade: A Review for Working Moms
We got a new car!! Who buys a car in the midst of a pandemic?! WE DO! And it was the greatest experience ever. Thank you to the fine folks at Stew Hansen Hyundai in Des Moines, Iowa for caring for their customers during this COVID 19 pandemic and sending me home in the new 2020 Hyundai Palisade LIMITED. Yes. I had to get the extra fancy one.
We weren't due for a trade-in for another year or so. We didn't enter 2020 with the plan to buy a new car, but my husband got a new car itch and wouldn't let it go, so here we are with this new whip and we could not be happier. This car has it all.
It is an affordable, family-sized SUV with all the bells and whistles. I had been writing in my Start Today journal that I own and drive a luxury SUV. My original thought was a murdered out Range Rover Velar - black on black on black or maybe a baby blue Lincoln Navigator. I wanted something real fancy. I work hard. A $90,000 vehicle is just not in our budget yet, but at under $50k, this Palisade does not disappoint. And when it came rolling up in my driveway looking and smelling all good, I couldn't resist.
When it came to test driving the vehicle, I was a little apprehensive. Coronavirus is real and it had been and is still killing a lot of people. I want to keep my family and myself safe. Chris at Stew Hansen offered to drive the Palisade out to our home for us to test drive it so our social distancing concerns were cared for. The service at Stew Hansen's is top-of-the-line. They are so good to their customers.
We drove some other comparable vehicles at different dealerships in the area, but when it came down to it, the Palisade gave us all the options for $30,000 less than some of the other well known luxury makes. It has heads-up display, automatic wipers, driver assist, lane control, and just about every other feature you could expect in a vehicle in 2020. Let's get in to my favorite features.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Ladies. Get a vehicle with adaptive cruise control. I was coming home late from an event the other night. I set the cruise control and the vehicle basically drove me home. It maintains a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. It assists you as you maintain your lane. The automatic lights even adjusted the high-beams for me as other vehicles approached in the opposite direction. All I had to do was keep my hands on the wheel and watch out for wild animals!
We took a 6-hour road trip on Memorial Day to Maquoketa State Park and back and it was a dream to let the car do it's thing.
Turn Signal Cameras
I don't know if this is the technical term for this feature but it's one I love. It's wild. When you activate your turn signal, a camera on the side you are turning pops up on the fully-digital display to show you your blindspot. I use this feature to help me avoid dragging my rims across the curb. (Nick just ordered some fancy rims that I'm notorious for scraping on the curb, so we'll see if these cameras can help me keep my distance.) But it is also helpful to have something looking out for your blindspot. I'm going to take the time to say that the safety features on this vehicle are phenomenal! I increased our insurance on it and only ended up paying an additional $1.22/month in premiums because of all the safety discounts I received.
Heated and cooled leather seats with diamond stitching
Guys, I'm in love with this interior. I love the light beige color. The stitching looks so fancy. And the seats are COOLED. No more sticking to leather seats in the summer when I wear shorts. The 2nd row gets heated and cooled seats too!
This is a great feature to have since we will not be flying anywhere for a while. Roadtrips are right in our comfort zone for social distancing.
Infotainment system
The infotainment system gives you control of just about everything! First, it allows you to see 3 different modules at the same time. I keep mine set to see the navigation, music and weather. Within the settings, I can change the ambient lighting color. I can fold down the seats. I can control how the car alerts me. I've had the car for a little over a month and I'm still learning about the cool things it can do.
Safety features
Everything from the airbags to exterior sensors that notify you and help prevent collisions gives me the peace of mind that my family is safe inside this vehicle. The vehicle will even notify me if it senses movement inside the vehicle after I've turned it off and locked it. This will help prevent some of those heartbreaking stories of children or animals left in a hot car. There are seatbelt sensors on every seat so I know who is not buckled up. Another cool feature is that the back doors will not open if the car senses another vehicle passing. This will prevent children from opening their door into traffic. So much safety!!!
Outlets on Outlets on Outlets
This is my kid's favorite feature. There are enough USB ports in the vehicle for every passenger. EVERY PASSENGER!! Every passenger can charge their phone or device at the same time. This is such a simple feature that I haven't seen in many cars yet. It made our recent road trip such a breeze!
There is so much to this car. I could write for hours and hours about just the features I KNOW about. I'm still learning more cool things about this vehicle every day. It is so fun to drive. I've just driven it around the block before because I was bored and needed a little pick-me-up. So this is the new car. I think we're going to call her Helen.
Follow me on Instagram @sarahonlybetter to see where Helen is taking us this summer. Next trip, Minnesota Boundary Waters.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sarah + Helen
