10 Hyundai Palisade Features Its Rivals Wish They Had

To some, the Hyundai Palisade may just seem like the latest me-too entry in the ever-expanding SUV marketplace. Look, another three-row crossover! Don't yawn—the conscientiously designed Palisade is a cut above most of the SUVs in its class, and after spending time with several versions of it we came away impressed. The upscale Hyundai benefits from attention to detail that's uncommon in this people-mover vehicle segment, as well as aspirational design. It's all too good not to talk about, so here are our 10 favorite design elements you won't find on competitors and that help elevate the Palisade from an ordinary to an exceptional SUV. Swipe through to see them all.

Top-spec Palisade Limited models come with a fully digital gauge cluster, which when the turn signal is activated can display a handy little video feed of the vehicle's blind spot on the side the turn signal is activated on. That's right, unlike Honda's similar LaneWatch system, which only works on the right side and displays the video feed of the blind spot in the central touchscreen, the Hyundai setup works on both sides of the vehicle. Activate the right turn signal, and the blind-spot video feed displays in the right side of the gauge cluster; activate the left signal, and the livestream pops up on the left side of the cluster (as pictured here). The system's rear-facing cameras (along with blind-spot monitoring sensors) help the driver avoid potential collisions while merging on the highway or turning onto a different street. We, of course, advocate that drivers always actually check their blind spots visually, but there's no denying the Palisade Limited's blind-spot assist is next-level useful.

The Hyundai Palisade's center console boasts a "floating" design that frees up space underneath for an extra storage nook. As is common with this design (Honda's Civic, for example, has a similar setup), Hyundai's lower storage area includes an extra USB port and a power outlet. To prevent those power ports from creating an ugly cluster of cords and such extending around the center console to the upper storage tray, where most people will keep their phones, Hyundai designed in a little tunnel from the lower bin to the upper bin so that users can thread their charging cable through. No dangling wires, no mess!

The sliding second-row seat isn't the Palisade's only assist for passengers destined for its third-row seats. With the second row seat folded and slid out of the way, passengers can utilize these handy grab handles integrated into the second-row seatbacks to help climb into and out of the third-row seats. When it comes time to exit the third row, passengers will find the second-row chairs' extended armrests a perfect support for helping themselves climb out through the side doors.

Like most of the broader population, those who will sit in the Hyundai Palisade's rear seats probably own a smartphone. But digging a device out of your pocket while seated can be a struggle, which is why Hyundai's inclusion of netted pockets perfectly shaped to hold a smartphone on the backs of both front seats is so welcome. The pockets, which face rear-seat passengers, even provides convenient access to the Palisade's rear USB ports, which are mounted to the sides of each front seatback. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy your smartphone's handy perch while it charges. And you can even see notifications on your screen through the pockets' netting.

Are you a parent liable to driving your sleeping baby around the block? Or maybe you take long road trips and rotate drivers every so often so they can grab some shut-eye in the back seat? In both cases, you want those in the rear seat to have some peace and quiet—but what if the driver still wants to listen to some tunes? The Palisade's stereo system includes a Quiet Mode function that mutes the rear speakers on demand. We tried it, and obviously the music playing up front still carries to the rear a little bit, but it stays pretty hushed back there while allowing the driver and front-seat passenger to enjoy on-the-road entertainment. Is this like a front-to-rear fader switch, which every vehicle already has? Yes, albeit more direct and with a fun name.

Hyundai's Blue Link telematics system—which enables remote communication with the car, calls for help in the event of an accident, and navigation help—is accompanied by a smartphone app and is available on most of the brand's models. The Palisade's version of Blue Link, however, gets an extra feature: Driver Presets. If you plan to share the vehicle with a spouse, roomate, or friend, up to two drivers can set their seat and mirror positions to a memory function that also can remember their air-conditioning settings—the kicker is that, unlike traditional memory seat and mirror functions, and each user can switch the car to those settings as they're approaching the vehicle using their phone, without needing to remember which memory button corresponds to their preferences. Sweet.