Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride share the same underpinnings and engine options but flaunt completely different top hats
Hyundai Motor Company and its sister brand Kia have teased facelifted models of their respective three-row premium SUVs- Palisade and Telluride. Both updated SUVs are expected to undergo significant updates and will make their global debut on the same day at the Los Angeles Motor Show on 13 April 2022.
The latest teasers share only a partial glimpse of both updated full-size SUVs, but they are enough to suggest that they will undergo some major styling updates. Palisade and Telluride facelifts are expected to go on sale in the USA later this year. Both SUVs made their global debut around the same time in late 2018.
Both Palisade and Telluride will be based on their respective brands’ current design philosophies. For Hyundai, it is ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ while for Kia it is ‘Opposites United’. Palisade borrows its design cues from Tucson while Telluride draws styling inspirations from Sportage. Both SUVs are offered in seven- as well as eight-seat layouts.
2023 Kia Telluride facelift
Coming to Telluride, updates on the exterior are similar to its cousin with a redesigned front face featuring headlights as well as a new LED signature for DRLs. It sports a familiar tiger-nose front grille seen in Kia Sonet and a muscular front bumper and a sculpted bonnet. A large metallic bash plate upfront and flared wheel arches further amplify its aggressive appeal.
Unlike Hyundai, Kia has teased the interior of Telluride’s cabin and the biggest highlight is a new twin-screen display for the touchscreen infotainment and instrument cluster. It also receives three central air-con vents while physical controls in the form of knobs can be seen below. The flat, multi-layered dashboard with silver inserts makes for a premium appeal.
2023 Hyundai Palisade facelift
Starting with Palisade, the big three-row gets an upright and flat nose featuring a larger front grille with 3D chrome inserts similar to Alcazar in India. It gets the same vertically oriented LED headlamps housed in the bumper on both corners but flanked by revised L-shaped LED DRLs. Side profile reveals a very broad, square face that mirrors the chunky front grille.
It also gets new multi-spoke alloy wheels with a dual-tone finish. Hyundai is still tight-lipped about interiors of the facelifted Palisade but the cabin is expected to witness a few tweaks. These could include new upholstery options and a few additional creature comforts.
Powertrain Specs
Both teasers show the facelifted SUVs in top-spec trims, Palisade in its Calligraphy model while Telluride in a new X-Pro variant which will be a more off-road focussed model. No changes are expected to take place in either model’s powertrain department. Palisade and Telluride are powered by a standard 3.8-liter naturally aspirated V-6 petrol engine which is exclusively mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.
They are available in either front- or all-wheel-drive configurations. This powertrain returns an output of 292 bhp and 355 Nm of peak torque. They are also expected to be offered a 2.2-litre turbo diesel mill that pumps out 197 bhp and 440 Nm of peak torque.
