Beyond just looking at the Hyundai Palisade at this year’s Manila International Auto Show, we wanted to see what the interior is like. Given its P3,240,000 price tag, we figured it must be pretty damn luxurious inside.
Well, our hunch was right. The leather seats simply invite you in once you open the door. Up front, you have buttons galore within reach of the driver. Everything looks neatly laid out and all, but we can’t help wondering if operating all those buttons has a slight learning curve.
What’s interesting here is the layout—the photo above is of the vehicle’s middle row. You see, the Palisade is indeed a seven-seater SUV, but not in the traditional 2+3+2 seating configuration. The middle row only seats two, courtesy of a pair of plush captain’s chairs. It tells you all you need to know about the SUV’s target market. Each seat feels just right, like a La-Z-Boy fitted into a car, that you almost wouldn’t complain about traffic. As a bonus, the gap between the seats makes getting to the third row easier.
As you’ve probably figured out by now, the third row has enough capacity for three people. From our estimation, it’d be a pretty tight fit for three average-size people, but probably comfy enough for two. There’s enough legroom back there for my five-foot-something frame, while headroom was sufficient even with the backrest almost upright.
