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2020 Hyundai Palisade Preview Drive | The bigger they come

SEOUL — Hyundai can build big, spectacular things. In 2014 it created the CSCL Globe, the world's largest container ship at the time. With a 77,200-hp two-stroke engine and a deck the size of four soccer fields, it can deliver 19,000 shipping containers anywhere in the world. By comparison, the new 2020 Hyundai Palisade isn't all that large — but it will soon become the brand's biggest and most powerful SUV ever. About the size of the Ford Explorer and the popular Honda Pilot, the Palisade is already on sale in South Korea, where it is assembled at Hyundai's massive plant in Ulsan alongside the Tucson, Ioniq and Veloster. But the replacement for the Santa Fe XL won't hit Hyundai's American dealerships until summer 2019. It's part of an SUV onslaught by the automaker, which has just introduced the smaller Kona and Santa Fe models. And Hyundai says there's more to come. Unlike the Ford Explorer, which will soon return to a traditional rear-wheel drive architecture, the 2020 Hyundai Palisade uses a new front-wheel drive chassis it will share with the coming Kia Telluride. The SUV is 3 inches longer, about 3.5 inches wider and over 2 inches taller than the Santa Fe XL, and its wheelbase has grown 4 inches. That matches the Nissan Pathfinder at 114.2 inches, and outstretches the Explorer, Pilot and Toyota Highlander. However, the Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave share a 120.9-inch wheelbase, and at 204.3 inches long they've got 8 inches of length on the Palisade. Despite all that size, the Palisade doesn't feel like a container ship from behind its leather-wrapped steering wheel. After two cold snowy days driving Korean-market spec Palisades around northern South Korea, both on and off road, we flew home to California impressed by the SUV's dynamics, packaging and comfort. Inside, the Palisade's front seats are firm with significant bolstering, and the seating position is perfect. Hyundai has gotten the details right, even carving the SUV's A-pillars extra thin to better your forward view. Fit and finish are impressive, coming close to Genesis levels with our test car's quilted Nappa leather, suede headliner and knurled knobs. Its pale striped wood trim, although fake, pulls off the yacht feel SangYup Lee, Hyundai's Head of Global Design, says he was going for. By the way, before joining Hyundai, Lee was the lead designer at Bentley, where he created that company's first SUV, the Bentayga.

2020 Subaru Outback and Cadillac XT6 drives | Autoblog Podcast #590

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Green Editor John Snyder and Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale. This episode is all about driving, on- and off-road, and in a variety of vehicles. In particular, the trio are talking about recent experiences in the 2020 Subaru Outback, 2020 Cadillac XT6, 2019 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S and 2020 Hyundai Palisade. At the end, they tackle an interesting and particularly tough "Spend My Money" question involving whether or not to put off purchasing a Jeep Wrangler in favor of a sensible daily driver. Autoblog Podcast #590 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Driving the 2020 Subaru Outback Driving the 2020 Cadillac XT6 Driving the 2019 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Sedan Driving the 2020 Hyundai Palisade Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:    

Carmakers ask Trump to revisit fuel efficiency rules

Car companies operating in the US are required to meet stringent fuel efficiency standards (a fleet average of 54.5MPG) through 2025, but they're hoping to loosen things now that President Trump is in town. Leaders from Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and VW have sent a letter to Trump asking him to rethink the Obama administration's choice to lock in efficiency guidelines for the next several years. The car makers want to revisit the midterm review for the 2025 commitment in hopes of loosening the demands. They claim that the tougher requirements raise costs, don't match public buying habits and will supposedly put "as many a million" jobs up in the air. The Trump administration hasn't specifically responded to the letter, although Environmental Protection Agency nominee Scott Pruitt had said he would return to the Obama-era decision. The automakers' argument doesn't entirely hold up. While the EPA did estimate that the US would fall short of efficiency goals due to a shift toward SUVs and trucks, the job claims are questionable. Why would making more fuel efficient vehicles necessarily cost jobs instead of pushing companies to do better? As it is, even a successful attempt to loosen guidelines may only have a limited effect. All of the brands mentioned here are pushing for greater mainstream adoption of electric vehicles within the next few years -- they may meet the Obama administration's expectations just by shifting more drivers away from gas power. This article by Jon Fingas originally appeared on Engadget, your guide to this connected life. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Government/Legal Green Chrysler Fiat GM Honda Hyundai Nissan Toyota Volkswagen Fuel Efficiency CAFE standards Trump