Over the last few years, Hyundai Motor Group has proven it knows how to do SUVs. This has been made more evident with the manufacturer’s subsidiary, Kia, which has churned out the Telluride and the Soul. The Hyundai side of the house has also made a splash with the Kona and the Sante Fe.  

One of the more overlooked SUVs under the Hyundai Motor Group umbrella is the Hyundai Palisade, and the Kia Sorento is sometimes forgotten about too. You’ll see here that both of these SUVs have a lot to offer, especially for families. 

Sizeable comfort

The great thing about models like the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Sorento is that they offer sizeable comfort families in a more stylish and sleek package, especially compared to minivans. 

So, if your family needs more than five seats, both the Palisade and Sorento are worth considering. The Palisade is a three-row SUV that can seat up to eight while the Sorento seats up to seven across its three rows. 

Both of these SUVs are spacious and comfortable on the inside, but the Palisade has a more upscale interior. It’s also worth mentioning that the Palisade has more cargo space too.

Power and capability

When it comes to power, the Palisade has more of an advantage compared to the Sorento. The 2020 Palisade has a standard 3.8-liter V-6 engine on all models that generates a 291-horsepower. This engine provides enough power to efficiently push this large vehicle along. 

On the other hand, the Sorento comes with two engines. The standard four-cylinder engine offers a 118-hp which is kind of a drag. We would say that the V6 engine option with a 290-hp is a better fit for the Sorento. That being said, Palisade gets a combined 21 mpg while the Sorento gets about a 23 mpg overall.

Safety

Both the Palisade and the Sorento are solid, safe SUVs. But, if you’re looking for advanced safety features that come standard, the Palisade does a better job with that. On the Palisade, lane-keep assist, forward-collision assistance, and adaptive cruise control all come standard. More advanced driver-assistance features are available as you go up the Palisade trims. The only advanced safety feature that comes with the Sorento is a rearview camera.

Infotainment

The infotainment offerings on both the Palisade and the Sorento are desirable. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard on both models but the Palisade touchscreen is an 8-inch; the Sorento comes with a 7-inch. There are also many options to make each model’s infotainment system more upscale.

With Hyundai’s BlueLink app, you can unlock, lock, and start the Palisade with Google Assist or Amazon Alexa. You also have the ability to configure the Sorento’s infotainment system with an awesome sound system. Remote start and door unlocking are also available features on the Sorento. 

Choosing between the Hyundai Palisade and the Kia Sorento

As we mentioned earlier, both the Palisade and Sorento are good family-friendly SUVs largely due to their comfort levels and safety features. The biggest determining factor between the two is the cost of luxury. The Kia Sorento starts at $26,990 and the Hyundai Palisade starts at $31,775.  If you want more standard power and luxury features, we would recommend going with the Palisade.