How the Hyundai Palisade upgraded my everyday mom life
I finally found a family SUV that pairs well with the beautiful chaos of motherhood.
Once upon a time, I used to get dressed up without worrying about sticky little hands staining my outfit. I would roll out of bed at whatever time I pleased and go to the gym by myself or meet my friends for brunch without watching the clock. I never even thought about the benefit of having a car that would fit both a stroller and a scooter in the trunk at the same time.
Now that I’m a mother of a six-year-old and one-year-old, life has changed. A lot. But I love every moment of it. I love being a mom–even if it means wearing gym clothes all day (without ever getting to the gym), or having to warm up my coffee twice before noon.
This past week, I test drove the all-new Hyundai Palisade to see how well it pairs with the beautiful chaos of motherhood. And let me just tell you: it made my everyday #MomLife feel like #GlamLife. Here’s how.
A chariot fit for my family
When I first saw the Hyundai Palisade, I was impressed by its striking design. Both the exterior and interior details instantly caught my attention. I thought, “How is this considered a family vehicle?” And when we finally took it for a drive together, we felt like royalty–a feeling you usually don’t get in a lot of family vehicles. Not onlydoes it comfortably seat up to eight people, but there are so many other incredible features that had me convinced this vehicle must’ve been designed by a mother!
During our week-long test-drive, I had both girls riding in the back. Harper was pleased to have her pick of one of seven USB power outlets for her iPad. She doesn’t usually like to use her iPad while in the car, but when she does, we always have to make sure that its battery is fully loaded, just in case. Not anymore. And when Noa fell asleep in her car seat, I was able to turn on the Quiet Mode function from the touch-screen display in the front. Thisallowed me and the hubby to still listen to music in the driver’s and passenger’s seat, while muting the rear speakers so she could sleep soundly. Genius, right? Our mini road trip north of Toronto was certainly a smooth one.
When it comes to interior space, there’s lots of it. The trunk easily fit Harper’s bike and Noa’s umbrella stroller. Plus, just getting the girls in and out of the Palisade was a breeze–there was just so much room to move about, even with the car seats in place! Again, a little slice of #GlamLife! It’s also worth noting that installing the car seats for both girls was simple and my hubby barely broke a sweat, which he has in the past with other vehicles.
Safety First
While the Palisade certainly made me feel a little more luxurious this past week, as parents, we would all agree that safety is the biggest priority of them all. The Palisade came out strong in this category for its many amazing and intuitive safety features. However one stood out to me most, due to the recent tragic news stories of children who had been left in the car on a hot summer’s day.
The Palisade has a feature called Rear Occupant Alert, which aims to help reduce that risk. Using an ultrasonic sensor, the Palisade can detect movement in the rear seat. If there is, your horn will sound, lights on the vehicle will flash and a Blue Link alert message is sent to your smartphone when the SUV is equipped with an active BlueLink subscription.
The Palisade also has pedestrian detection with emergency braking, and as a family living and driving in the city, this couldn’t be more important to us. With all the cyclists commuting in Toronto, we found the blind-spot assistance super handy for city driving, too.
Final word
It was hard to say farewell to the Palisade at the end of our trial week. It really did feel like riding in luxury! In fact, I am currently in the market for a new vehicle. And while, truthfully, a Hyundai wouldn’t have been on my list prior to our week-long test drive, it is now. I am so grateful for the experience to test-drive the Paliside with my family.
Photography by: Jeremie Dupont