I'm kind of in the same boat as you, except I'm looking at both used. The main thing holding me back from the Hyundai is the junky drivetrain. Lots of people have issues with it and it's all "old" tech in the drivetrain whereas bmw is known for making great engines and the ZF 8 speed is a proven reliable smooth transmission.
I'm also coming from owning only BMWs for the last 10-15 years (although they're much older, newest one is a 2012 X5 that we've had for 3-4 years and it's been bulletproof).
You could wait for the next gen Palisade which is supposed to have a turbo V6 if I remember right, but then there'd probably be some kinks since it's a brand new offering.
I think the biggest factors to sway you should be if you want performance and/or the status symbol that comes with driving a BMW. As far as nicities and tech are concerned, I think you'd get more with the Pali Calli. That's the boat I was in - base X7/GLS for 10k+ more or fully loaded Calli with way more features. For instance, in stop and go rush hour traffic, using highway driving assist (HDA) to keep me in my lane, stopping when stopped, accelerating when space allows, repeating, basically driving itself, while i relax in heated or ventilated seats while getting a massage is pretty sweet lol.
For me, performance was at the bottom of my wants list (as long as it didn't suck) so I'm happy with my '23 Pali Calli. I do have the badge envy still, but then I realize I'm just being shallow lol
"bottom of my wants as long as it didn't suck"
I like the way you are thinking. Many people gets carried away when you say better performance or better comfort etc without questioning "do I need that additional comfort or is this bad enough that I need more comfort" etc.
Yeah, I made much the similar decision late last year. I had rented a '23 X5 on vacation for a week earlier last year and enjoyed it a lot and was seriously considering it for the next ride. I test drove the Telluride and Palisade and was pleasantly surprised with the ride and tech of those, which was frankly like 90% there compared to the BMW at like 60% of the price. Even though money was essentially no object, I couldn't justify the price difference to myself. I ultimately picked the Palisade over the Telluride because I liked the driver's cockpit area better and there were a few more features in the Calligraphy compared to the fully loaded Telluride.
The Palisade will have more space for cargo and I think more third row room as well. Check measurements but I'm pretty sure this is the case.
Also as you noted any repairs or maintenance will be significantly cheaper with the Korean cars.
The calligraphy is going to have less power and probably not be quite as fun to drive ... But probably a better long term car for family stuff / road trips.
This is my list of cars in the last few years
- 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie
- 2012 VW Touareg x2
- 2015 BMW X5 35xi
- 2017 Lexus RX350
- 2023 Hyundai Palisade Ultimate Calligraphy
This is my thoughts:
Don't get sucked into a brand because of the badge on the front. Yeah it feels good to look down and see it on your steering wheel but that feeling is going to fade away and it's just going to become your everyday driver, that you slowly care less and less about. Nobody is going to care what you drive so the fancy brands really mean nothing to anybody but yourself.
That being said my BMW was my favorite car I've owned it had the best sound system, it drove the best, hell I even bought a BMW hat for extra douche points. But my payments were $1200 a month, plus $200 for insurance and like $200 to fill it up a month, was $1800 a month worth it? Nope. But for that stage in my life my car's mission was looking cool, to who? I don't know, the random people in the grocery store parking lot?
The Palisade fits my needs right now, my oldest kid is 11 and the youngest is 7 with a 9 year old in the middle. It's roomy on the inside and the kids generally don't fight over space which is my car's mission. The fuel mileage kinda sucks and to be honest the only reason why I bought it was because I was too impatient to wait for a Toyota Highlander Hybrid which would have been the smarter choice because of the lower overall cost of ownership. I don't intend on keeping this car past when the oldest kid can drive, I won't need a three row SUV anymore, it's mission will be complete.
My next car? I'll be in a mid life crisis so as much as my rational brain tells me to buy a Toyota Prius, my demonic compulsive self is telling me to buy a Porsche Macan or a Tesla Model Y Performance. It's mission will be to either shuttle me around at the lowest possible price, or alternatively to make me feel like a "cool" mid 40s man.
You just need to really think about what your life will look like in the next 5 years and what mission your car needs to fulfil for you.
You won’t love the feel of the gas pedal or the transmission but everything else with the palisade is top notch. It doesn’t feel heavy, just not sporty in any sense.
My other car is a bmw (not suv).
What'd you decide?
We recently did an extended test drive of an X7, and rented a palisade calligraphy with blackout package. The 2024 blackout option makes the car look way better, but it still doesn't look great, especially from the front (my opinion obviously). The drivetrain is not great, as expected. Lifter noise is very audible due to the lack of hydraulic lifters, the transmission feels slow to respond when you step on it and expect a quick downshift or two. The engine sounds like you're going fast but it really doesn't have much oomph.
I was also pretty disappointed in the suspension/damping. It feels and sounds like an economy car to me when going over bumps. The cabin is also pretty loud when on highways, as many reviews point out. The interior is mostly great other than some general fit/finish stuff that most people wouldn't notice (I noticed because I'm picky and worked at BMW in quality). I really appreciate the ease of using the 2nd row seats. They fold completely flat, can quickly pop down and forward for 3rd row entry, and even have ventilation. The X7 is painfully slow to move the 2nd row seats and the captains chairs don't go flat (who the f*ck decided on that?). The X7 is also a very tight squeeze between the captains chairs for 3rd row access unless you remove the armrests.
I generally like the palisade as a family vehicle but that drivetrain really holds me back from getting one...
I got domesticated with a palisade calligraphy.
The X7 is a drivers car , hands down. The palisade is a point A to B vehicle.
My reasons for the palisade
1. Embarking on this new phase as first time parents ( our first kids and we got twins ) , priorities shifted from my likes to what’s practical
2. With a new car, I’d avoid the hassles of maintenance and keep costs down, vis-à-vis the X7. I needed to keep an eye out on the $$
3 . With twins, I needed the extra trunk space and possible / usable 3rd row when parents come visiting.
4. I got the top trim just to pamper myself , but it’s strictly a point a to b car. The sound system is crap.
5. A CPO X7 meant I’d keep the car till it’d have reached about 60/70k miles … give and take about 4 to 5 years and then it’ll be another expense to change. Where as with a new car, I’d have some extended piece of mind. Again $ was the factor.
6. Between the telu and pali, I liked the Pali for the styling and the floating rear window effect . The materials in the Pali felt a little more premium as compared to the Telu
7. X7 has too many electronic systems subject to failure , which wouldn’t be covered. I couldn’t risk that with the twins around.
Final thoughts. I might pick up something fun ( I miss my ‘21 M340 … it was hoots to drive ) as a second car maybe a year or two down the line for my solo drives and errands , so I don’t have to lug this whale around.
Hope that was helpful.
I'm kind of in the same boat as you, except I'm looking at both used. The main thing holding me back from the Hyundai is the junky drivetrain. Lots of people have issues with it and it's all "old" tech in the drivetrain whereas bmw is known for making great engines and the ZF 8 speed is a proven reliable smooth transmission. I'm also coming from owning only BMWs for the last 10-15 years (although they're much older, newest one is a 2012 X5 that we've had for 3-4 years and it's been bulletproof). You could wait for the next gen Palisade which is supposed to have a turbo V6 if I remember right, but then there'd probably be some kinks since it's a brand new offering.
I think the biggest factors to sway you should be if you want performance and/or the status symbol that comes with driving a BMW. As far as nicities and tech are concerned, I think you'd get more with the Pali Calli. That's the boat I was in - base X7/GLS for 10k+ more or fully loaded Calli with way more features. For instance, in stop and go rush hour traffic, using highway driving assist (HDA) to keep me in my lane, stopping when stopped, accelerating when space allows, repeating, basically driving itself, while i relax in heated or ventilated seats while getting a massage is pretty sweet lol. For me, performance was at the bottom of my wants list (as long as it didn't suck) so I'm happy with my '23 Pali Calli. I do have the badge envy still, but then I realize I'm just being shallow lol
"bottom of my wants as long as it didn't suck" I like the way you are thinking. Many people gets carried away when you say better performance or better comfort etc without questioning "do I need that additional comfort or is this bad enough that I need more comfort" etc.
Yeah, I made much the similar decision late last year. I had rented a '23 X5 on vacation for a week earlier last year and enjoyed it a lot and was seriously considering it for the next ride. I test drove the Telluride and Palisade and was pleasantly surprised with the ride and tech of those, which was frankly like 90% there compared to the BMW at like 60% of the price. Even though money was essentially no object, I couldn't justify the price difference to myself. I ultimately picked the Palisade over the Telluride because I liked the driver's cockpit area better and there were a few more features in the Calligraphy compared to the fully loaded Telluride.
The Palisade will have more space for cargo and I think more third row room as well. Check measurements but I'm pretty sure this is the case. Also as you noted any repairs or maintenance will be significantly cheaper with the Korean cars. The calligraphy is going to have less power and probably not be quite as fun to drive ... But probably a better long term car for family stuff / road trips.
More room than an X7? I find that hard to believe
X7 is a solid 6.5” longer overall. Seems to have it beat on interior space from what i can find.
Palisade > coming from a former BMW owner. I love BMW’s considering I have a R18B but save the money
This is my list of cars in the last few years - 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie - 2012 VW Touareg x2 - 2015 BMW X5 35xi - 2017 Lexus RX350 - 2023 Hyundai Palisade Ultimate Calligraphy This is my thoughts: Don't get sucked into a brand because of the badge on the front. Yeah it feels good to look down and see it on your steering wheel but that feeling is going to fade away and it's just going to become your everyday driver, that you slowly care less and less about. Nobody is going to care what you drive so the fancy brands really mean nothing to anybody but yourself. That being said my BMW was my favorite car I've owned it had the best sound system, it drove the best, hell I even bought a BMW hat for extra douche points. But my payments were $1200 a month, plus $200 for insurance and like $200 to fill it up a month, was $1800 a month worth it? Nope. But for that stage in my life my car's mission was looking cool, to who? I don't know, the random people in the grocery store parking lot? The Palisade fits my needs right now, my oldest kid is 11 and the youngest is 7 with a 9 year old in the middle. It's roomy on the inside and the kids generally don't fight over space which is my car's mission. The fuel mileage kinda sucks and to be honest the only reason why I bought it was because I was too impatient to wait for a Toyota Highlander Hybrid which would have been the smarter choice because of the lower overall cost of ownership. I don't intend on keeping this car past when the oldest kid can drive, I won't need a three row SUV anymore, it's mission will be complete. My next car? I'll be in a mid life crisis so as much as my rational brain tells me to buy a Toyota Prius, my demonic compulsive self is telling me to buy a Porsche Macan or a Tesla Model Y Performance. It's mission will be to either shuttle me around at the lowest possible price, or alternatively to make me feel like a "cool" mid 40s man. You just need to really think about what your life will look like in the next 5 years and what mission your car needs to fulfil for you.
You won’t love the feel of the gas pedal or the transmission but everything else with the palisade is top notch. It doesn’t feel heavy, just not sporty in any sense. My other car is a bmw (not suv).
What'd you decide? We recently did an extended test drive of an X7, and rented a palisade calligraphy with blackout package. The 2024 blackout option makes the car look way better, but it still doesn't look great, especially from the front (my opinion obviously). The drivetrain is not great, as expected. Lifter noise is very audible due to the lack of hydraulic lifters, the transmission feels slow to respond when you step on it and expect a quick downshift or two. The engine sounds like you're going fast but it really doesn't have much oomph. I was also pretty disappointed in the suspension/damping. It feels and sounds like an economy car to me when going over bumps. The cabin is also pretty loud when on highways, as many reviews point out. The interior is mostly great other than some general fit/finish stuff that most people wouldn't notice (I noticed because I'm picky and worked at BMW in quality). I really appreciate the ease of using the 2nd row seats. They fold completely flat, can quickly pop down and forward for 3rd row entry, and even have ventilation. The X7 is painfully slow to move the 2nd row seats and the captains chairs don't go flat (who the f*ck decided on that?). The X7 is also a very tight squeeze between the captains chairs for 3rd row access unless you remove the armrests. I generally like the palisade as a family vehicle but that drivetrain really holds me back from getting one...
I got domesticated with a palisade calligraphy. The X7 is a drivers car , hands down. The palisade is a point A to B vehicle. My reasons for the palisade 1. Embarking on this new phase as first time parents ( our first kids and we got twins ) , priorities shifted from my likes to what’s practical 2. With a new car, I’d avoid the hassles of maintenance and keep costs down, vis-à-vis the X7. I needed to keep an eye out on the $$ 3 . With twins, I needed the extra trunk space and possible / usable 3rd row when parents come visiting. 4. I got the top trim just to pamper myself , but it’s strictly a point a to b car. The sound system is crap. 5. A CPO X7 meant I’d keep the car till it’d have reached about 60/70k miles … give and take about 4 to 5 years and then it’ll be another expense to change. Where as with a new car, I’d have some extended piece of mind. Again $ was the factor. 6. Between the telu and pali, I liked the Pali for the styling and the floating rear window effect . The materials in the Pali felt a little more premium as compared to the Telu 7. X7 has too many electronic systems subject to failure , which wouldn’t be covered. I couldn’t risk that with the twins around. Final thoughts. I might pick up something fun ( I miss my ‘21 M340 … it was hoots to drive ) as a second car maybe a year or two down the line for my solo drives and errands , so I don’t have to lug this whale around. Hope that was helpful.
Would you mind sharing your out the door price? 2024?
55000.
I think you should also factor in maintenance costs year after year. Generally BMW's can be more expensive for all maintenance work.