Hyundai turned the page on their lineup when they launched the three-row Palisade crossover utility 4 years ago. Still the same Hyundai value we loved, but with more luxury, and more room for growing families. Now for their next big hit, it looks like Hyundai is working on their night moves.

If you’ve been following the auto industry, you’ve probably noticed a darkness setting in. No, we’re not talking about EV mandates, we’re talking about the increasing number of manufacturers invoking darkness or using some reference to the color black to create special editions of their vehicles or note their highest trim level. Well, that’s what we have here with the 2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition, a way to take the range-topping Calligraphy trim to an even higher level of exclusivity.

Available in either Abyss Black or this Hyper White, the Night Edition applies a dark chrome treatment to the grille, rear bumper, and door moldings. There’s also glossy black trim for both the front and rear fascias, as well as the roof rails, while door handles are now body color. Finishing it off are 20-inch “black liquid” wheels and unique finishes for all logos including the HTRAC badge that signifies all-wheel drive, which is standard here in the Calligraphy Night Edition, optional on most lesser Palisades.

All-wheel drives get additional Snow and Tow driving modes, as well as the ability to lock in a 50/50 torque split. All Palisades share the same V6 engine, a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter unit which produces 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. Nothing changes there, but it’s more than enough to move this big utility down the road with ease and pull 5,000 lbs. of trailer, aided by the standard eight-speed automatic transmission. In addition to steering wheel mounted paddle shifters, minimal buttons for controlling the transmission share space on a rising center console which also houses the touch sensitive climate controls. On top of the dash sits a 12.3-inch touchscreen with navigation standard on all Palisades. A separate 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster resides in front of the driver on Limited trim and above.

As for the rest of the interior, Night Editions adds a unique blackout theme with some added dark aluminum trim and devilish 630 watts of Harmon Kardon premium audio. There are also some exclusive premium micro-suede materials on the seats, though most of our staff felt they didn’t seem quite as luxurious as the Nappa leather seats in the regular Calligraphy. Second row captain’s chairs here of course, plus a power folding third row that holds three Palisades come as both seven or right seaters with up to 16 cupholders! There’s also adequate room for adults in that third row, though seating comfort drastically improves moving forward. Cargo capacity remains a strong point for the Palisade, with 18.0 cubic-feet available behind the third row, 45.8 behind the second, and a max of 86.4 with all seatbacks folded.

At Mason Dixon Dragway, the Night Edition delivered a moderate dose of power, enough to battle a little wheel spin off the line leading to a steady jog to 60 of 7.6 seconds; about a half second slower than the last Palisade we tested. Gear changes happened smoothly, causing minor power flow pauses throughout the quarter-mile, completed in 15.8 seconds at a respectable 90 mph.

This big unibody bruiser is suspended with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link independent setup in back. They provided a surprisingly nimble platform for shuffling through our handling course. There was a reasonable amount of feedback through the steering wheel, helping us stay on top of the slight understeer that we encountered. There was very soft pedal action in our panic braking runs, along with a reasonable amount of nosedive, but 102-foot stops from 60 rate great!

All Palisades come with a healthy complement of active safety features like Lane Keeping Assist and Highway Driving Assist, while Calligraphies add a more advanced Parking Collision Avoidance Assist system. With all-wheel drive, Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 19 City, 24 Highway, and 21 Combined.

Even with the Night Edition establishing a new high mark, it’s still priced less than many large three-row utilities at $55,245. That’s $3,500 over the standard Calligraphy, and about $17,000 more than the base SE Palisade.

So, when it comes to this 2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition, there’s no need to be afraid of the dark. The only thing lurking in the shadows here is more tremendous value, something that Hyundai has been bringing to light for years and years.

The duty of upholding Volkswagen’s heritage has most recently been delegated to small legacy car names like Golf and Jetta. But hold on! A much larger, totally modern take on VW’s classic microbus has just buzzed over the horizon— the all-electric ID. Buzz. It’s been at the top of our minds since we first saw the concept back in 2017. Well, it’s finally here, so let’s get our groove into drive!

This 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz has indeed created the most buzz around Volkswagen since the Beetle’s return to the U.S. in the late 1990s. We couldn’t drive it anywhere without drawing a crowd. No wonder, just about everyone has a VW Microbus story to tell, and seeing this reimagined version rolling down the street brings back all those memories.

VW really pulled it off as far as we’re concerned, as it looks great without appearing over the top. All the cues are here: Big VW logo front and center, lots of greenhouse including A-pillar windows and mini sliders for the second-row passengers, D-pillar air vents, and two-tone wheels. And while its appearance may be pure retro, its drivetrain is far from it, as the ID. Buzz is all-electric, and unlike the new Beetle, the Buzz does retain the original Microbus’ rear-drive architecture.

Powering those rear wheels is a 210-kW motor drawing juice from a 91-kWh battery for a range of 234 miles; 200-kW max charging will get you to 80% in about 26 minutes. Buyers can add another small 80-kW motor up front for 4motion all-wheel-drive and an increase of total output from 282 to 335 horsepower with a combined 512 lb-ft of torque. It uses the same battery, but range estimates drop just slightly to 231 miles. But while those numbers are modest, we also found them to be quite conservative, as we observed as many as 287 miles available in our all-wheel-drive tester’s gauge display and were on pace for 273 miles in our driving loop.

One throwback theme that may be a turnoff to some is that it’s quite a step up into the Buzz’s front seats, but there’s certainly a commanding view of the road once you climb in. Second row seating can be either a three-place bench or a pair of captain’s chairs, so there’s generous room for seven or six passengers. The captain’s chairs in our Pro S Plus offer good support and very easy access to the third row.

With the sliding side doors and a wide opening rear hatch, there’s plenty of access for loading big sport utility amounts of cargo. Lots of flexibility too with the option to simply fold the seats or remove them altogether, and the ability to create a full-length flat floor with a rear cargo shelf that covers some handy removable storage bins. There’s 18.6 cubic-feet of space behind the third row, 75.5 behind the second, and a max of 145.5. That’s more than a Chevrolet Tahoe. For smaller items, there are lots of cubbies throughout the cabin, along with a standard Buzz Box that can be moved to multiple locations.

With a design that prioritizes retro form and modern function over aero efficiency, the 4motion equipped ID. Buzz earns a Fair efficiency rating, using 42-kWh of electricity per 100 miles, and we weren’t sure what to expect at our Mason Dixon test track.

What we found was great torque off the line and drama free launches to 60 in just 5.3 seconds. It was very stable at speed and power delivery stayed steady most of the way down the track until we reached about 90 mph, when it began to taper off just before we finished the quarter-mile in 14.0 seconds flat at 97 mph.

With 1,200-lbs. of battery weight nestled in its 127.5-inch wheelbase, the Buzz felt planted to the pavement through our handling course. There was quite a bit of body roll to deal with, but surprisingly little understeer. In panic braking runs, pedal response was inconsistent, feeling soft at times, pushing back hard at others; but through it all, results were quite good, stopping from 60 in an average of just 108 feet.

Three interior themes are available, this Dune is the brightest, featuring coastal inspired wood optic dash décor, “gray and clay” leatherette surfaces, and a high-mounted central 12.9-inch touchscreen. Pricing starts with a rear-wheel-drive Pro S at $61,545; this Pro S Plus begins at $65,045, add another $4,500 for 4motion, which brings a few extra features along with all-wheel drive.

Retro design with old-school VW charm, modern EV drivetrain, big SUV capacity merged with minivan flexibility; it all comes together in this 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz. It’s easily one of the coolest rides of the year and one that will likely keep Volkswagen dealers buzzing for years to come, and that’s something no other people and things mover can say.