For many SUV buyers, bigger is always better. So naturally, there's a lot of excitement around the
new Hyundai Palisade, which arrives in Australia this month in both seven-seat
and eight-seat configurations. As the rear seat might suggest, it has a sizable point to prove.
The Palisade arrives in Australia as Hyundai's answer to the Toyota Kluger,
Mazda CX-9, and Nissan Pathfinder, while also complementing the existing Hyundai Santa Fe,
which it trumps in both size and price. Available in seven-seat or eight-seat layouts,
the Palisade range starts at $60,000 plus on-road costs for the petrol front-wheel drive trim,
and tops out at $75,000 for the diesel all-wheel drive Highlander driven here.
Sixteen cup holders, seven USB ports, and three rows of usable interior space. There
is a lot to like about the internals of the Palisade, but what's equally cool is that it
feels up to its purchase price, with great materials throughout and terrific storage.
The things that will appeal to families, though, are the little things, for example,
the front row occupants can speak to the rearmost passengers via the speakers,
and you can connect more than one Bluetooth device at a time. It's very clever.
The Palisade misses out on a new digital instrument cluster found on its 2021 Hyundai
Santa Fe stablemate. And while the Santa Fe adopts a new platform in its latest update,
the Palisade rides on an architecture that is a couple of years old.
All of that's hard to argue, however, with the interior space afforded inside.
Getting in and out of the third row is a cinch, and boot space is generous, with enough room for
overnight bags, even with the third row in place. There's a clear on-road confidence in
the Palisade's monocoque chassis that pushes it ahead of traditional ladder frame SUVs as well.
The striking initial feeling is that the Palisade doesn't really feel its size on the road. There's
a great outward view both to the front and the rear, and it's quite manageable to stay
in your lane even though this is a 5 metre long SUV. It's a similar story with the
tuning of the controls. You get enough assistance so that the steering is light,
the brake pedal is well modulated. It's also a great feeling coming through the steering
wheel and through the chassis. It's a car that's really easy to get your head around.
The flagship 2.2 L turbo diesel makes 147 kilowatts and 440 Newton-metres,
sending drive via an eight-speed automatic. Granted, it's not the same slick wet dual
clutch automatic like that found in the new Santa Fe, but the Palisade hardly suffers
as a result. Meanwhile, braked towing capacity is rated at 2.2 tons.
In regular conveyance, there is very minimal fuss from the diesel engine. There's a slight
bit of clatter upon setting off, but then it builds speed progressively, working well
with the eight-speed automatic transmission. Where the Palisade does feel its heft a little
bit more is in those slightly more urgent scenarios. You plant your foot
and the diesel engine can feel a little bit languid initially, but it does
eventually build speed and, importantly, it retains its refinement the entire time.
Dynamically, the Palisade has been a bit of a surprise packet for me. At 2.1 tons,
it's certainly no featherweight,
but it actually controls its mass fairly well through the corners. The steering is
accurate and well weighted, and the car is quite comfortable moving all of its heft to the outside
wheels and simply clinging on through the corners, but the real redeeming feature for the Palisade
is the way that it soaks up bumps on the open road. With such a large footprint,
it happily wafts along and really does make light work of B grade country roads or open highways
alike. It's really quiet inside the cabin and it's an easy place to spend multiple hours at a time.
A five-year warranty and competitive capped price servicing provisions are both big
redeeming features, and while the Palisade will officially go unrated in terms of safety locally,
it has a huge suite of standard equipment,
including curtain airbags that fully cover third row occupants.
Take those elements into account and the Palisade has all the makings of a popular SUV. Hyundai
clearly agrees. Australian officials believe this will actually out-sell the Santa Fe
despite costing more. From a family perspective, it's easy to understand why.