Spacious as a minivan, bold as a proper American-style SUV, luxurious as a premium-badged car - those would be the right words to describe Hyundai Palisade. After only a few years in production, it has gained a reputation as one of the best three-row SUVs, not only in North America but also in other parts of the world, including Australia.
The Palisade is the most spacious and most luxurious vehicle that the Korean carmaker has ever made. In a typical Hyundai manner, it is designed to give more than what rivals offer for the money. This large SUV competes with models like Mazda CX-9, Toyota Kluger, Nissan Pathfinder and Kia Sorento, but it’s also comparable with premium SUVs in many ways.
The First Generation of Hyundai Palisade
After a few years of development, the large SUV debuted in South Korea on December 11th, 2018. In North America–which is its primary market—deliveries started in 2019. Hyundai Palisade Australia finally debuted in December 2020. It is also sold in Russia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Design
As we’ve just mentioned, this is the biggest Hyundai ever made. It measures 2,900 mm in wheelbase, while the total length is nearly five metres. However, size isn’t the only impressive thing about this SUV. This is a well-designed vehicle, which features some pretty advanced design solutions and technologies.
One of the first things that come to mind is suspension. At the front, you may count on the MacPherson strut, while rear wheels are coupled with multi-link suspension. Such a configuration ensures a good balance between comfort and responsive handling. However, there is still a little bit of body roll in corners, typical for a vehicle of this size and weight.
Another feature worth mentioning is the self-levelling rear suspension, which guarantees that the car will retain the same ground clearance even if you use its max towing capacity (rated at around 2.2kg).
Hyundai Palisade Exterior Dimensions
- Wheelbase: 2900mm
- Height: 1750mm
- Length: 4980mm
- Width: 1975mm
- Ground clearance: 203mm
Interior
For most buyers, the key benefit of this SUV is its cabin design. First of all, the Hyundai Palisade interior quality is impressive. The cabin has soft-touch surfaces all around, while the build quality is outstanding. In this aspect, we could say that Hyundai has come pretty close to the premium segment, whether it's about the style or quality.
Besides pretty impressive interior quality, the Palisade also offers a minivan level of practicality. This is one of the most spacious three-row SUVs on the market and one of the rare models that can comfortably accommodate adult passengers in all three rows. Standard models can accommodate eight passengers, while a 7-seat version is also available. In that case, the second row comes with captain's chairs, and it’s great to know that you don’t need to pay extra to get these seats.
The boot space is another strong point, considering that there are 311 litres behind the third row, which seems decent enough for everyday use. With the third row down, the capacity goes over 700 litres, while the total volume goes all the way up to 2,446 litres.
Engines
The Hyundai Palisade Australia comes with two engine options on offer. You can choose between diesel and petrol units, and both are pretty capable.
Most drivers would probably pick the diesel unit because of a much better fuel economy. We are talking about Hyundai's well-known and proven 2.2-litre turbodiesel, which in this case features a max output of 147kW and 440Nm. Thanks to the massive torque, this large SUV is moved with ease, while the acceleration is also decent enough – about 10 seconds for a 0-100 sprint. The claimed fuel economy is 7.3l/100km.
On the other hand, the V6 offers way more power. The good-old 3.8-litre V6 features a max output of 217kW and 355Nm of torque, and that’s enough power for Palisade to hit 100km/h in about 7.5 seconds. The fuel economy isn’t great. The company claims 10.3 litres per 100km, but numbers are notably higher in real-life conditions. Still, a good thing to know is that this is an older-generation engine that doesn’t require premium petrol.
Both engines are paired with 8-speed automatic transmission with a torque converter. What's also important to know is that the V6 comes with front-wheel drive only, while the diesel comes equipped with an AWD system. For that reason, the V6 model is cheaper than the one with a turbodiesel.
At the time of writing, the Hyundai Palisade price starts at around $60,000 for the V6 and $65,000 for the turbodiesel.
Hyundai Palisade 2.2 Engine Specs
- Engine Displacement: 2199cc
- Fuel Type: Diesel
- Max Power: 147kW
- Max Torque: 440Nm
- Drivetrain: 8-Speed Automatic with Torque Converted, AWD
- Acceleration (0-100km/h): 10.2s
- Fuel Economy (claimed): 7.3L/100km
Hyundai Palisade 3.8 Engine Specs
- Engine Displacement: 3778cc
- Fuel Type: Regular Unleaded Petrol
- Max Power: 217kW
- Max Torque: 355Nm
- Drivetrain: 8-Speed Automatic with Torque Converter, FWD
- Acceleration (0-100km/h): 7.8s
- Fuel Economy (claimed): 10.3l/100km
In some parts of the world, such as Russia, this SUV is also available with a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine (max output of 204 kW and max torque of 335 Nm).
Features
The Hyundai Palisade 2021 is available in two grades. Base models come standard with 18-inch alloys, leather-appointed seats, 10.25-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, rear parking camera, LED daytime running lights, 7 USB ports, 12-speakers, 3-zone climate control, and many more.
The upgrade comes in the form of Hyundai Palisade Highlander. Compared to base models, it adds extra features like 20-inch wheels, Nappa leather, heated steering wheel, heated seats, wireless charging, rear privacy glass, rain-sensing wipers and many more standard features. This grade is available with captain chairs in the second row.
What it's like riding a Hyundai Palisade?
The Palisade handles nicely for a large SUV. As we’ve just mentioned, it features a nice suspension setup with a MacPherson strut at the front and multi-link rear suspension, which ensure a well-balanced ride. Given the size and weight, this vehicle doesn’t lean too much in corners. Also, the steering is very precise.
At the same time, the suspension setup is soft and absorbs road harshness nicely. The driving position is high and ensures good visibility in all directions, while both engines move this large SUV with authority. The Palisade is an easy vehicle to drive.
Where is Hyundai Palisade built?
The Hyundai Palisade is built in Ulsan Plant in South Korea and Avtotor Plant in Kaliningrad, Russia.
Need replacement parts for your car? You can request a part from our website, and we will find sellers from all over Australia to make it easier for you.
By Nebojsa Grmusa