Hyundai Australia’s biggest SUV is finally here.
The 2021 Hyundai Palisade has touched down in Australia, priced from $60,000 before on-road costs and stretching to $75,000 before on-roads for the range-topping Palisade Highlander turbo-diesel.
Initially launched in the USA, the Palisade is a supersized, family-focused eight-seat SUV sitting above the Santa Fe.
With seven USB ports and 16 cupholders, it’s certainly not short of amenities.
At 4980mm long, 1975mm wide and 1750mm tall, with a 2900mm wheelbase, the Palisade is 295mm longer and 76mm wider than the Santa Fe, previously the largest SUV in the Hyundai stable locally.
Power will come from a choice of petrol V6 or turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, along with either front- or all-wheel drive.
If we were in the USA, the Palisade would go head-to-head with the related Kia Telluride, along with the Volkswagen Atlas and Subaru Ascent. In Australia, however, it’s a bit of a segment-straddling orphan.
Larger than a Mazda CX-9, its closest dimensional match is the Nissan Pathfinder.
Stay tuned for our first drive review of the Palisade, live on Tuesday, December 22
Pricing
- 2021 Hyundai Palisade 3.8 2WD: $60,000
- 2021 Hyundai Palisade 2.2 AWD: $64,000
- 2021 Hyundai Palisade Highlander 3.8 2WD: $71,000
- 2021 Hyundai Palisade Highlander 2.2 AWD: $75,000
All prices exclude on-road costs.
Engines
The base engine in the Palisade is a 3.8-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V6 with 217kW of power and 355Nm of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive.
The more expensive option is a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with 147kW of power and 440Nm of torque, mated with an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.
Fuel Economy
The petrol-powered Hyundai Palisade uses 10.7L/100km on the combined cycle. The turbo-diesel is the more efficient option, with an average of 7.3L/100km on the combined cycle.
Dimensions
The Palisade measures 4980mm long, 1975mm wide and 1750mm tall, with a 2900mm wheelbase.
Hyundai Australia hasn’t quoted luggage capacities for our market, but the North American division quotes SAE measurements of 45.8 cubic feet (1297L) behind the second row and 18.0 cubic feet (510L) with the third row in play.
Bear in mind SAE measurements are a more generous way to measure boot space.
Safety
Given it isn’t sold in Europe, the Palisade hasn’t been crash-tested against ANCAP or Euro NCAP criteria.
However, standard safety equipment atop the standard six airbags in Australia will include:
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Driver attention monitoring
- Lane-keeping assist
- Lane-following assist
- Blind-spot monitoring and assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert and assist
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- High-beam assist
- Rear occupant alert
- Safe Exit Assist
- Trailer Stability Assist
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Reversing camera
Moving to the range-topping Palisade Highlander brings a blind-spot view monitor, allowing owners to see a camera feed of their blind-spot in the instrument binnacle.
The US’s IIHS awarded the Palisade a ‘Top Safety Pick’ rating in 2020, with the Hyundai SUV scoring top marks across almost all criteria bar the base model’s headlights and the ease-of-use for child seat anchor points.
We’ll need to wait for ANCAP to test a vehicle locally to see how the Palisade fares against Australian safety protocols.
Servicing and Warranty
The Palisade will be covered by Hyundai Australia’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre new vehicle warranty with roadside assistance for the same period and lifetime capped-price servicing.
Maintenance is required every 12 months or 15,000km, and is priced as follows:
| 15,000km/12 month | 30,000km/24 month | 45,000km/36 month | 60,000km/48 month | 75,000km/60 month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8 petrol | $399 | $399 | $399 | $399 | $399 |
| 2.2 diesel | $469 | $469 | $469 | $469 | $469 |
Standard Equipment
Standard equipment in the Hyundai Palisade includes:
- Eight-seat (2+3+3) or seven-seat configuration (2+2+3)
- 18-inch alloy wheels with full-size spare
- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and satellite navigation
- LED daytime-running lights
- Roof rails
- Leather-appointed seats and steering wheel (black)
- 16 cupholders
- Infinity 12-speaker sound system
- Tri-zone climate control
- 7.0-inch supervision cluster display
- Keyless entry with push-button start
- Power-adjustable driver’s seat
- Shift-by-Wire transmission
- Electrochromatic rear-view mirror
- Selectable drive modes x 4
- Roof-mounted air vents for all three rows
Palisade Highlander adds:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Bi-LED headlights
- Power tailgate
- Nappa leather seats (Beige or Burgundy)
- Dual sunroof
- Head-up display
- Rear door blinds
- Driver memory function
- Suede headliner
- Heated and ventilated front and rear seats (rear ventilated seat for seven-seat models only)
- Heated steering wheel
