Hyundai has increased the cost of entry to the Palisade range, axing the base model and bumping up prices, but there’s more kit across the board.
The 2023 Hyundai Palisade range arrives in August, featuring new safety and driver assist features, updated styling, and the local debut of Hyundai’s Bluelink service.
Hyundai has fitted a centre airbag to the Palisade, and says it has submitted the updated model to ANCAP for testing following the safety authority’s recent report on the current model that saw it receive a four-star rating.
The Palisade receives a raft of features previously introduced on other Hyundai, Genesis and Kia products, such as Remote Smart Parking Assist and backup light guides for the Highlander.
The flagship variant also gets a digital rear-view mirror.
New safety features for all Palisades include safe exit assist, a junction-turning function for the autonomous emergency braking, Multi-Collision Braking, and intelligent speed limit assist, with the Highlander also receiving reverse AEB.
Elite 
Highlander
The Palisade features a revised front end with a new grille and restyled headlights, while there are also new wheel designs, square-shaped exhaust outlets and LED reverse lights.
The Elite features 20-inch alloy wheels with a similar design to the 2022 Highlander, while the Highlander adopts 20-inch wheels with a turbine style.
The Highlander receives a range of unique styling tweaks to differentiate it from the Elite, including a chrome grille (instead of black), full-width high-mounted LED stop light, slightly different tail lights, and exclusive front and rear skid plate designs.
Elite 
Highlander
The revised styling has seen the Palisade grow in length by 15mm, though all other exterior dimensions are unchanged.
Inside, all models get a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster plus a new four-spoke steering wheel design and some detail changes.
The second-row bench in eight-seater Highlanders is now heated and ventilated. Previously, it was heated, and ventilated second-row seats were only available in seven-seater models with the captain’s chairs.
Highlander
There are also now winged headrests for the second row.
The Elite is available only with a black leather interior, while the Highlander offers three different interior colourways: black, two-tone grey, and two-tone Dark Khaki. The latter two replace the outgoing car’s beige and burgundy options.
All Palisade models come with a five-year subscription to Bluelink, which is transferable should you sell your car during this period.
The Bluelink smartphone app allows you to find the vehicle’s location, remotely lock or unlock the doors, adjust the climate or seat heating and ventilation controls, and start the vehicle. Other functions in the telematics app include:
- Interior SOS call button
- Automatic collision notification
- Infotainment system voice prompts
- Cloud-based navigation
- Live weather information
- User profile cloud backups
- Valet mode
You can also send a destination to the car or sync your calendar with it, among other features.
Elite
The Palisade continues to offer a choice of seven- and eight-seat layouts, the former with second-row captain’s chairs, as well as petrol V6 and turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines.
Hyundai says the eight-speed automatic transmission has been revised, as has the all-wheel drive system.
The Korean-built Palisade arrived in Australia in late 2020 with two grades, these being the base and the Highlander. The mid-level Elite trim was added later.
In the first six months of 2022, the Palisade outsold its smaller, more affordable Santa Fe stablemate with 2222 sales against 2119.
Pricing
- 2023 Hyundai Palisade Elite FWD V6: $65,900 (+$3700)
- 2023 Hyundai Palisade Elite AWD diesel: $69,900 (+$3700)
- 2023 Hyundai Palisade Highlander FWD V6: $75,900 (+$4200)
- 2023 Hyundai Palisade Highlander AWD diesel: $79,900 (+$4200)
All prices exclude on-road costs.
Drivetrains
The 2023 Hyundai Palisade is available with two powertrains.
The petrol option is a naturally-aspirated 3.8-litre V6 producing 217kW of power and 355Nm of torque. It’s available only with front-wheel drive.
The other option is a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 147kW and 440Nm. It’s available only with all-wheel drive.
Both engines use an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Efficiency
The 2023 Hyundai Palisade uses 10.7L/100km on the combined cycle with the petrol V6 and 7.3L/100km with the turbo-diesel four.
Dimensions
The 2023 Hyundai Palisade measures 4995mm long, 1975mm wide and 1750mm tall, with a 2900mm wheelbase.
Boot space is quoted as 311L (VDA) as a seven- or eight-seater, and 704L (VDA) with the third row folded.
Servicing and Warranty
The 2023 Hyundai Palisade is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. The first five services each cost $399 with the petrol and $489 with the diesel.
Safety
Hyundai will have the 2023 Palisade tested by ANCAP, and expects the independent safety authority to publish its score in early August.
“While we don’t predict test results, we are expecting a five-star ANCAP score. The score will apply to both diesel and petrol versions,” said a spokesperson for Hyundai Australia.
“The class leading upgraded safety assist technology and the presence of a centre airbag give the vehicle sufficient points to reach 5 stars for occupant protection judged by ANCAP’s latest protocol.”
The outgoing model has a four-star rating based on testing conducted in 2022. It received an adult occupant protection score of 79 per cent, a child occupant protection score of 88 per cent, a vulnerable road user protection score of 63 per cent and a safety assist score of 63 per cent.
The Palisade wouldn’t be the first car to be re-tested to receive a higher score, with past examples including the Ford Mustang and Jeep Wrangler.
- Standard safety equipment across the 2023 Palisade range includes:
- Front and front-side airbags
- Front-row centre airbag
- Curtain airbags for all three rows
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Junction-turning assist (NEW)
- Blind-spot assist
- Driver attention warning
- Intelligent speed limit assist (NEW)
- Multi-Collision Braking (NEW)
- Safe exit assist (NEW)
- Automatic high-beam
- Lane-keep assist
- Lane Following Assist (lane centring)
- Rear cross-traffic assist
- Rear occupant alert
- Leading vehicle departure alert
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- Reversing camera with front and rear parking sensors
The Highlander also includes a 3D-view 360-degree camera, backup guide lights, and rear Parking Collision Avoidance Assist.
Standard Equipment
The Elite comes standard with the following equipment:
- Seven or eight seats
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster (NEW)
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Bluelink (NEW)
- Remote start (NEW)
- Satellite navigation with telematics (NEW)
- Voice recognition (NEW)
- USB-C charging ports (excluding multimedia port) (NEW)
- 15W wireless charger (NEW, up from 5W)
- Wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
- 12-speaker Infinity sound system
- Driver Talk function
- Quiet Mode function
- Single-pane sunroof
- Tri-zone climate control
- 10-way power driver’s seat
- Heated front seats
- Leather upholstery
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Hands-free power tailgate
- Electrochromatic rear-view mirror
- 16 cupholders
- Tyre pressure monitoring
- 20-inch alloy wheels with full-sized spare
- LED headlights
The Highlander adds:
- Reversing Parking Collision Avoidance Assist (NEW)
- Remote Smart Parking Assist (NEW)
- Backup light guide (NEW)
- Digital rear-view mirror (NEW)
- Blind Spot View Monitor
- Surround-view camera with 3D view (NEW)
- Dual sunroofs
- Highlander-exclusive grille (NEW)
- Highlander-exclusive skid plates (NEW)
- Body-coloured cladding and bumpers
- 10.0-inch head-up display
- Quilted Nappa leather upholstery
- 12-way power driver’s seat
- Eight-way power passenger seat
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- Heated and ventilated second-row seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Driver’s seat memory
- Power-adjustable front passenger lumbar (NEW)
- Stainless steel front speaker grilles (NEW)
- Automatic defog (NEW)
- Second row wing-out headrest (NEW)
- Suede headliner
- Rear door blinds
- Four-spoke, two-tone leather-wrapped steering wheel (single-tone with black interiors)
- Gloss black trim (NEW, black interior only)
- Heated steering wheel
- Rain-sensing wipers
Colours
Creamy White Mica is the standard paint colour, with the following finishes optional:
- Shimmering Silver metallic
- Graphite Grey metallic
- Abyss Black mica
- Sierra Burgundy mica
- Moonlight Blue mica
- Robust Emerald mica
- Gaia Brown mica (Highlander only)
- Olivine Grey metallic (Highlander only)
Premium paint is a $695 option.
While all colours are available on Highlanders with the black interior, Hyundai is restricting the availability of certain colours with the other interior themes.
Models with the Dark Khaki interior are available only in Creamy White, Abyss Black or Robust Emerald, while those with the Warm Grey interior can be had only in Graphite Grey, Gaia Brown and Moonlight Blue.
