Hyundai’s flashy flagship could be getting flashier as part of a mid-life update.
CarExpert understands the facelifted Hyundai Palisade will arrive in Australia in the second half of 2022.
The chrome-laden large crossover, designed with a focus on the US market in particular, looks to retain a prominent grille and split-level lighting.
However, it appears the Palisade may receive illuminated grille elements like on the Tucson for an even more distinctive face.
The mid-cycle update may also bring the usual tweaks – restyled front and rear bumpers, for example, and different tail lights.
The overall look is still more GMC Yukon than Toyota Kluger, much like its popular, square-jawed Kia Telluride twin-under-the-skin we sadly miss out on.
Beyond these styling changes, still concealed by camouflage, we don’t know what else the Palisade update will bring.
An update for 2022 saw the Palisade receive a slightly reconfigured model line-up with a new mid-spec Elite grade.
The Highlander also received some styling tweaks, borrowed from the top-spec Calligraphy model sold in other markets.
We still don’t receive the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster or ambient lighting offered in other markets, though it’s possible we would get these with an updated model along with infotainment upgrades and other interior tweaks.
The Palisade, regardless of market, also doesn’t have Hyundai’s trick new Remote Smart Parking Assist that’s available on the updated Santa Fe.
The mid-life update for the Santa Fe saw the car move to the N3 platform, even though styling was kept largely the same.
The 2021 Santa Fe also received a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission for the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel model, while hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants and a new turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine were introduced in other markets.
It’s unclear if the Palisade’s update will be quite as extensive. Should it move platforms, that would conceivably allow electrified powertrains.
A turbocharged four-cylinder engine could also improve fuel economy over the current car’s 3.8-litre V6.
The current Palisade has proved popular in the US and Korea. In the US, for example, it’s neck-and-neck with the Telluride in the sales race, and outsells other large crossovers like the Dodge Durango, GMC Acadia, Mazda CX-9, Subaru Ascent and Volkswagen Atlas.
It’s built in Korea, which is why there’s an available 2.2-litre turbo-diesel.
The Palisade’s Korean production also led to Hyundai’s introduction of a right-hand drive model for markets like Australia, whereas the US-built Kia Telluride is only produced in left-hand drive and without diesels.
First introduced elsewhere in late 2018 and arriving here late in 2020, the Palisade logged 3720 sales in 2021. That put it not far off the Santa Fe (5048), if some ways off the tallies of other large crossovers developed with the US market front of mind.
Mazda sold 6630 examples of its CX-9 while Toyota sold 9320 Klugers.
