Hyundai’s new flagship SUV set to offer up to eight seats from $60,000 plus on-road costs
After some uncertainty over its local launch, pricing and specifications have been revealed for the 2021 Hyundai Palisade seven- and eight-seat SUV – serving as the new flagship for Korean brand.
Due to arrive in showrooms in early 2021, the Palisade will be available in two specs – the Palisade (just ‘Palisade’) from $60,000 plus on-road costs and the Palisade Highlander from $71,000 plus on roads. It will rival full-size SUVs including the new Toyota Kluger, the Mazda CX-9 and the Nissan Pathfinder.
Regardless of variant, you can pick from a 3.8-litre V6 petrol engine sending 217kW/355Nm to the front wheels or the familiar 2.2-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder that sends 147kW/440Nm to all four wheels for an extra $4,000. Both engines use an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The petrol claims to consume 10.7L/100km while the diesel sips 7.3L/100km.
Equipped with the 2.2 diesel and Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel drive system, the Palisade has a tow rating of 2,200kg and comes equipped with a Multi-Terrain Control system designed to help tackle the worst Australia has to offer. It also scores a full-size spare wheel for those who plan to venture from the city.
The boldly-style Palisade follows Hyundai’s current design language with an added dose of American SUV toughness. The huge cascading grille is flanked by imposing LED daytime running lights and vertical LED tail lights. The base model is left with halogen headlights and 18-inch alloys, while the Highlander gets full-LED headlights with 20-inch alloys.
Standard for across the Palisade range is keyless entry with push-button start, an electric park brake, six airbags including side curtain airbag protection for all three rows, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, driver attention warning, blind-spot monitoring with collision avoidance, lane following assist, and rear cross-traffic alert with reverse AEB.
Inside, all Palisades score Hyundai’s 7-inch Supervision instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The infotainment system offers multi-bluetooth connection so you can take turns DJ-ing through the 12-speaker Infinity premium audio system. Rounding out the Palisade’s connectivity credentials are a total of seven USB points to keep everyone’s devices topped up.
The base Palisade’s generous cabin is finished in black leather upholstery with metallic-look interior panels and a knit headlining. The Highlander adds Nappa leather upholstery – including the choice of burgundy or beige leather – with beech wood-look trim with a suede headlining.
The Highlander further adds a dual-panel wide sunroof with tilt function, wireless phone charging, a heads-up display, a powered tailgate, a 360º camera with blind spot view monitor (a camera feed of your blind spot that is activated when the indicator is engaged), a heated steering wheel, 12-way power adjustable driver’s seat with memory function and 8-way power adjustable passenger seat – both with heating and ventilation. The second row seats also offer heating and seven-seater Palisade Highlander also adds second-row seat ventilation.
Family-friendly features include ‘Driver Talk’ – which allows the driver to speak to the second and third row through the Palisade’s audio system – and ‘Quiet Mode’ – which mutes the second and third row speakers and restricts the maximum volume in the front row.
Parents with younger children will be pleased with three ISOFIX child seat restraints and a total of five top-tether child seat anchor points in the eight-seat variants. This is reduced to four tether points in seven-seat variant. The second-row seats also tumble forward in a one-touch operation.
Curiously, the 2020 Hyundai Palisade was originally written off locally as it was only intended for left-hand drive production, but Hyundai Australia’s influence saw the right-hand drive SUV see the light of day. Such is the influence of Hyundai’s local division, the Palisade hasn’t undergone local testing and tuning for the suspension as our Australian engineers helped with the chassis setup – including tyre choice, NVH and ride and handling – right from the early development stages of the Palisade. Hyundai Australia claims that the Palisade offers car-like handling that is suited to our unique conditions and tastes.
The 2021 Hyundai Palisade comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, roadside assistance for 12 months and Hyundai’s ‘iCare’ lifetime servicing plan.
2021 Hyundai Palisade Australian Pricing
- Palisade 3.8 V6 petrol FWD automatic – $60,000 plus on-road costs
- Palisade 2.2 turbo diesel AWD automatic – $64,000 plus on-road costs
- Palisade Highlander 3.8 V6 petrol FWD automatic – $71,000 plus on-road costs
- Palisade Highlander 2.2 turbo diesel AWD automatic – $75,000 plus on-road costs
Stay tuned to DiscoverAuto for more news and reviews on the 2021 Hyundai Palisade.
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