2024 Hyundai Palisade Elite V6 2WD Review

Let’s face it, there is just something so darn appealing about a big, bold n brash SUV. Enter the 2024 Hyundai Palisade Elite with its gargantuan proportions, imposing grille, and butch American looks. As one of the most expensive vehicles in Hyundai’s lineup, the Palisade promises to offer punters some genuine people-mover ability with up to eight seats, and all the tech a family could ever need from a large SUV.

With over 6,000 of these Korean SUVs already on Aussie roads, it’s clear that Hyundai has a winner on its hands. 2023 saw the Palisade receive its first update, in the form of a mid-life facelift bringing some fresh looks inside and out, some updated tech and an improved driving experience thanks to new chassis components. It’s clear Hyundai has made a big effort to match the size of its largest SUV. Let’s check out just how good the Palisade’s changes are, as it heads into 2024.

Price and Equipment: 8.5/10

Along with its 2023 update, Hyundai trimmed the Palisade range to just two models, with the base Palisade culled and just the Elite and Highlander carrying across from the previous model. Both Palisade variants are still available with a choice of two drivetrains to keep buyers happy with either a front-wheel drive petrol or all-wheel drive diesel powertrain on offer. Buyers can also choose whether they want their Palisade to come with either seven, or eight seats.

2024 Hyundai Palisade pricing:

• Elite V6 2WD: $66,800
• Elite diesel AWD: $70,800
• Calligraphy V6 2WD: $75,900
• Calligraphy diesel AWD: $79,900
• Calligraphy Black V6 2WD: $76,900
• Calligraphy Black diesel AWD: $80,900

2024 Hyundai Palisade Elite V6 standard equipment:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Dusk-sensing automatic LED exterior lighting
• Smart key entry with push button start
• Roof rails
• Sunroof
• Leather upholstery
• Eight-way electric and heated front seats
• Tri-zone climate control
• 12.3-inch digital driver’s display
• 12.3-inch touchscreen
• Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• AM/FM digital radio
• Satellite navigation
• 12-speaker Infinity sound system
• Heated leather steering wheel
• Wireless phone charger

Safety equipment includes:

• Seven airbags (2x front, side and curtain with a front centre unit)
• Auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assistance
• Lane keep assist with lane departure warning
• Lane trace assist
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality
• Safe exit assist
• Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (with braking)
• Auto high beam
• Traffic sign recognition with warnings for speeding
• Driver attention monitoring
• Reversing camera
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Burglar alarm
• Tyre pressure monitoring

The new Palisade comes with a full-fat five-star ANCAP safety rating thanks to the changes Hyundai made to the model earlier in 2023.

Key rivals to the 2024 Hyundai Palisade Elite include the Toyota Kluger Grande 2WD petrol from around $79,000 drive away and the CX-9 Touring AWD priced from around $70,000 drive away.

Compared to the Mazda CX-9 GT, the 2024 Hyundai Palisade Elite features an additional 2 ways of powered adjustment for the driver’s seat, a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen information system, wireless Apple CarPlay, a fully digital instrument cluster, LED (instead of halogen) daytime running lights and a sunroof. The Mazda comes with a powerful 2.5L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine which outperforms the Palisade’s aging V6 in the real world.

The Toyota Kluger Grande 2WD also comes with a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and in many ways, matches the Palisade Elite for standard equipment, albeit costing significantly more.

Performance and Economy: 7.5/10

Under the bonnet of the petrol Palisade sits a 3.8L naturally aspirated V6 engine pumping out a very healthy 217kW and 355Nm of torque. In a world of ever more modern powerplants with hybrids and turbos, some might view the engine under the Palisade’s bonnet a little archaic. Make no mistake, the V6 might be getting on a bit these days, but it’s no slouch with decent torque and enough power when overtaking. Off-the-mark acceleration is strong too, with just the right amount of gusto for the school run, or even a longer road trip.

Sadly, as the petrol Palisade only comes in front-wheel drive, both in wet and dry conditions it spins its wheels under harder acceleration making for some rather awkward looks from on lookers. We do think that going for the diesel’s extra torque and more refined nature, coupled with its improved traction and fuel economy would be money well spent. If you can put up with the slightly annoying diesel clatter in the background.

The transmission offers smooth and refined gearshifts, matching the engine’s character beautifully. It slurs through gears and always serves up the right gear for the occasion. The Palisade’s drive modes work intuitively, too. Sport sharpens things up nicely, while Eco brings out a lazier feel, in the name of efficiency.

Considering its size, the 2024 Palisade Elite petrol offers decent fuel economy of 10.3L/100km on the combined cycle. In the real world, we were able to consistently achieve figures around the 12L/100km mark which aren’t bad considering just how much weight and how many passengers the V6 engine must lug around.

Ride and Handling: 9/10

Hyundai has worked rather hard on the Palisade earlier this year as part of its mid-life refresh to make it more engaging and smoother to drive. Frankly, their results have paid off big time with the Palisade offering a remarkably smooth ride, without feeling like a dud through corners. There’s a certain charm to the way this SUV rides so effortlessly over bumps and lumps around town, while seemingly shrinking around the driver at higher speeds. The steering is smooth and direct for a car of this size, not requiring too many turns lock-to-lock around town. Through faster corners, the Palisade feels agile and rather composed, holding its line admirably.

Hyundai says this is all thanks to some trick dampers which use Selective Damping Control technology, revised spring rates as well as well as thicker glass for the side windows and improved sound insulation measures. All in all, the Palisade feels more premium than it has any right to be, and buyers will truly appreciate the serene and comfortable driving experience on offer.

The driver assistance tech works well too, offering solid responses, without feeling like to much of a nanny. The Palisade’s cameras and visibility all conspire to make this one excellent large-SUV to pilot around town.

Interior and Practicality: 9/10

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade’s interior carries a premium feel, which is much in line with the rest of the car. Even the Elite we tested somehow manages to marry some real plushness and luxury together with family living into one. From the black quilted leather seat upholstery to the alloy-look trim, the Palisade feels nicely designed and beautifully executed. In many ways, this feels like a more expensive Genesis interior.

Up front, all materials feel very high quality and the seats throughout are incredibly comfortable. The driver can easily find an optimal driving position thanks to ample electric seat adjustment and a comfortable seat design. There is tons of storage space up front too, with large doorbins, cupholders, a large centre cubby and a charging slot for your phone.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both present and accounted for with the 2024 Hyundai Palisade and are displayed on a rather impressive new 12.3-inch infotainment display which is both bright and high quality. Hyundai’s interface works really well too, and we found the standard Infinity sound system to be punchy and more than acceptable.

Drivers will find the 12.3-inch digital instrument sitting in front of them equality bright and classy. In some drive modes, the digital instrument cluster will mimic analogue gauges with a speedometer and tachometer. The screen doesn’t offer all that much customisation sadly, with no ability to show maps or really anything else that you could find in a traditional gauge cluster.

With the 2024 Hyundai Palisade Elite stretching nearly five-metres in length, there’s tonnes of space on offer inside for all.

Second row passengers will appreciate the acres of legroom and headroom on offer, the individual heating and cooling controls, with individual air vents and decent storage cubbies. Toeroom is oddly a little on the tight side as there isn’t much space underneath the front seats for second row occupants to slide their feet under.

Accessing the third-row is super easy, via a button on each of the two outer seats which automatically folds and slides them forward in one slick and easy movement. No swearing or fiddly levers to pull here.

Passengers in the third row still get decent leg and headroom, making the Palisade fine even for longer journeys in the back, made all the better with four cupholders and roof-mounted vents rounding off an impressive people hauling package.

Both the second and third rows fold virtually flat, transforming the Palisade into a massive station wagon capable of swallowing massive loads and tons of luggage. This one massive SUV, and the Palisade’s boxy shape means that many will find no need to look at a van based people mover for space.

There is a total of 311-litres of space behind the third row and 704L of space with the third row folded. With all rear seats collapsed, luggage space expands to an absolutely cavernous 2,447L.

Amenities in the boot of the Palisade are a little light on, with just some nets being included and some hooks. There is an under-floor compartment behind the third row, but this is just used to store the luggage blind when not in use and the jack. A space saving spare tyre is located under the Palisade.

Service and Warranty: 8/10

Hyundai Australia offers all of its cars a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, complimentary roadside assistance for 12 months on new vehicles, a 1500km complimentary first service and lifetime capped-price servicing at intervals of 12 months or 15,000km.

Each service for the 2024 Hyundai Palisade costs just $399 for the first five years, meaning that after five years Palisade owners will have spent just south of $2000 on their pride and joy. If serviced through a Hyundai dealership, customers also receive an extra 12 months of complimentary roadside assist for up to 10 years, along with updates to their sat-nav system for the duration of their vehicle’s ownership.

Toyota consistently has some of the cheapest servicing in the market and the competing Kluger is no exception, with each of the first five services costing only $250. Five years of servicing is just $1,250, quite a lot less than what the Hyundai will cost.

2024 Hyundai Palisade Elite Petrol DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.4/10

The 2024 Hyundai Palisade Elite Petrol proves just how far Hyundai has come as a brand in terms of making brilliantly engineered, quality products for all. The Palisade truly feels like a premium SUV, with is newly found fresh looks, driving prowess and impeccable interior quality and space. Sure, it’s gone up in price recently, but the Palisade remains a brilliant family SUV, capable of doing pretty much everything.

The only elephant in the room is the aging V6, and frankly we would be giving it a miss, in favour of the more efficient diesel engine in the Palisade range. Sure, it might be a little noisier, but it feels punchier and returns some amazing economy at the bowser. Nonetheless, the Palisade Elite petrol is worth having on your test-drive list if you’ve got the cash and need a large SUV for hauling lots of people.