Five things to know about the new 2021 Hyundai Palisade

The Hyundai Palisade is now available in SA. Bigger than the Santa Fe and capable of seating up to eight people, here are five things you need to know about this flagship SUV.

1: Large and in charge

The Hyundai Palisade is a hefty bit of kit. Rivalling the BMW X5 in size, it shares its underpinnings with the Kia Telluride — the 2020 World Car of the Year — and features bold styling cues that give it a decidedly American flavour, which many buyers might like.

Up front you get an impressively long bonnet and a huge 'cascading' radiator grille flanked by composite headlamps that feature full LED technology. The latter incorporate Hyundai's quirky vertical daytime running lights that add an extra bit of visual drama and flair. The side profile is dominated by chunky 20-inch alloy wheels and forward-sloping C-pillars behind which reside the car's wraparound rear panoramic glasshouse — a rather unique feature. At the rear you'll find vertical LED taillights, a roof spoiler and dual exhaust tailpipes set into the far right side of a faux aluminium air diffuser. From launch, the Palisade is available in a choice of five exterior colours: White Cream, Shimmering Silver, Graphite Grey, Moonlight Blue and Abyss Black Pearl.

2: Two seating configurations

Built to cater for large families, the Hyundai Palisade is available as either a seven or eight-seater. The former adopts a 2-2-3 seat formation while the latter uses a more traditional 2-3-3 set-up. In the seven-seater variant the second row benefits from individual “captain’s chairs” that are not only ventilated but also sport their own armrests. Hyundai's clever One-Touch system also allows you to quickly and easily move the second row seating out of the way for easy access both in and out of the third-row seats. Speaking of which, the final row of seating can be folded flat to boost boot space from 509 to 1,297 litres. Fold down the second row, however, and this increases to a whopping 2,447 litres. Impressive. 

3: Tech tailored for the long haul

As the flagship of the Hyundai SUV range, the Palisade comes equipped with some rather impressive goodies. For starters, both models offer USB outlets for all passengers and in all seating rows — no more arguing about who gets to charge what when. Towards the sharp end of the Palisade cabin customers can look forward to an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system that not only offers full Apple CarPlay/Android Auto compatibility but also the ability to connect two Bluetooth-enabled devices at the same time. Wireless charging is standard as is Hyundai's innovative new roof vent diffuser design that can provide a focused, partially diffused or fully diffused stream of air to rear passengers. Rear Seat Quiet Mode allows the driver’s row to listen to music without it being transmitted to the second- and third-row speakers, so that sleeping passengers will not be disturbed.

Standard active safety features are plentiful in both models and include Hyundai's Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Safe Exit Assist and Rear Occupant Alert. Other highlights come in the form of six airbags: dual front, dual side, and roll-over sensing side-curtain airbags. A full-length large side curtain airbag includes third-row seating coverage for enhanced rear occupant protection in the unfortunate event of a collision.

4: An easy engine choice

For the time being the Hyundai Palisade is available only with a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine. Meeting Euro 6 emission standards it puts out a respectable 142kW at 3,800rpm and 440Nm of torque from 1,750rpm to 2,750rpm. Power is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission with a multi-plate torque converter. Gears can be selected manually with paddle shift controls behind the steering wheel.

The standard HTRAC all-wheel-drive system offers a modicum of off-road performance (the Palisade is by no means a hard-core bundu-basher) and can be tweaked via the Terrain Selector to better adapt to specific off-road conditions. Preset modes include Sand, Mud and Snow. Each mode adjusts front and rear torque distribution, left and right wheel slip control, engine torque and shift patterns according to available traction levels. There's also an AWD locking-differential function for especially challenging traction situations.

5: Pricing

Now available at all Hyundai dealerships nationwide the all-new 2021 Palisade 2.2 seven-seater and eight-seater Elite models both retail for R999,900. This includes a seven-year/200,000km warranty, a seven-year/105,000km service plan and roadside assistance for seven years or a distance of 150,000km.