THE NEW PALISADE IS Hyundai’s entrant into the large luxury SUV market and is sure to do very well indeed.
However, in the interests of brevity, we have taken the blue pencil to the company’s overly indulgent 6500-word press release.
The seven- and eight-seater Hyundai flagship SUV builds on the model’s extensive SmartSense suite for 2023 with an array of new and upgraded safety technologies.
A revised body structure, pioneering front centre airbag, and Hyundai first features such as the digital rear-view mirror, complete an exceptionally safe 5-star ANCAP rated package.
Headlining in the luxurious and refined cabin are a futuristic, crisp and responsive 12.3-inch full digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system.
The safety, convenience and peace of mind of Hyundai Bluelink is also standard in new 2023 Palisade with a complimentary five-year subscription (no mention of how much it will cost beyond that).
Hyundai Bluelink and accompanying connected car services make it easy to stay connected. With Bluelink comes an Automatic Collision Notification, an SOS emergency call function, natural language server-based Voice Control, server-based Connected Routing Navigation and many other features.
Bluelink also lets users connect to their Palisade from anywhere via their smartphone, and make sure it’s safe, healthy, and ready to go. They can send planned routes from home to their car, receive emergency assistance automatically after an accident, and find, check and even remotely lock or start their car with their preferred climate settings.
Underpinning an even more refined, comfortable and enjoyable drive in 2023 Palisade is new Selective Damping Control tech (SDC3) teamed with revised spring rates.
Among the many refinements are a revised eight-speed automatic transmission, the expanded application of sound insulation, and soft open/close electric windows, seal 2023 Palisade as a first-class experience for the whole family to enjoy.
“We are delighted to introduce our premium flagship Palisade in an upgraded and restyled design for 2023,” Hyundai Motor Company Australia Chief Executive Officer, Ted Lee said.
“2023 Palisade builds on its family SUV credentials with additional safety, luxury, convenience and connectivity features, including the first application of Hyundai Bluelink connected car technology, to create an immensely appealing package,” he said.
Range overview
2023 Palisade is available in two trim grades – Elite and Highlander.
Each trim grade is available with a choice of a 3.8-litre GDi petrol V6 with two-wheel drive or a 2.2-litre CRDi turbo-diesel with HTRAC all-wheel drive, both teamed with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Prices are $65,900 for the Elite petrol model, and $69,900 for the diesel (all prices plus on road costs). The Highlander version starts at $75,900 (petrol) and $79,900 (diesel).
Palisade can be optioned with either a 7-seat or 8-seat layout, the former offering two individual captain-style chairs in the middle row as a no-cost option.
Palisade scores five ANCAP stars
Australasia’s independent voice on vehicle safety, ANCAP SAFETY, has announced an improved safety rating of five stars for updated Hyundai Palisade models.
The five star rating has been awarded to all petrol and diesel Palisade models manufactured from May 2022 and available for purchase in Australia from August 2022. Palisade models (diesel models only; petrol variants weren’t tested) manufactured prior to this hold a four star rating.
Hyundai Palisade models originally released into the Australasian market from late 2020 were restricted to four stars due to performance limitations in the Adult Occupant Protection (79 percent) and Safety Assist (63 percent) areas of assessment. Respective threshold scores of 80 percent and 70 percent are required for five stars.
Updated Palisade models (2023 facelift) have been tested and assessed by ANCAP, with improved performance achieved in Adult Occupant Protection (84 percent) and Safety Assist (83 percent) – elevating its scores above the minimum thresholds required for five stars in all four key areas of assessment.
Original Palisade models were not fitted with a centre airbag and offered a less sophisticated autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system. Updated models however are fitted as standard with a centre airbag – providing front seat occupants with an improved level of head protection in side impact crashes – and provide improved AEB performance across all car-to-car AEB test scenarios including turn-across-path emergency braking functionality.
Improvements also include the fitting of a speed limit information system – where the vehicle can identify the local speed limit and allow the driver to set the speed accordingly, and multi-collision braking – which limits vehicle movement after an initial crash.
“It’s great to see Hyundai introduce these safety-related upgrades which now elevate the facelifted Palisade to five stars, and we encourage all vehicle brands to continually look for opportunities to improve the safety specification of models as part of their model facelifts,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg.
“Consumers, fleets and mobility service providers prioritise the purchase and use of five star ANCAP rated vehicles, and this upgrade now sees the Palisade become a purchasing contender for these buyers.”