Hyundai Palisade pulls its weight with ease
HYUNDAI is no newcomer to big people carriers with its H1 Bus and Santa Fe, but the company also offers the upmarket and luxurious seven- or eight-seater Palisade that’s likely to ruffle a few feathers.
Local competitors would be the Volvo XC90, Audi Q7, BMW X5, VW Caravelle, Land Rover Defender and VW’s Touareg.
At R990 900 the Palisade costs much less, especially when you start to tick the options list, almost all of which Hyundai provides as standard.
It’s powered by a 2.2-litre turbo diesel with 142kW and 440Nm, coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission running on 20-inch alloys. It’s also fitted with paddle shifters.
The Hyundai Palisade is no speedster and it wasn’t designed to be. It prefers cruising long distances quietly, comfortably and economically with all-wheel drive sending power to wheels as needed thanks to its Drive and Terrain modes with settings for snow, mud and sand as well as Sport, Eco, Comfort or Smart options selected via a rotary dial.
Smart mode adapts to your own driving style which I reckon is probably best once you’ve settled down with it for a couple of weeks.
The interior is as good as any of its competitors. Finishes and fittings are top notch and one touch second-row seating allows the seat to move forward and out of the way for access in and out of the third row seats.
Seeing as the Palisade will see duty mostly as a family carrier, Hyundai has fitted USB outlets to all three seating rows allowing seven people to keep their various devices plugged in.
The eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatible and allows two Bluetooth devices to be connected. There’s also a wireless charging pad.
The centre console with its shiftby-wire system leaves a clean and clinical impression which pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the interior, whicg includes twin sunroofs.
Rear cargo space is bigger than many of the seven- or eight-seat competitors. Fully loaded with passengers and luggage, you may have to tow a trailer but with self-levelling suspension it’s not an issue.
There’s enough grunt to keep up with the speed limit and then some. It’s economical too, showing just under 7L/100km after almost 300km that included some spirited driving.
For a car that’s almost 5m long it handles impressively, thanks to front steering knuckles and rear carriers made of aluminium and redesigned front lower arms. Body roll and rigidity are also improved as a result of a multiple-ring shaped-structure and hot stamped door-ring parts.
On dirt roads with the setting on sand it’s surprisingly nimble and stable with the AWD HTRAC system that includes an AWD locking differential doing its thing electronically.
Features include Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Safe Exit Assist, and Rear Occupant Alert. In addition there are six standard airbags. Tyre pressure monitoring with individual position display, two Isofix anchors in the second row of seats and one in the third as well as a rearview camera are standard.
HYUNDAI PALISADE PRICING
The Palisade is available in two derivatives with different seating layoutds Palisade R2.2 7-seater Elite (auto) R999 900 Palisade R2.2 8-seater Elite (auto) R999 900 It comes with a seven-year/200 000km manufacturer’s warranty, a seven-year/ 105 000km service plan and roadside assistance for seven years or a distance of 150 000km.