Hyundai Palisade 2022 Review

In showrooms this month, the facelifted 2023 Hyundai Palisade has moved upmarket, bringing a fresh look, more premium cabin materials, extra safety features and the debut of smart new connected-car tech for the South Korean car-maker.

But it comes at a much higher cost, with Palisade prices now up between $3700 and $5000 across the revised range.

Potentially putting it even further out of reach for cash-strapped Aussies, Hyundai has slashed the line-up to just four variants, culling the previous $60K entry-level option, because only six per cent of Palisade buyers were choosing the previous el-cheapo entry variant, while a whopping 70 per cent opted for the flagship Highlander – a trend Hyundai expects to continue.

Now, the updated seven- and eight-seat SUV is offered in two variants – Elite and Highlander – with the carryover choice of front-wheel drive V6 petrol or all-wheel drive turbo-diesel powertrains.

Pricing stretches from $65,900 to $79,900 before on-road costs, with the diesel mill commanding a $4000 premium on the front-drive petrol engine as before, but there’s no price difference between the seven- and eight-seat layout, the latter of which replaces the second-row captain chairs for a three-seat 60/40-split bench.

Premium paint is the only cost option for both the Elite and Highlander, adding $695 to the bill, and about the only things missing are massaging front seats.

Four new colours have been added to the original palette, including Shimmering Silver and Robust Emerald – which looks almost black until you see in it the sunlight – as well as Olivine Grey and Gaia Brown, the latter two of which you can only have on the Highlander.

Meanwhile, the big Palisade continues on with Hyundai’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, and the V6 petrol version remains the cheaper option to service, with the first five trips to the workshop capped at $399 (or $1995 over five years).

The turbo-diesel donk has the same yearly (or 15,000km) service intervals, but costs $489 for each of its first five visits to the workshop.

Striking exterior aside, there are loads more improvements to the facelifted 2023 Hyundai Palisade that continue under the metal.

There are slimmer headlights, revised front and rear bumpers, a bigger squared-off grille, fresh 20-inch wheel designs and new dark metallic (Elite) or satin chrome (Highlander) trim accents, plus even more design updates to set the flagship Highlander apart.

Those include ‘hidden’ indicators up front, a ‘discreet’ full-width brake light atop the rear windscreen and integrated parking light elements inside each tail-light.

The Palisade Highlander’s cabin feels uber-plush now, with a suede headliner, two-tone leather steering wheel and a full-width air-vent panel that runs across the dash.

Again, a special feature reserved for the top-spec Palisade is a digital rear-view mirror that enables you to switch between a regular mirror or a slightly wider camera view, in case you’ve got luggage (or passengers) piled in, limiting your rearward vision.

While it’s not new technology within the auto industry, this is the first Hyundai to debut the tech Down Under.

The revised Palisade is also the first Hyundai in Australia to debut the brand’s server-based Bluelink connected services suite, which allows the driver to control several vehicle functions directly from a smartphone app.

Via your phone you can remote start the vehicle – even if you’re in another state – put the windows up or down, lock and unlock the car, switch on the climate control and even access live photos of your car using the vehicle’s cameras, which can be particularly helpful for if “you’ve parked in a dodgy area and want to check in”, says Hyundai Australia Connected Services Coordinator, Naomi Channell.

The only catch is that access to the clever Bluelink tech is only free for the first five years, and it’s not yet available in other Hyundai vehicles as it requires both software and hardware that the car-maker says will likely only be fitted to new-generation (as opposed to facelifted) models.

Hyundai Australia says the next model to bring Bluelink tech here will be the incoming IONIQ 6 electric sedan due in 2023.

Elsewhere, a pair of larger 12.3-inch digital displays now take up prime real estate in the dash of every Palisade, but only the Highlander gets access to blind-spot view monitors.

Improvements to the Palisade’s safety and driver-assist aids – allowing it to score a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating – include a front centre airbag, autonomous emergency braking with junction turn assist, multi-collision braking and, for the highlander, even reverse light guidance (guidelines projected onto the ground to warn pedestrians you’re reversing).

You can read more about the 2023 Hyundai Palisade’s upgraded safety credentials here.

Despite minimal changes to the driveline, the South Korean car-maker says the 2023 Hyundai Palisade performs much better on road.

Of the two carryover powertrain options (there’s still no hybrid option), our tester is fitted with the more efficient – and more expensive – 2.2-litre four-cylinder CRDi turbo-diesel all-wheel drive option, delivering 147kW of power and 440Nm of torque. It’s claimed to consume a relatively frugal 7.3L/100km of diesel on the combined cycle.

The other option is a front-drive 3.8-litre GDi petrol V6, outputting 217kW/355Nm and consuming 10.7L/100km combined.

Both engines are mated to a revised eight-speed automatic, which Hyundai claims shifts more smoothly and is more intuitive, but we found it just as seamless this time around.

The gutsy turbo-diesel never feels out of breath, getting its power down effortlessly and with very little commotion to be heard of within the hushed cabin.

That could be because Hyundai says plenty of attention has been put into improving overall noise, vibration and harshness levels, with more insulation wedged into the wheel-arches, thicker glass used for the rear windows, new rubber mounts for the rear differential and revised steering rack bearings.

The high-riding driver’s seat provides plenty of vision out of the Palisade’s generous glasswork, making the big five-metre-long SUV (15mm longer than before thanks to revised bumpers) a cinch to place on road.

Steering remains light and direct, and although the upgraded Palisade rides on a global suspension set-up – as opposed to locally-tuned suspension – it’s the first model to use Hyundai’s new frequency selective dampers dubbed SDC3.

The South Korean car-maker says the clever third-gen technology adjusts the oil flow rate depending on the input frequency. On the road, that translates to a more settled ride over sharp bumps and potholes, as well as improved composure around corners and undulations in the road.

Overall, it feels confident and really well matched to patchy and rough Aussie roads.

After a few hundred highway kilometres, we managed to average economy of just 7.6L/100km in our oil-burner, however, more passengers and cargo on board would certainly boost that figure, as would testing the Palisade’s maximum 2.2-tonne braked towing capacity.

It was already a great people mover, but the 2023 Hyundai Palisade Highlander now lugs passengers around in even higher levels of comfort and luxury.

Second-row passengers (in both seven- and eight-seater form) now get heated and ventilated outboard seats, as well as new airplane-inspired head restraints allowing outboard middle-row passengers to fold the outer edges of the head restraints out by about 15 degrees to improve nap time.

As is the case on a domestic Virgin flight, the ‘wing-style’ headrests don’t do a fantastic job at encapsulating your head, but it’s the thought that counts.

There are just as many cup holders scattered throughout – a whopping 16 in total – but the six USB points around the cabin have now been upgraded to the newer USB-C type, instead of the older and larger USB-A points.

Cabin space hasn’t changed and you can still fit three average-sized adults across both the second and third rows, however, if you plan on using more than one baby seat, the captain’s chairs in the seven-seater will make accessing the third row easier.

That said, it’s still easy enough to get third-row access in the eight-seater, with a quick push of a button to fold and slide the second row.

Those in the rearmost row still get access to decent amenities, including air-vents, cup holders and device charging ports, not to mention enough head and leg room even for medium-sized adults.

Forgetful parents will also be happy to know the facelifted Palisade now comes with a revised version of the already-available rear occupant alert, which now reminds drivers if they’ve left an infant in the back seat via the Bluelink app –
instead of just blasting the horn, which it will still do if the app warning is ignored.

Boot space remains the same as in the outgoing Palisade, at a generous 311 litres with all rows of seating in place and a full-size spare on board.

There’s no denying the facelifted 2023 Hyundai Palisade range is designed to appeal to the luxury SUV buyer.

Yes, it’s more expensive than before but it justifies its higher price tag with a super-luxurious cabin, loads of safety and tech, and a plush ride and refinement levels. And it’s still loads cheaper than a similarly sized and specified SUV from an established premium brand.

Side by side, it certainly trumps rivals including the top-selling Toyota Prado and even the popular Mazda CX-9 (and other smaller seven-seat SUVs like the Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento and Hyundai’s own Santa Fe) when it comes to safety, tech, refinement and cabin materials.

And when it comes to ride and handling, it’s likely to provide stiff competition for new seven-seat large SUVs including the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee L and Nissan Pathfinder, thanks in part to the car-like monocoque chassis that underpins it.

The flipside is it therefore won’t match ladder-frame off-roaders like the Prado, Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport when it comes to towing and off-roading, even taking into account Hyundai’s revised multi-terrain control system – something we’ll be sure to test in our first week-long review of the upgraded SUV.

If you can justify the $80,000-plus price tag for the range-topping 2023 Hyundai Palisade Highlander CRDi, you won’t be disappointed in this big, bold and highly accomplished people-mover.

How much does the 2023 Hyundai Palisade Highlander CRDi cost?
Price: $79,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 147kW/440Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 193g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)