Hyundai Palisade 3.8 2WD 2021 Review

Although it’s generally believed that bigger is not always better, the super-size 2021 Hyundai Palisade SUV turns the old edict on its head.

The Hyundai Palisade is big, no doubt about it. But this doesn’t mean it’s a handful on the road, or when it’s being manoeuvred through urban side streets.

In fact, it’s one of those vehicles that, however large it is inside, has the enviable ability to seemingly shrink once you are in the driver’s seat.

Bigger means more space. Where the Hyundai Santa Fe – which the Palisade draws from – seats up to seven passengers, there’s room here for up to eight. And a pretty reasonable eight at that.

This fact might not exactly open up a whole new universe of possibilities, but it does offer a welcome extension for those who are not widely catered for in the large SUV segment.

The on-road experience is aided by the Palisade’s hunky normally-aspirated 3.8-litre petrol V6 which winds out a respectable 217kW/355Nm to deal with the 1897kg kerb weight. The latter is on par for a large SUV.

The outputs actually place it near the top of class in terms of power-to-weight ratio, but drag it down in terms of economy and CO2 emissions.

The quality interior goes a long way too, even in the base front-drive petrol V6 Palisade driven here.

There’s a caveat though: the Hyundai Palisade, even in entry form, is actually pretty expensive.

At launch, the 2021 Hyundai Palisade was priced from $60,000 plus on-road costs for the entry-level model you see here, with the diesel powertrain adding $4000. Topping the range was the Highlander grade, starting at $71,000 plus ORCs.

Hyundai Australia has since announced an MY22 update, which includes a new mid-spec Elite model grade (from $61,500) that in turn lowers the entry model to $55,000 plus ORCs – but takes some equipment away as well, such as the deep-chested 12-speaker audio system complete with added amplification and digital radio.

Even with this adjustment, the hunky Hyundai doesn’t pretend for one minute to be bargain-basement. And fair enough – although there are maybe a couple of surprises – it’s well set up with a strong array of comfort and safety hardware.

There’s leather upholstery throughout the cabin, an electronic park brake, alarm, smart key with push-button start, a wireless phone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat (including lumbar) and eight-way adjustment for the front passenger.

An extensive array of safety technology includes self-dipping (halogen) headlights, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that works in forward and reverse (high and low-speed in the former), adaptive cruise control, pedestrian avoidance and, as an extension of the more common lane departure warning and lane keep assist systems, lane tracing ability.

On top of blind spot monitoring, there’s also blind spot assist (which edges the Palisade out of the path of a vehicle approaching from behind if there’s risk of contact), rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors and a system that constantly monitors driver alertness.

The Palisade also keeps a watch out if the driver fails to respond to a vehicle in front moving off from a stationary position in heavy traffic.

If you like the feel of a big, solid, silent and unquestionably well-muscled vehicle that will take on reasonably heavyweight towing duties, the 2021 Hyundai Palisade has all that in spades.

It has much of that easy-going, naturally-aspirated feel you’ll find in a big, easy-revving V8 – although it comes as something of a surprise that, at 2.2 tonnes, the braked towing capacity is 300kg less than its smaller-engined but similarly powerful (218kW/350Nm) 3.5-litre Santa Fe stablemate.

And fuel consumption depends on how you use it. Although our recorded 8.6L/100km for the FWD V6 Palisade was comfortably better than Hyundai’s claimed combined figure of 10.7L/100km, the bulk of our driving was in extra-urban conditions where the quoted official figure is 8.3L/100km. Pretty close.

The indications are positive. Hyundai’s quoted combined-cycle economy figure is not at all bad for a well-muscled, 1.9-tonne petrol SUV and will likely be achievable by most. The fuel tank, at 71 litres, is not exactly massive but should enable the petrol-powered Palisade to travel a respectable distance between fuel stops.

The ride, on a wheelbase that is longer than the Santa Fe, the Kia Sorento and the new-gen Toyota Kluger (yet 30mm shorter than the Mazda CX-9), is controlled and almost cushy on the Palisade’s 245/60 R18 tyres, while the steering responses are consistent with the suspension development team’s factoring in of Australian road conditions.

The front-drive configuration of the base petrol version rarely makes itself known, although in slippery conditions with a heavy trailer, the AWD diesel would undoubtedly be the better option.

There’s little doubt that the 2021 Hyundai Palisade will appeal to those who would like to take a step up from the established family SUV contenders.

The three-passenger rearmost seats are bigger and more readily accessed, via extra-large doors, than the bulk of large SUVs.

And although the quoted load space of 311 litres doesn’t sound huge with all three rows in place, the Palisade becomes cavernous (to 704L) when the second and third rows are dropped to expose a properly-flat floor running the full length from the electric tailgate to the front-seat backrests.

The rearmost windows are big enough to allay any fears of claustrophobia and the buttons controlling the lowering of the backrests are also non-ambiguous and easy to use.

Needless to say, stretching space is a pretty big deal in the Hyundai Palisade. The centre row can be set into one of three positions to vary the already-generous supply of legroom throughout the cabin and the overall width – which is greater than Mazda CX-9, Kia Sorento or Toyota Kluger – is reflected in all-round shoulder-room.

There are plenty of spaces for storage of incidentals too. On top of the seven USB ports, there’s a massive double-cavity front centre console with a ‘bridge’ at the front concealing a lower-level cubby and, even though the door bins tend to be smallish, bottle holders all over the place – 16, to be precise.

Roof-mounted vents supply plenty of air for centre and third-row passengers – the former via a control panel at the back of the centre console that includes an auto setting.

Although the 2021 Hyundai Palisade in some ways seems to answer a question no-one has asked, the fact is that it’s actually finding a spot in the Australian marketplace.

It’s found plenty of willing buyers since its launch in late 2020, and has bolstered Hyundai’s standing in the family SUV segment, where the Santa Fe also resides.

There’s more to it than the fact it’s just big, too.

A bit like the Kia Sorento, which is carsales’ 2020 Car of the Year and 2021 Best Family SUV, the Hyundai Palisade is awash with new technology and impressively refined at the same time.

It feels more than ever like a legitimate alternative to some Euro marques.

Maybe the pricing is not destined to be a deterrent after all.

How much does the 2021 Hyundai Palisade 3.8 GDi 2WD cost?
Price: $55,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.8-litre V6 petrol
Output: 217kW/355Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 251g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested