Hyundai Palisade details confirmed for Australia

Hyundai Australia has confirmed some of the finer details of its big new flagship SUV, the Hyundai Palisade, ahead of its arrival in local showrooms in the fourth quarter of this year.

Short of providing exact pricing and specification details during a presentation this week, Hyundai Australia said the Palisade will be available here with the choice of seven-seat or eight-seat layouts, and several trim levels mirroring the rest of its SUV line-up.

Based on a stretched version of the monocoque platform that underpins the Santa Fe seven-seater, the Hyundai Palisade measures 4980mm long - just 10mm shy of the Toyota LandCruiser, of which an all-new model is due soon.

The Palisade is a big unit, measuring 1975mm wide and 1750mm high, making it 210mm longer and 85mm wider than the Santa Fe.

Inside, those proportions translate to 311 litres of boot space with the third row in place, or 704 litres with the rear bleachers stowed.

The interior’s family-friendly focus will incorporate a staggering 16 cup-holders, seven USB ports and the latest safety systems.

Other features offered on US Palisade models include heated and ventilated front and middle-row seats, wireless phone charging and power-folding rear seats.

A head-up display, lane following assist, adaptive cruise control, AEB with pedestrian detection, blind spot collision avoidance assist and speed limit info are also available on overseas models.

Infotainment is driven by a 10.25-inch centre display and matching 12.0-inch digital  instrument cluster, while the flagship version (expected to be called Highlander) will incorporate Nappa leather and 20-inch alloy wheels.

Hyundai has even teased a red-hot version in the form of the Palisade N.

All Hyundai Palisade models will offer a ‘driver talk mode’ that allows front seat occupants to talk to rear seat passengers via the speakers.

The US-built Palisade will be offered with a choice of two powertrains: a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder or a 3.8-litre V6 petrol, both linked to an eight-speed torque converter transmission.

Each will be armed with a 2.3-tonne braked towing capacity, a full-size spare wheel and three ISOFIX attachment points across its three rows of seating.

Hyundai says it will announce pricing and exact specification details closer to the Palisade’s arrival around October 2020.

“The Palisade offers the perfect blend of smart technologies and luxury features befitting of a flagship product,” said a Hyundai Australia spokesman.