Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro “will have a little bit of N”

Hyundai Australia has pitched its upcoming Palisade XRT Pro as an all-terrain fun machine in the ilk of an oversized N car, albeit one aimed at high-speed off-road jaunts with the family.

Speaking to carsales at the launch of the IONIQ 6 N, the brand’s local product planning and development manager Tim Rodgers said that while monocoque SUVs may not be as outright capable as ladder-frame offerings like the Toyota Prado or Ford Everest, there are still some clear advantages.

“Being a monocoque off-road vehicle, it actually has a lot of advantages too … and where we identified is actually high-speed off-road driving,” he said.

“It’s quite enjoyable and playful in that sense where maybe some of these ladder-frame offerings aren’t quite as fun to drive, and from our experience from N, we value that.

“XRT Pro is a very different formula, but funnily enough, when we get to the actual product and the qualities it delivers, and the experience it delivers, it’s actually got a little bit of N about it.”

Rodgers went on to say there’s more to off-roading than just low-speed, technical wheeling like rock crawling and river crossings, and that while the beefed-up Palisade would be able to dabble in some of that, it’s really aimed at the bigger picture.

“In Australia, doing long distances on gravel roads and everyday gravel road driving is a thing, and I think we’ve paid attention to that.”

Unlike the smaller Santa Fe which can be optioned with one of two dealer-fit XRT packages, the Palisade XRT Pro will be offered here as a factory-produced entity, with an Australian suspension tune.

Local details of the Aussie cars, including pricing, are still to be announced, but the North American version paints us a pretty clear picture of what’s to come: 213mm of ground clearance, approach and departure angle-friendly bumpers, all-terrain tyres, a limited-slip rear differential and a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine outputting 214kW/353Nm.

How this engine will appease tightening NVES regulations remains to be seen, but we wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if Hyundai Australia subbed it out in favour of the Santa Fe’s 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder – albeit wound up a bit in accordance with the Palisade’s more premium positioning.

An eight-speed automatic transmission will feature by default, however unlike the Santa Fe which uses a dual-clutch setup, the tough Palisade will almost certainly nab a torque converter as per the Genesis SUV range.

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