It’s not the first time we’ve covered the Hyundai Palisade. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting crossover as it serves as the flagship SUV of the brand. That, and the Palisade is sold in the country.
With that, it’s worth asking if this model is worth bringing over to the Philippines. Sure, there’s the Santa Fe, but what if someone wants more out of their Hyundai SUV, right?
The Hyundai Palisade is a hair over five meters long, making it longer than the already sizable Santa Fe. With its wide stance and blocky front end, it has an imposing look. Couple that with its distinct headlight arrangement, and it offers a good chunk of presence on the road.
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Over at the back, the vertical tail lights flank the wide tailgate, and more of the boxy theme is seen there. If anything, the rear reminds us of a certain British luxury SUV, not that it’s a bad thing.
Inside, there’s acres of plush, soft touch materials. The dash gets a sizable horizontal screen, and the dashboard appears to be a throwback to designs from the ‘70s. The dash also comes with a rather handy ‘shelf’ on the passenger side, along with a ‘letterbox’ slot above the glovebox. The gear selector is a toggle switch like the Ioniq 5 and Santa Fe.
But most interesting thing at the front isn’t the design or layout, though. That would be the seats. Utility vehicles aside, it’s been a while since we’ve seen three seats there, more so in a luxury/premium vehicle. It’s a front bench of sorts and doubles as an arm rest when stowed down.
So, why did Hyundai do this? There’s an interesting rule in South Korea wherein a vehicle with more than nine or more seats are allowed on bus lanes. That said, you can’t just drive there at any time with a Palisade. Rules dictate that there should be at least six passengers on board, at least to our understanding. But if nine seats are too many, there’s also a version with seven seats with the middle row coming with power captain’s chairs. Cooled and heated, of course.
Other neat things we saw? There’s a 360-degree camera, additional blindside cameras, and even fingerprint authentication to put off and would-be car thieves. It’s also stacked to the brim with advanced driver assists, while the double pane windows should make for a quiet driving (and riding) experience. Oh, and there are three variants to choose from, namely Exclusive, Prestige, and Calligraphy.
Two powertrain options are available for the all-new Hyundai Palisade. The ‘base’ engine is a 2.5-liter turbo that makes 277hp and 422Nm. An electrified version of the same block is also offered and it’s mated to two electric motors. The hybrid model makes 258hp and 353Nm. The diesel has been discontinued.
Like what you see? Perhaps it’s time to ask Hyundai Philippines to bring it in.
