It’s been about a week and a half since the new Hyundai Palisade was revealed, and now that pre-sales have started in South Korea, the company has released some details of the car’s powertrain and features. In particular, the 3.8 litre naturally-aspirated petrol V6 and 2.2 litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engines have been replaced by a full 2.5 litre four-pot turbocharged lineup in petrol and hybrid forms.
Let’s start with the new hybrid, which uses a slightly detuned version of the 2.5 litre mill, producing 262 PS at 5,800 rpm and 353 Nm of torque from 1,800 to 4,500 rpm. This is paired with a 73 PS/264 Nm electric motor, a six-speed automatic and a 1.65 kWh battery for a total system output of 334 PS. With a 72 litre fuel tank, Hyundai is claiming a total range of over 1,000 km.
The carmaker also says the hybrid model is able to use the electric motor to smoothen out the ride and improve the handling. There are also new features such as Electric Evasive Handling Assist (E-EHA), which uses the electric motor in addition to the brakes to aid evasive steering manoeuvres, as well as Electrically-assisted Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control (e-DTVC).
Additionally, the Palisade Hybrid has a vehicle-to-load function and a new Stay Mode, the latter reserving battery charge to allow for air conditioning and infotainment system usage without the engine on (for a certain period of time, of course) once you reach your destination.
The Palisade is also offered in pure petrol form, replacing the 3.8 litre V6. Despite dropping two cylinders and over a litre in swept volume, the force-induction mill has higher outputs of 281 PS at 5,800 rpm and 422 Nm of torque between 1,700 and 4,000 rpm. It is mated to an eight-speed auto and has a combined fuel efficiency of 9.7 km per litre. Both the petrol and hybrid models can be had with front or all-wheel drive.
As previously reported, the Palisade is now available as a nine-seater with a front centre seat and a second-row bench, not only making it eligible for bus lane use in Korea but also tax exemptions for private buyers and VAT refunds for businesses. A seven-seater with second-row captain’s chairs is also offered.
To make room for more seats, the Palisade has grown by 65 mm in length to 5,060 mm, while the wheelbase has expanded by 70 mm to 2,970 mm. The boxy design certainly takes advantage of the increased dimensions, with stacked vertical daytime running lights and taillights, large slatted grille and lashings of chrome giving the massive SUV plenty of road presence.
Inside the lounge-like cabin, you get a distinctive inverted U-shaped dashboard forming a hood for the 12.3-inch instrument and infotainment displays, along with an “island” centre console – the latter accessible on the nine-seater model by folding down the centre seat. Here, you’ll find a 100-watt USB-C charging port (good for charging even laptops), a Qi wireless charger and an armrest that opens from both sides.
To protect anyone sitting in the middle in crashes, the passenger airbag has been expanded, ensuring coverage for all three front occupants. The second-row, meanwhile, can slide, recline and fold electrically, with the seven-seater model gaining additional controls on the armrest and an optional massage function.
Meanwhile, third-row passengers benefit from larger windows and second-row seats that can tilt and slide (even with a baby seat attached) 92 mm further forwards compared to on the previous Palisade, aiding entry and egress. Even the third row can be slid forwards and back some 110 mm which, together with the 35 mm longer rear overhang, increases boot space to 615 litres.
For the first time on a Hyundai SUV, the Palisade comes with preview electronic controlled suspension (ECS), which uses sensors and the navigation system to predict the road surface and driving situation, adjusting the damping force to suit. This reduces pitching and rolling body movements, increasing comfort. There’s also thicker glass to improve noise isolation, as well as crosswind stability control (CSC).
Other new features include an optional built-in dash cam that provides up to four days of recording when parked and a washer for both the reverse and digital rear-view mirror cameras. The Palisade is also available with a fingerprint reader (to save personal preferences, make payments and start the car), a 14-speaker Bose sound system, the Hyundai Digital Key 2 and an AI-enhanced voice control system.
Also on offer is a full suite of driver assistance functions, such as autonomous emergency braking with crossing traffic and oncoming vehicle (during overtaking manoeuvres) detection, nagivation-based adaptive cruise control with curve speed reduction, lane centring assist, lane change assist, blind spot monitoring with collision avoidance, rear cross traffic alert with auto brake, door opening warning, remote parking assist (now controllable through a smartphone app), reverse AEB and an advanced rear seat reminder.
Prices for the new Palisade range from 43,830,000 won (RM136,000) to 57,940,000 won (RM179,800) for the 2.5 litre turbo petrol model and from 49,820,000 won (RM154,600) to 64,240,000 won (RM199,400) for the hybrid. Deliveries will start from mid-January, with the hybrid following suit later in the first half of 2025.
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