Hyundai introduces the 8-seater Palisade to their SUV line-up; priced at $216,999

Hyundai's flagship large SUV comes with a 3.5 litre V6, and plenty of features to boot.

Komoco Motors, the sole distributor of Hyundai in Singapore, unveiled their latest SUV offering at the Capella Singapore on April 30, 2021, just one day after the debut of the equally large Kia Carnival.

Although Komoco had aimed to sell the Palisade at around $200,000, the recent hike in COE prices has inflated the price to $216,999.

Powertrain

The Hyundai Palisade is powered by a 3,470cc V6 Lambda II Mpi engine for excellent power and efficiency.

The powerplant produces 277 horsepower and 336 Nm of torque, and is mated to an eight-speed auto, allowing the Palisade to be propelled from 0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds.

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Unlike Kia Singapore, which debuted the Carnival with a 2.2 litre diesel engine, Hyundai has taken the active step to not introduce any new models with diesel engines, as sales of diesel-engined cars will be banned in Singapore from 2025. As such, the 3.5 V6 is the sole powertrain option.

Exterior

The Palisade is a large SUV, with a length of almost 5 metres, and a wheelbase of 2.9 metres. It comes with 20-inch wheels that still seem undersized for such a large car.

Seven exterior colours are available:

• Abyss Black
• White Cream
• Shimmering Silver
• Graphite Grey
• Sierra Burgundy
• Moonlight Cloud
• Forest Grey

Interior and features 

Hyundai have placed special attention to ensuring good Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) insulation in the cabin, with additional reinforcing of the Palisade's body for better rigidity, and added sound dampening for a quiet cabin.

The interior is both premium and practical, with plenty of storage spaces throughout all three rows.

Seven USB outlets are available, including front-seatback-based USB outlets for the second row occupants and mini-pockets for digital devices of all kinds. The Palisade also comes with a whopping 16 cupholders.

The Palisade also features the first-ever 10.25 inch touchscreen audio and infotainment widescreen display to be used on a Hyundai vehicle in Singapore.

Additionally, it also comes with a 7-inch fully-digital TFT supervision cluster offering various view modes and differentiated drive mode illumination. Two Bluetooth® devices can be connected simultaneously, with one for a mobile phone connection and the other for audio streaming.

Other features from the extensive list of standard options include roof-mounted aircon vents for all rows, with separate second-row climate control, a sunroof for the front and moonroof for the second and third rows.

Safety features

Hyundai’s standard Blindspot Collision Warning (BCW) and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Warning (RCCW) enhances driver awareness to the rear of the Palisade. Using the Blind Spot Detection system’s radar sensors when backing up, the system can warn the driver if vehicles approach from the rear side.

Other available safety features include the Surround View Monitor (SVM). The system monitors the area around the car from an aerial view, which assist drivers for a better view when navigating tight spaces despite the superior size that comes with the Palisade.

The Palisade also has six standard airbags: dual front, dual side, and roll-over-sensing side curtain airbags.

The Hyundai SUV range

Komoco Motors have introduced the Palisade as part of a larger strategy to provide SUVs of all segments to Singaporeans.

The Hyundai SUV range begins with the Venue, and then the Kona Hybrid and Kona Electric.

The updated Tuscon Hybrid and Santa Fe Hybrid, both of which will be powered by a 1.6 litre turbo hybrid powertrain, will be introduced in the later half of 2021.

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Finally, at the top of the range sits the full-sized luxury flagship Palisade, which at $216,999, comes with all available features as standard.

Prices are accurate at the time of writing.

This article was first published in Motorist.