Restyled black chrome grille comes standard across the range. Picture: Supplied
Hyundai’s current naming strategy of conjuring-up names such as Creta, Kona and Alcazar, once their meanings have been properly looked into – beyond what the Korean marques says, have become the source of much snickering and ‘what were they thinking?’ – type moments.
On the face, or in this case, by the sounds of it, the same applies to the Palisade. In this instance though, Hyundai’s biggest SUV doesn’t take its name from a piece of masonry, but rather the upmarket Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles.
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The similarities are, therefore, well sustained as the Palisade is Hyundai’s most premium SUV unapologetically aimed at the likes of the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90.
Not so clear cut though is the Palisade not having had the same drawing power as the area it is named after in South Africa.
Introduced two years ago following right-hand-drive approval as a result of unprecedented demand from Australia, the Palisade, which had been available in the US since 2018, has managed to move only 256 units since its debut as it premiered as Hyundai’s most expensive model and the first to come in at fraction below R1-million with an asking sticker of R999 990.
This, together with many South Africans still having difficulty associating Hyundai as a premium brand, probably explains the rather poor rate of uptake.
As a comparison, the Palisade, in its 12 months on the market last year, netted the signatures of 100 South Africa, 22 done on the Q7 and 59 behind the XC90 over the same time.
This hasn’t stopped Hyundai from giving-up on the Palisade though as towards the end of last month, it showcased the facelift model complete with a revised exterior, and a list of standard specifications items capable of rivalling the Q7’s range of options.
Despite the automaker billing the Palisade as a rival for the Toyota Land Cruiser 300, its lack of low range and unibody construction won’t see it going as far off-road, not helped by the claimed 203 mm of ground clearance.
On the launch route around Muldersdrift, it coped much better and even took the roads, some incredibly decimated by potholes, in its stride, without sacrificing comfort so loved by the North American market.
Before the drive, there was a moment to survey the Palisade that the changes Hyundai had applied to the interior and exterior.
Standing out a lot more than before it has to be said, the exterior rework has seen the Palisade benefit from not only redesigned 20-inch alloy wheels, but a restyled grille made flatter and finished in black chrome with squared-off surrounds.
On top of this, the lower air intake has been reshaped, the wheel arch cladding changed to whichever of the five colours body colours is selected and the split headlight design changed to incorporate a slimmer upper cluster and a new L-shaped lower setup connected by a small rectangular diode integrated into the bumper for what Hyundai calls a “flow-down” look.
At the rear, the light clusters receive new LED diodes and the bumper beefed-up by virtue of a new lower skidplate and horizontal as opposed to the previous pod-like reflectors.
The mentioned choice of colours is unchanged and consists of White Cream, Graphite Grey, Shimmering Silver, Moonlight Blue and Abyss Black Pearl.
If the exterior changes are seen as small, opening the Palisade’s door reveals a much more thoroughly reworked interior.
Taking centre stage, the most welcome addition is the new 12.3-inch infotainment system that replaces the old 10.25-inch display offered in the States and Australia, as well as the small eight-inch setup South Africa-bound models came out with.
Completing the equally new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, which displays the corner being turned within the binnacle by way of the same camera system as the Staria, the massively improved infotainment looks more up-to-date and besides featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, also comes with integrated satellite navigation as standard.
Further improvements include the new three-spoke multi-function steering wheel lifted from the Staria, Tucson, Alcazar/Grand Creta and facelift Creta, and on the specification front, a heated steering wheel, seven instead of six airbags, a 12-speaker Infinity sound system, a heated steering wheel and ventilated as well as heated electric front seats.
Also overhauled is the range of safety and driver assistance tech, now inclusive of Blind Spot Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Avoidance Assist with Junction Assist, Lane Follow Assist and a surround-view rear camera.
As with the pre-facelift Palisade, Hyundai has again opted for a single trim level, the Elite, differentiated by the choice of seats; the standard eight-seater or the no-cost option seven-seater that loses the middle chair in the second-row, but gains a pair of heated and ventilated captain’s style seats with their own armrests.
Out on the launch route, which consisted not only of a number of backroads but also the highway, the consensus was that the Palisade’s talents are undone by its engine.
Compared to the US, where it is solely offered with a 3.8-litre petrol V6, South Africa keeps the 2.2-litre turbodiesel that produces unchanged 142kW/440Nm.
While torquier than the 355 Nm made by the V6, the diesel’s power count drops by 75 kW which, despite not sounding like much, requires the push-button operated eight-speed automatic gearbox to drop a few cogs when you require momentum in order to overtake.
In spite of the Palisade weighing below two tons, the performance, to quote my driving partner, AutoTrader’s Chad Luckoff, is merely adequate as each prod of the accelerator at the national limit had us waiting for the secondary grunt delivery that never came.
In fact, were it fitted with the 3.0-litre straight-six oil-burner premium brand Genesis uses in the GV80, progress would have the complete opposite, but, admittedly at a higher price and without the vast array of features.
The rest of the Palisade is more commendable though as the auto ‘box goes about its business effortlessly, while the ride, even on the 20-inch alloy wheels, does an accomplished job of ironing-out imperfections that characterised a fair chunk of the launch route.
Refinement is also good and as the Palisade is again equipped with Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel-drive system, plus no less than seven driving modes, it feels sure-footed and, dare I say it, nimble for a vehicle of this kind.
As much as Hyundai has done its homework with the Palisade from an aesthetic and certainly specification standpoint, it remains compromised by an engine that simply doesn’t allow its true potential to be shown.
While without doubt a recommendable large SUV from a value and spec standpoint none of unibody rivals are able to match, it simply needs the grunt required to sign the cheque in full.
Both seven and eight seat Palisade models carry a sticker price of R1 099 900 that includes a seven-year/200 000 km warranty as well as a seven-year/105 000 km service plan.
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