Hyundai Palisade vs Kia Sorento – 7-seater SUV showdown

The Hyundai Palisade has been made available in South Africa for the first time.

The range-topping SUV has a local price of R999,900 – which places it in stiff competition with premium competitors.

A slightly-more-affordable alternative to the new Hyundai comes from its sister company, however, in the form of the third-generation Kia Sorento EX.

For around R130,000 less, can the Kia seven-seater SUV take on its sibling? We find out below.

Features

The Palisade and Sorento are the respective brands’ flagship SUVs, and features are plentiful as a result.

All seven seats in either vehicle are covered in artificial leather, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with buttons for cruise control, phone calls, and the multi-information instrument cluster – which is fully digital in the Hyundai – is standard.

An electrically-adjustable driver seat is also fitted, while the Palisade adds a powered front passenger seat across all available specifications.

Both the first and second rows are heated and ventilated in the Hyundai, too.

A remarkable amount of equipment is then shared between the Palisade and Sorento, including dual-zone climate control, automatic LED headlights with daytime running lights, keyless entry and start, and a wireless charger.

In the connectivity department, both SUVs come with an 8-inch infotainment display that supports Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and integrated navigation.

Due to its higher price, the newer Palisade then provides its owner with additional modern amenities.

It offers a dual sunroof, a powered tailgate, rear-seat air con vents, and rain-sensing wipers.

To compete, the Sorento sports an auto-defogging air conditioner and a cargo security screen to spruce up its cabin.

In terms of driver assistance systems, however, they are on almost equal playing fields.

Both SUVs are equipped with hill start assist, all-round parking sensors, and a reverse camera. Both the Hyundai and Kia score 5-star safety ratings from separate branches of the NCAP organisation, too.

The Palisade then pulls ahead once more, as it receives trailer stability assist, downhill brake control, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear-seat safe exit assist.

Performance

The Hyundai Palisade and Kia Sorento are both powered by a 2.2-litre, turbo-diesel engine paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels.

In the Palisade, this motor produces 142kW and 440Nm, allows a 0-100km/h sprint of 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 190km/h.

In addition, combined fuel consumption for this SUV is rated 8.2l/100km.

The top-end Sorento generates 147kW and 440Nm, accelerates to 100km/h in 9.4 seconds, and reaches a top speed of 203km/h.

Combined fuel consumption for the Kia also comes in at 6.5l/100km.

However, the Sorento is smaller than the Palisade – meaning luggage capacity is not as readily available.

In seven-seater mode, the Palisade supports up to 509 litres of cargo, which expands to 1,297 litres in a five-seat configuration.

The Sorento only accepts up to a maximum of 142 litres and 605 litres, respectively.

The Hyundai also boasts a higher maximum braked towing capacity of 2,200kg, whereas the Kia makes do with 2,000kg.

Price

The Hyundai Palisade 2.2D 4WD Elite 7-seater has a South African price of R999,900.

Each purchase includes a 5-year/150,000km warranty with an additional 2-year/50,000km powertrain warranty, a 7-year/105,000km service plan, and 7-year/150,000km roadside assistance.

The Kia Sorento 2.2CRDi AWD EX has a South African price of R769,995.

Along with this you get a 5-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, 5-year/100,000km service plan, and 5-year/unlimited kilometre roadside assistance.