Tougher design and more luxury for Hyundai’s biggest SUV; confirmed for Australia by September
The facelifted 2023 Hyundai Palisade has been revealed in all its glory at the New York motor show and the new-look eight-seat SUV will arrive Down Under with a host of cosmetic and equipment upgrades in the third quarter of 2022 – less than two years after the Palisade’s local launch in late 2020 – Hyundai Australia has confirmed.
Designed to appeal to large luxury SUV buyers, Hyundai’s flagship SUV has been Americanised with bigger, bolder and squarer elements front and rear, including an enormous matrix-style grille flanked by long, vertical axed-shaped LED daytime running lights as previously teased, while refreshed alloy wheel designs complement the new look from the side.
“This design has aerodynamic benefits as well, with specific design cues that include a fast A-pillar angle, a rear spoiler side garnish, an optimized front cooling area with an extended internal air guide, aero underside panels, and rear wheel aero deflectors,” Hyundai said in a statement.
The new look is paired with a redesigned instrument cluster and thinner air-vents on a dashboard punctuated by a bigger new 12.0-inch touch-screen navigation display with WiFi hotspot and new Bluelink connected car services, which will debut locally in the new Palisade before being rolled out across Hyundai’s Australian model range, allowing drivers to control vehicle functions via their smartphone or voice.
The Korean brand says details of Australian Bluelink services will be announced closer to launch, but for the 2023 US Palisade new Bluelink functions include Connected Routing, Last Mile Navigationqand Automatic Collision Notification (ACN).
Other Bluelink features include Remote Profile Management (stores selected personalised driver preferences in the Bluelink cloud and can remotely update and push-back to the vehicle), Remote Start Enhancements (offers remote seat heating and ventilation functions as well as driver’s seat settings), Vehicle Status Notifications (indicates if doors or windows are open) and Maintenance Alert Enhancement (tracks maintenance intervals in the multimedia system).
New driver assistance technology for the US Palisade, meantime, include Remote Smart Parking Assist, Enhanced Forward Collision Avoidance and Highway Driving Assist, and the Dynamic Voice Recognition system can control air-conditioning, radio, tailgate opening/closing, steering wheel heating, seat heating/cooling, points of interest (POI) assistance, weather status and stock market data updates.
Other updates include Digital Key 2 Touch, digital rear-view mirror, Ergo-motion driver’s seat, a more powerful wireless phone charging system (5W v 15W) and more USB-C outlets throughout the cabin.
Captain’s chairs will be optionally available on high-end variants, in which the standard ambient lighting themes have been tweaked, while third-row occupants score power folding/unfolding and heated seats.
The second row inherits winged head restraints and seat ventilation, which should come in handy in hotter markets like Australia.
In terms of powertrains, Hyundai Motor Company Australia says the 3.8-litre V6 petrol and 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engines will be carried over from the current model, each still operating via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
As before, the 217kW/355Nm V8 will drive the front wheels while the 147kW/440Nm four-cylinder diesel will send its power to all four corners.
In the US market, the V6 will be optionally available with AWD and the update also adds a new tow driving mode, which ultimately only alters the transmission’s shift pattern to hold gears for longer and reduce the number of gear changes.
Americans will also be treated to a rugged new XRT variant that brandishes a heap of darkened exterior trim bits, dark-finish 20-inch alloys, tougher front and rear fascias and a few extra toys in the cabin like a powered sunroof.
Robust Emerald joins the refreshed Palisade’s exterior colour palette in the US, alongside Abyss Black, Hyper White, Steel Graphite, Sierra Burgundy, Typhoon Silver and Moonlight Cloud.
Hyundai says Australian local pricing and specifications will be revealed closer to the 2023 Palisade’s local launch in the third quarter of the year.
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Keyword: NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: New-look Hyundai Palisade breaks cover