Hyundai Palisade Elite: Eight-Seat Hybrid Joins Range
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Hyundai has quietly slipped a new player into its flagship line up and, no, it is not another overcooked badge with a fancy name. Meet the Palisade Elite, an eight-seat SUV that slides in below Calligraphy models with the sort of sensible swagger families secretly adore. It is available to order now, arrives in March and starts at $76,500 MLP.
The Elite dresses itself differently from its posher siblings. There is a distinct grille and lower bumper treatment, black wheel arches and five-spoke 20 inch alloys with a black and machined finish that do a very good job of looking purposeful without shouting. The overall effect is rugged yet tidy, exactly what you want when you have to ferry sticky-handed humans and a weekender’s worth of equipment.
Inside is a curious blend of luxury and pragmatism. Twin 12.3 inch screens sit where you expect them, joined by a 14 speaker BOSE system that will make the inevitable podcast bickering sound rather cinematic. Seats are black leather with premium cloth trims, the windows have acoustic and solar control glass and the second and third rows get privacy glass because sometimes silence is more valuable than style.
Powertrain And Chassis
Under the bonnet the Elite borrows the next generation hybrid system from the Calligraphy, a Smartstream 2.5 litre turbo hybrid married to a six speed automatic and all wheel drive. The combined output is a sprightly 245 kilowatts and 460 newton metres, with a quoted combined consumption of 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres and a braked towing capacity of 2,000 kilograms. It also offers Interior Vehicle to Load and a Stay Mode so you can run devices and climate control without the engine grumbling into life.
Tuned For Local Roads
This is where the Palisade Elite gets properly interesting for the antipodean driver. Hyundai’s engineers worked locally on a bespoke set up that includes passive damper and steering tunes developed for Australian conditions. The car uses a strut front suspension with reinforcing features and a multi link rear with passive self levelling dampers to keep things composed when the boot is full and the roads are not. The steering uses a belt type rack mounted motor driven system with a revised ratio for sharper responses.
Safety and convenience are not afterthoughts. The Elite arrives with the latest SmartSense suite including adaptive cruise with stop and go, lane keeping assist, highway driving assist and a driver monitoring system. Digital Key 2 allows a compatible smartphone to lock, unlock and start the car without a physical key. The firm also bundles its customer care program and warranty cover to keep ownership straightforward.
So there you have it: an eight seat, hybrid Palisade that looks the part, aims to be comfortable and has been tuned for local roads. If you need a family bus that does not feel like a compromise between a hotel shuttle and a tank, the Elite has been positioned very neatly between the sensible and the slightly smug. Orders are open now with first arrivals expected in March and pricing from $76,500 MLP.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
