Hyundai have introduced their latest flagship premium SUV, the Palisade, at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2018. The new Palisade is a big, three-row, full-size SUV available with either seven or eight seats that boasts a roomier, more luxurious interior, with good cargo space and flexibility.
Design:
A dignified yet commanding stance is one way of putting it. Starting with its big, wide grille up front flanked by composite LED headlamps and vertically-connected forward lighting. Muscular fenders, bold C-pillars, and a panoramic glass side add to the spacious look of the vehicle. Once again, at the rear, we see the vertical LED tail-lamps on the broad back. The car is also available with large 20-inch alloy wheels.
Interior:
Comfort is the key word here. The Palisade can be had as a seven- or eight-seater with its three-row seating arrangement, each of which are draped in quilted Nappa leather. Wood-grain trim, to indulge the posh aristocrat in us, is also available. The second row has a ‘one-touch’ feature that folds the seat with a single touch of a button to allow easy access to the third row.
Other features such as Blind View Monitor, Blind Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a heads-up display, connectivity for two Bluetooth devices, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and enough USB outlets and cup-holders for a Justin Bieber concert – seven and 16 respectively, apart from a whole bunch and comfort and safety features.
The car is more spacious than the Santa Fe XL it replaces, as well as Toyota’s Pathfinder on the outside, but inside, it is roomier in the front two rows than other big SUVs in the US, such as the Honda Pilot, Pathfinder and the Ford Explorer with more cargo room and any of them too.
Engine:
The Hyundai Palisade comes with a 3.8-litre V6, dual CVVT, direct-injected petrol engine. The motor should produce 295 PS and 355 Nm. Power will be delivered via an eight-speed automatic transmission and offers both two- and four-wheel drive configurations.
SangYup Lee, head of Hyundai’s Design Center said, “Hyundai Palisade’s exterior and interior design clearly reflect its unique flagship identity with a premium, distinctive and bold road presence. As the lead for Palisade design, it was a pleasure to work with our global design teams throughout its development and ultimately present this phenomenal product before you today.”
Seven colour options are available, all with their flamboyant names too, which are: Beckets Black, White Cream, Lagoon Silver, Steel Graphite, Sierra Burgundy, Moonlight Cloud, Forest Rain. There is no word as to whether the Palisade will make it to Indian shores, we think it quite possibly will and would fall in the Rs 50-lakh-plus segment.
Story: Zal Cursetji
