California dreamin’
Thank you, Hyundai SA, for the test unit and thank you to IX Online Motoring and Autoworld for the opportunity to write this article.
Just in case you are wondering where the name Palisade came
from, you will be pleasantly surprised that it’s not the fence that we South Africans
use to border our valuable properties.
Hyundai want you to close your eyes and think of gorgeous
Santa Monica Bay in Los Angeles, California, home to the beautiful Pacific palisades.
Palisades are the cliff like bluffs that guard the Pacific along a near 5 km
stretch of sun-drenched beaches, with grand multimillion dollar real estate,
sharing the shoreline. When the sun sets onto these shores and life is somewhat
peachy – think of wealth, sun, luxury and the Hyundai Palisade!
Engine/ Transmission/ Handling/ Drive: The Palisade
keeps its tried and tested 2.2-litre turbodiesel powerplant that swirls out a sturdy
142kW of power and 440Nm of torque, behind its bold and proud front grille. The
8-speed automatic transmission is smooth and continuous making for a relaxing and
hassle-free ride in this very attractive chunk of steel, mixed with Advanced
High-Strength Steel (AHSS) in key suspension and crash areas to provide
increased durable strength. I was fortunate enough to be able to take the
Palisade to a special part of KZN’s majestic Drakensburg this past weekend. Our
route involved many windy corners, steep passes, some gravel roads and a
generous portion of open road pothole swerving, a favourite past time of mine
in South Africa! The AWD Palisade handled very well under all conditions,
keeping the vehicle firmly on terra firma and giving me a sense of confidence
while cruising in great comfort to our holiday destination. The Palisade has no
low range but has a few offroad driving modes, namely Mud/Snow and Sand, with standard
drivetrain modes like Eco/ Sport and Comfort. I averaged 9.4 Liters per 100 kms
at varying speeds, not just at a 100 km/h which I was very pleased with
considering our family of four, mother-in-law and a week’s worth of luggage,
braai meat for 5 nights and 10 days of food, for our 3-night weekend - Hyundai
claim an even more respectable average of 8.5.
Comfort/ Space: When sitting behind the steering
wheel (which can be heated), one feels like you are in the cockpit of an
aeroplane and when seated in the second row of two individual seats, I felt
exactly like I had managed to upgrade my usual cramped cattle class economy
ticket to a spacious business class experience. The Palisade comes in a 7-seater
(test unit) or 8 -seater arrangement and both variants give a huge amount of
leg room and a must be industry leader for luggage space. I could not believe
how much we managed to pack for our weekend, where normally a trailer would
have been the preferred choice to fit the kitchen and its sink in! With all
seats up, luggage space is 509 Litres, with the 3rd row down, 1 297 Litres and with all the seats down space increases to a whopping 2 447 Litres. (Luggage
net and cargo screen included). I was super impressed with the premium and solid
feel of the Palisade throughout the trip and often commented on how comfortable
it felt driving the car, with my passengers in full agreeance.
Features: The Palisade has a multitude of
safety features, which are most welcome and nowadays typically expected at this
price tag of around 1.1 million ZAR. They include super cool ventilated seats
for the first and second row with heating on offer for both rows too, wireless
charging, an impressive 30 cm infotainment system with a 30 cm digital
dashboard, an Infinity sound system with 12 speakers, Apple CarPlay/Android
Auto, tri-zone air conditioning, 1st, 2nd, 3rd row USB ports, 10-way driver
seat adjustment with memory function, rear window privacy blinds, full parking
camera + surround view, smart power tailgate, multi-collision brake, lane keep which
worked very well on the meandering country roads, follow assist, forward
collision avoidance which stopped the vehicle in its tracks at a Butchery parking
bay when a pedestrian stepped off the pavement close to me, blind spot view, adaptive
cruise control and window operation with auto up and down for all passengers.
In summary: There is no hiding the fact that I
loved the Palisade. It commands a presence; it drove beautifully, its extra spacious,
comfortable and economical, it got a 5-star rating in the Australian ANCAP test,
it is an AWD, and it has a 7-year / 200 000 km warranty and 7-year / 105 000
service plan. Saying goodbye tomorrow will be tough but I will get down on my
knees and do some California dreamin’!
*This article is written in my opinion only. For detailed
accuracy of all specs contact Hyundai SA*
