Hyundai has upgraded its super-sized Palisade SUV – now in two luxury grades – the Elite and Highlander, both available in petrol or diesel and as a seven-seater, with a no cost 8-seat option adding an extra seat in the second row. I must admit that visually I also find its large painted grille now a little overbearing compared to the less accentuated one on the outgoing model. But as a seven-seater a very versatile passenger carrier. I drove the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel 8-speed automatic all-wheel drive Elite at $76,500 drive-away and managed economy of 8.6L/100km in hard city driving. The 3.5-litre V6 petrol front-wheel drive Palisade offers a $4,000 saving but consumes around 3L/100km more on 91 grade petrol. The Palisade may be big but impressive active safety elements mask its bulk on road. Given its near two tonne weight its surprisingly nimble around town – easy to park with good visibility aided by an excellent rear view camera and comprehensive
parking sensors although the Elite disappointingly misses out on the handy surround view monitor. But as a large family carrier well catered for with ISOFIX child seat restraints plus up to five top tether child seat anchors. It may be big and bulky but there’s much to like on this supersized Hyundai Palisade. I’m David Berthon.

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