Hyundai Palisade 2020: Everything we know so far about new Mazda CX-9 rival

People have been prodding Hyundai for some time about the Palisade SUV, questioning why this full-size behemoth exists only in far-away lands and not in Australia, where big SUVs from rival manufacturers sell like seven-seat hotcakes.

But it seems those questions have not only been heard, but are about to be answered, with Hyundai in Australia confirming the Palisade should make its local debut sometime next year.

It was initially expected we’d have to wait a little longer, given the current-gen Palisade is only offered in left-hand drive. It was thought the next-generation vehicle would be offered in both left- and right-hand drive configurations, opening the door to an Aussie launch.

But as it turns out, Hyundai has grown tired of waiting, and so has successfully lobbied to have the current vehicle manufactured in right-hand drive (almost just for us), meaning we get the Palisade far quicker than if we had to wait for a new one.

“Next year we’ll try to bring this in. It’s difficult to say this is confirmation, but it is 80 per cent confirmed,” says Hyundai’s local boss, JW Lee.

“It’s a really good car. We have requested it so many times. It took nearly two years to get a right-hand-drive Palisade for the Australian market.

“I believe the Palisade will bring a new face to our Hyundai brand.”

The good news, then, is that it also removes plenty of question marks about what our cars will look like, how many people they’ll carry, and just how large they’ll be. See, with the vehicles already on sale overseas, there are almost no mysteries left to discover. 

And so here is everything we know about the Hyundai Palisade. 

It’s pretty big

Revealed at the LA Auto Show in 2018, the Palisade is Hyundai’s “flagship” SUV, and it’s pretty big.

Measuring 4980mm in length, 1976mm in width and 1750mm in height, the Palisade is substantially bigger than the Santa Fe, and those numbers will see sit sandwiched between its key rivals.

The Toyota Kluger measures 4890mm in length, 1925mm in width and 1730mm in height, while the Mazda CX-9, measures in at 5075mm, 1969mm and 1747mm respectively, putting the Palisade smack-bang in the middle of the two. 

It seats up to eight

Yes, eight. And in a weird practicality quirk, if every single one of those passengers brings two drinks each there will be a place to store them, with a whopping 16 cupholders on offer.

The second row of seating slides forwards and out of the way at the touch of a button, making it easier to climb into the third row. And speaking of which, those at the very back of the car (and in the second row, for that matter) can have reclining captain’s chairs – which are ventilated in the middle row – if the owner so decides. 

According to Hyundai in the USA, you’ll find a whopping 509 litres of cargo space with the third row of seats still in place. 

There’s a ton of tech

Hyundai hasn’t scrimped on the tech here, with a 10-inch touchscreen in the centre of cabin, a second digital screen in the driver’s binnacle, three-zone climate, a head-up display and even a clever “sleep mode” that mutes the back speakers if the kids fall asleep all available.

There’s a wireless charge pad, seven USB ports, and a intercom system that allows the driver to yell at the kids in the third row without actually having to yell.

There’s diesel and petrol options 

Stateside, the Palisade arrives with a big 3.6-litre petrol V6 good for 206kW, and which will clip 100km/h in 8.2 secs. 

But more likely for Australia is the 2.2-litre diesel engine, good for 142kW fed through an eight-speed automatic transmission, and capable of knocking off the sprint to 100km/h in just over 10.0 seconds.