When you’re selling a seven- to eight-seater large crossover in New Zealand, the immediate customers you’d picture would be a couple in their late 30s to early 40s with probably four kids. Well, has Hyundai got a surprise for you with the launch of its Palisade.

Priced from  $99,990 to $119,990 for the Limited Edition model, the Palisade comes in two variants; the Elite and Limited with the choice of a 3.8-litre petrol (147kW, 440Nm). two-wheel-drive or a 2.2-litre diesel (217kW and 355Nm) all-wheel-drive. Both models have an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Elite range has eight seats while the Limited has seven. 

Out of the lineup, Hyundai NZ says the favourite will be the diesel Limited with seven-seaters, and the second row with captain’s chairs that recline.

The Hyundai Palisade debuted at the Los Angeles motor show in 2018 and as it is named after the affluent LA area of Pacific Palisades, it is clear that it’s an American SUV. The interior and exterior - especially the large grille and rear taillights - all point at the American market.

Used as a people mover in the States, you’d automatically think that it would be the same here. Nope, according to Hyundai NZ’s general manager, Andy Sinclair, 67 per cent of the customers are expected to be males with the majority aged under 30 with the 30-39 male segment the next biggest buyers. Why?

“Over half the customers are Hyundai Santa Fe owners stepping up. They don’t need it, they want the biggest Hyundai,” said Sinclair.

At the press conference held at Parihoa, Sinclair said that the Palisade doesn’t “really have a competitor” and instead is forging a new category, sitting below the European vehicles price-wise.

In the eight-seat segment there are only three competitors: the Lexus LX, Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol, all of these are heavy duty, chunky off-roaders more often found on farms.

Instead, due to the American styling, you’ll find the Palisade design is more smooth edges, starting with the all-new grille for Hyundai. The dominant cascading grille is flanked by high-tech, composite headlights and a vertically-connected forward lighting signature, to create a powerful and distinctive impression.

 In profile, the extended bonnet develops Palisade’s strong road presence, while a bold C-pillar design and wide third-row daylight opening convey generous third-row spaciousness. The large wheel arches also dominate the look of the vehicle.

At the rear, Palisade emphasises a wide and stable stance through crisp and confident detailing incorporating a vertical LED tail-light design.

 A cutaway roof complements the ample third-row glasshouse, enhancing the generous sense of spaciousness for rear occupants. The Limited models get twin sunroofs.

Inside, the Palisade has a similar feel to the new Santa Fe, albeit on a slightly larger scale. And it’s slightly. The biggest Hyundai is 4980mm long while the Santa Fe is just 210mm shorter and they both have the same legroom at the front.

The Palisade 10.25 operation screen while it has a 7in instrument cluster.

All-new Palisade’s climate control air-conditioning system ensures maximum comfort and convenience for occupants by automatically maintaining the set temperatures.

 Three sets of fully automatic controls give the driver, front passenger and rear occupants the superb luxury and comfort of being able to set their own temperature preferences.

The Palisade has similar operating and safety features as the Santa Fe; including the same Head Up Display that is projected onto the windscreen to show vehicle speed, navigation commands, speed limits and traffic sign info, as well as alerts from active safety and driving assistance features.

It also has the same Blind Spot Monitoring system as the Santa Fe thanks to two circles in the display cluster that correspond with the turn signal to support safe lane-change manoeuvres.

All-new Palisade features an available Surround View Monitor that presents a bird’s eye view of the vehicle to enhance vision and confidence when manoeuvring in confined spaces.

A Rear View Monitor (RVM) system allows the rear camera display to remain on during driving as required, so that the driver can monitor the road conditions behind the vehicle.

A Parking Guidance function displays guide lines that swivel automatically as the steering wheel is turned.

It also has Driver Talk feature that uses a high-definition microphone and Palisade’s audio system to allow the driver to speak to second- and third-row occupants without raising their voice.

 The system automatically compensates for road and wind noise as the vehicle’s speed rises, so the driver can always be heard clearly through the C-pillar speakers.

Quiet Mode mutes the speakers in the rear, and sets the front speakers to seven or below, to allow rear occupants the hush needed to talk to each other or to get some sleep.

 Palisade Elite gives front and second-row occupants heated seats, as well as a heated steering wheel. The Limited seven-seat variants have the addition of ventilated seats in the front and second row.

Access to the third row in the Elite is via an electronic button on the seat, just like the Santa Fe, while the seven-sever Limited has a corridor between the two second row captain’s chairs. 

Palisade is among the first Hyundai models to benefit from a new chassis tuning approach, which has evolved as a development of the local tuning program deployed by Hyundai Australia’s engineering team for the last decade.

Hyundai Australia examined every element of the Palisade’s dynamic performance on local roads, from the tyres - checking NVH and grip levels - to roll response, body heave, body control, and all the minutiae of body movement. The process of evaluation and sign-off incorporated every possible road surface and road type, both in the city and country.

At the end of the process, Hyundai Australia were confident in the way this vehicle rides and handles, and there was no need for any changes.

So, what’s it like to drive? First, it’s a comfortable vehicle to steer but the large bonnet can hinder your view as you go down hill, as we did at the launch.

We took the Palisade Limited, with its off-road system, across the farm and I dialed in ‘mud’ from the three terrain options of snow, mud, sand. It easily handled the rutted gravel track to some of the lower paddocks while it was effortless when we drove cliff-side across the flatter fields.

AutoMuse gets to test the Palisade for a week soon, and it will be interesting to see how it handles on a road trip with a few occupants.