Hyundai Palisade CRDi Limited Nappa: top of the line and then a bit more

David Linklater
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Photos / David Linklater

Specifications

Base price
$119,990
Boot Capacity
704
Fuel Consumption (l/100km)
7.3
Maximum power kW
147
Pros
  • Gorgeous Nappa/beech interior
  • Sweet second-row travel
  • Incredible load space
Cons
  • Depends on your definition of vulgar
  • 200kg heavier than Santa Fe and feels it
  • Lots of (smaller) European options at this price

If you’re gonna go big, go really big. When Hyundai launched the Palisade SUV earlier this year we were wowed by the size and price. It’s an American-market monster (Australasia and Indonesia are the only right-hand drive markets) that’s 210mm longer and 85mm wider than the Santa Fe.

It starts at just under $100k and goes rapidly upwards from there. It’s truly Hyundai’s pitch at the premium-SUV segment. Watch out Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

But we’ve talked about all this before. What we haven’t done to date is drive the ultimate Palisade, the $119,990 Limited Nappa. This model takes the flagship $114,990 Palisade CRDi (diesel) and adds Nappa leather (just like it says in the name), “beech” trim inserts and seductive suede headlining.

Small things on paper. But they do prove a point: a machine like Palisade makes more sense the more you spend. Our test car came in stunning white upholstery with very light trim; combine that with the truly vast interior space and seven-seat layout with centre “captain’s chairs” (lesser Palisades have eight seats) and suddenly it looks and feels a whole lot more like a six-figure SUV. A bit like a luxury yacht, even.

Luckily it doesn’t drive like one. That Santa Fe platform (tweaked by Hyundai Australia) does solid work in keeping the Palisade relevant for driving on sinewy Kiwi roads, and the torquey diesel engine of our test model would at least ensure you don’t spend your whole week filling up. You can go nuts with the drive selector, which has two layers of adjustment for on and off-tarmac driving. But why would you? I left it in “Smart” and listened to some music.

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That’s about as much as we need to say in dynamic terms, because once you move away from the cabin you’re starting to miss the point of the Palisade. It’s a truly luxurious way to travel, especially if you score a second-row seat. You can stretch right out, the view is magnificent and you can charge your device in the USB port conveniently located in the back of the seat in front.

While it’s all about posh bums on seats, the practicality of the Palisade’s cargo area might also surprise. Even with all seats in use there’s 311 litres of load space.

Fold the third row and there’s a beautiful piece of tailored carpet that covers them, so you’d never know it was anything more than a luxurious five-seater with a 704l boot.

Power down the second row from the back of the vehicle and you have an utterly flat load floor. The posh Palisade is actually really good at hauling a serious amount of stuff.

A Palisade-with-everything is definitely not an SUV for everybody. But it is also a lavish SUV for seven people. And quite an experience.

HYUNDAI PALISADE CRDi LIMITED NAPPA
ENGINE: 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four
POWER: 147kW/440Nm
GEARBOX: 8-speed automatic, AWD
ECONOMY: 7.3l/100km, CO2 195g/km
PRICE: $119,990

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