Hyundai Palisade bookings open in Indonesia; Malaysia next?

KUALA LUMPUR: The most luxurious and largest SUV from the house of Hyundai made its Australian debut just last week and now it’s the time to hit the Indonesian market. The company recently previewed the model in the Southeast Asian country with the deliveries scheduled to start in January 2021. Ahead of that, the interested customers can now book the one by choosing from the three available variants.

Prices for the base Prime starts at 777 million rupiah (RM 222,821), the mid-spec Signature is priced at 888 million rupiah (RM 254,653), and for the top-spec Signature All-wheel Drive, customers need to shell out 1.078 billion rupiah (RM 309,139).

The exterior and interior design of the Korena SUV reflect its unique flagship identity with a premium, distinctive, and bold road presence, says Hyundai.

Starting with the exterior, the Palisade features Hyundai’s signature cascading front grille, LED headlamps, and extended bonnet. Other highlights are LED turn-signal mirrors, bold C-pillars, panoramic rear glass, vertical LED rear tail lights, and dual sunroof. The base trim rolls on 18-inch alloy wheels, whereas 20- inch units are available for the top two versions.

Moving to the cabin, which boasts a sense of relaxation and luxury, creating a calm environment for family adventures. The 7-seater SUV comes with captain seats at the second-row and a spacious third-row seater, accommodating all the needs of a family. The seats are wrapped in Nappa leather. Adding to the user-experience are the following creature comforts:

• 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support
• Three-zone climate control
• Wireless charging
• Seven USB ports 
• Ten-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat and ventilated rear seats 
• Smart power tailgate
• Front automatic windows with double-laminated glass for whisper-quiet travel

Powering the SUV is a high-performance R 2.2L CRDi inline 4-cylinder diesel engine with e-VGT generating 200 PS of maximum power and 440 Nm of peak torque. The highly efficient, eco-friendly, and powerful engine delivers best-in-class power output and complies with all emission regulations. Mated to the powertrain is an 8- speed automatic transmission with button type shift-by-wire. The different driving modes consist of Comfort, Eco, Sport, and Smart.

In terms of safety, the Palisade scored a perfect 5-Star rating in the 2020 NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and 2020 IIHS (The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) tests. The winning safety and driver-assistance pack comprise six airbags, blind-spot collision warning, rear cross-traffic collision warning, safe exit assist, and rear occupant alert.

Originally introduced in North America in 2018, the SUV is likely to be on its way to more right-hand-drive markets, so Malaysia could be next on the list.

Also read: 7th-gen Hyundai Elantra launched in Malaysia