2023 Hyundai Santa Fe vs Hyundai Palisade

What's the difference?

The Santa Fe Hybrid is a better Santa Fe to drive than the V6 petrol or the diesel variant. It’s also a lot more fuel efficient, but the value isn’t as great at this price. Also keep in mind that the Hybrid has a much lower braked towing capacity relative to the diesel and V6 petrol Santa Fes.

The Elite grade will save you money, and you’re not missing out on many luxuries. 

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

This upgraded Palisade has the refinement, practicality, and value to stand up as a quality option for those seeking big family accommodation. It’s nicely put together, safety’s top-shelf, and it certainly stands out from the crowd.

A hybrid powertrain would be nice, because the V6 particularly, likes a drink. But given the new Sante Fe will offer hybrid power later this year, maybe that’ll come in time.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

There’s only one way to tell the hybrid version of the Santa Fe from the petrol and diesel variants - the wheels. The hybrid's wheels are smaller and have a sort of ‘cog’ design to them. I’m not a fan of the styling, but they’re supposed to be aerodynamic and save fuel.

Overall, I am a fan of the Santa Fe’s looks which were given a major change in 2020 with a completely different grille and interior.

I like the way Hyundai has moved away from giving all its cars the same face, with each model now having its own visual identity.

The Santa Fe’s wide, cat fish-like gaping mouth grille might not be for everybody, but it sure doesn’t look like the front of any other SUV on the market.

The rear of the Santa Fe is far more conservative but looks prestigious enough to stop short of the boredom threshold.

It’s far from boring inside with the dash sculptured into what appear to be rock pools, with geyser-like air vents and a floating centre console.

Again, no sign this is a hybrid in the cabin either, which is the way it should be, or will be when electric vehicles become the norm.

The cabins of the Elite and Highlander are filled with leather and modern tech. It’s a plush place made even plusher on the Highlander with its Nappa leather upholstery.

The Santa Fe is a big, mid-sized SUV at 4.8m end-to-end, but it’s not as large as a Hyundai Palisade. That's huge at five metres long.

It feels like the Palisade’s only been around for five minutes, but closing in on two years is the reality, and it’s been on-sale elsewhere since 2018, so a design refresh is timely.

This is a big canvas to work with, and you’d never guess the US is a prime market for this model. 

Up front, the already sizable grille is squarer and even more imposing, while the LED headlights are vertically-stacked down each side, and the indicators are hidden behind shaded geometric pieces extending out from the top of the grille. 

For car spotters, the Palisade Elite’s grille is tinted predominantly black, while the Highlander’s has bright accents.

The 20-inch alloy wheels are the same size but new design on both grades, and the Highlander features satin chrome door handles and rocker sill panels.

At the back the full-width high-mount stop light is upgraded to LED, the tail-lights are revised, and the exhaust outlets have been squared off.

Things have changed inside, too. The centre air vent is more neatly integrated, the new-look steering wheel has four spokes, plus there’s a 12.3-inch HD multimedia screen, and 12.3-inch digital instrument display on both models.

There’s also an adjustable centre armrest, the indicator stalks have been massaged into a more geometric shape, and overall there’s a nice blend of screen functionality and physical controls.

The look is distinctively assertive outside and that little bit sleeker inside.

The Santa Fe is among only a handful of mid-sized SUVs offering seven seats. The third-row seats are really designed to be used occasionally. They’re flat and fairly hard and the passengers back there aren’t fully covered by the side curtain airbags.

The second row offers plenty of room. Enough, even for me at 191cm, to sit comfortably behind my driving position.

And if you’d like more space then the Highlander grade allows you can replace that bench seat with two captain’s chairs in the six-seat version.

Clever cabin storage spaces can be found throughout. I particularly like the floating centre console with an area underneath big enough for a small backpack, and the shelf above the glove box in the dash is also good for throwing a wallet or phone.  

Big door pockets, cupholders and a deep centre console storage box are also on board.

For charging devices there are five USB ports (two up front, two in the second row, and one in the third), two 12-volt outlets (front seats and cargo area) and a wireless phone charger.

While there isn’t three-zone climate control. There are directional air vents in all three rows and the Elite and Highlander grades also come with pull-up sun shades for the rear windows.

As for the boot, most of the time you’ll probably have the third-row seats folded flat, and that’ll give you a cargo capacity of 571 litres.

Or, if you are using the third row there’s 130 litres of space left for you to use.

Does large scale automatically deliver big practicality? Well, in this case the answer is yes. Big doors and heaps of interior space combine with thoughtful storage options, to deliver family-friendly practicality.

There’s hectares of room in the front as well as two lidded bins, one large one between the seats, the top of which doubles as a centre armrest, and a smaller box in the centre console, containing two expandable cupholders. The console is also a two tier arrangement with an awkward to reach into but still handy oddments tray on the lower level.

The glove box is a decent size, as are the door pockets, complete with a sculpted area for large bottles. 

Move to the centre row and you’ll slide into one of two ‘captains chairs’ in the seven-seat configuration, complete with adjustable ‘wing’-type headrests on the Highlander, familiar to any seasoned air traveller. It’s a three-position bench in the eight-seater.

If space is luxury, middle seaters in the Palisade cop a five-star experience. There’s ample head, leg and shoulder room, with enough space for three child seats or baby capsules across in the eight seat set-up. 

An ability to slide the centre seats fore and aft should quell any turf wars between second and third row occupants (although the backrest recline function could heat this up again), pull-up window shades are a plus, and there’s adjustable ventilation control as part of the three-zone climate system.   

Storage includes a large and small cupholder in each door, as well as a bottle holder underneath, map pockets on the front seats backs (with smartphone-sized pouches built-in), and another pair of cupholders on the centre armrest on eight-seat versions.

Tilt and slide the second-row seat via a one-touch ‘Walk-in’ function, and you have low-stress access to three third-row positions.

Legroom is okay for me at 183cm (with the middle row in a reasonable position), and headroom is fine. When it comes to width, adults will need to be on good terms to share the space on what would hopefully be a short trip. But up to mid-teens won’t have a problem, especially as these seats recline, too.

You’re even looked after with ventilation (in the roof), dual cupholders either side and USB power outlets.

Speaking of which, there’s a pair of Type-C USB outlets for power in each row (total six) with a single USB-A port in the front for media connection. Add two 12V sockets in the front, plus another in the second row and devices won’t be going short on charge.

And how’s this for a party trick? Hyundai has created a media cable tunnel between the top and lower tiers of the front centre console, to keep unwieldy cables under control. Plus, the wireless device charging pad has been upgraded to 15-watts for quicker turnaround.

Also worth noting a ‘Quiet Mode’ function limits audio volume in the first row and mutes it in the second two. Nice for parents with sleeping kids (or those with the Airpods in) in the back, who would still like some musical company up front.

With all three rows upright, boot space is 311 litres (VDA), which is enough to be useful for day trips when you have a full house on-board. Fold the third row and that grows to 704 litres, and with the second and third rows down you’re at 2447 litres, and that’s plenty.

There are tie-down anchors and bag hooks galore, the loading height is manageable (there’s only a modest lip to deal with), a hands-free, speed- and height-adjustable power tailgate is standard on both grades, and there’s a full-size alloy spare on-board.

This three-row, up to eight-seat SUV flagship boasts a refreshed exterior and interior design, new tech and improved safety, with the previous entry-grade model deleted and prices starting from just under $66K, before on-road costs.

There are now two variants only, but as per the out-going model, two engine choices. We’ll get to the details of each shortly, but for now, petrol means front-wheel drive, and diesel means all-wheel drive.

The Elite grade kicks things off at $65,900 for the petrol 2WD and $69,900 for the diesel AWD. It retains features like 12-speaker Infinity audio, active cruise, leather-appointed seats, dual-zone climate, a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, LED headlights, DRLs, tail-lights and fog lights, and a power tailgate.

Headline additions are a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch HD multimedia screen, a glass sunroof, remote start and Bluelink connected services. 

Bluelink is a first for Hyundai in Australia, and features things like a valet mode, back-to-base collision notification, an SOS function, voice control, weather advice and more. 

Step up to the Highlander ($75,900 petrol 2WD / $79,900 diesel AWD) and things like Nappa leather-appointed seats, ventilated first and second row seats, rain-sensing wipers, and an eight-way power-adjustable front passenger’s seat will be familiar to current owners.

Additions in this refresh include a 3D surround view function, remote smart, wing type headrests on the outer positions on the second row, and a digital interior mirror.

For eight-seat SUV capacity you’re looking at heavyweight competitors like the Toyota LandCruiser 300 and Nissan Patrol, which the Palisade undercuts by a significant margin, without giving too much away in terms of equipment. So, fair play on value-for-money there.

But more direct competitors are the Toyota Kluger and Mazda CX-9, as well as Nissan’s new Pathfinder, arriving late in 2022, kicking off from around $54K, with a petrol V6, two- and all-wheel drive, and offering eight seats in all grades.

The Santa Fe Hybrid is not a plug-in hybrid like the Mitsubishi Outlander or Kia Sorento. That means you don’t need to connect the battery to a power outlet to charge it. Instead, the battery charges on the go as you drive it, and through regenerative braking.

Under the bonnet is a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine and an electric motor. They have a combined output of 169kW/350Nm.

That’s pretty good grunt. Just as a comparison, the V6 makes 200kW/331Nm, while the diesel engine produces 148kW/440Nm.

If you’re planning on towing, then the diesel and petrol are clearly the better choices with their 2500kg braked towing capacity, compared to the hybrid’s 1650kg.

The Hybrid Santa Fe is also all-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission shifts gears smoothly.

Engine choice is unchanged with a 3.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol V6 in front-wheel drive variants, and a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four powering all-wheel drive models. Both are matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The ‘Lambda II’ petrol V6 is an all-alloy unit, featuring direct-injection, and variable valve timing on the inlet and exhaust side (D-CVVT) to produce 217kW at 6000rpm and 355Nm at 5200rpm.

The ‘R series’ diesel four features an iron block and alloy head, a single turbo and direct-injection to deliver 147kW at 3800rpm and 440Nm from 1750-2750rpm.

Tweaks to the eight-speed auto transmission include a new carrier for the rear gear set, low-friction sealing at key points, a revised input shaft, an updated selection actuator, lower viscosity oil, and a dual-chamber design torque converter on diesel models.

This is what it’s all about isn’t it? How much fuel does the Santa Fe Hybrid use? 

Hyundai says this hybrid will use 6.0L/100km after a combination of open roads and urban driving. That is excellent, but if this was a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) that figure could be as low as 4.0L/100km.

Still, the Santa Fe hybrid is much more fuel efficient than the V6 variant which uses 10.5L/100km.

I took a look at the drive history of the Santa Fe Hybrid I tested at the end of the Australian launch.

According to the trip computer the car had travelled 967.2km and had used an average of 7.3L/100km.

About 500 of those kilometres were done by me with peak hour city traffic, country roads and motorways all in there. That’s great fuel efficiency, but a Santa Fe PHEV would do better.

As I said earlier, there’s no need to plug the Santa Fe into an external power supply to charge its lithium-ion battery, it’ll charge itself automatically through normal driving.

Hyundai’s official fuel economy figure for the Palisade FWD petrol on the combined cycle is 10.7L/100km, the V6 emitting 251g/km of CO2 in the process. The equivalent numbers are 7.3L/100km and 193g/km for the AWD 2.2-litre turbo-petrol four.

Nothing to set the world on fire, but it’s worth remembering this is a properly big, roughly two tonne, three-row SUV. That said, although the launch drive included a small amount of city and suburban traffic, freeway running was over-represented, so we’ll wait for a full road-test to capture real-world figures.

The tank holds 71 litres on both versions, which using the quoted consumption number, translates to a range of around 660km for the petrol and 970km for the diesel.

You’re not just getting better fuel economy in the hybrid version of the Santa Fe, you’re getting a better SUV to drive. 

That’s what I found when I tested the Santa Fe Hybrid at its Australian launch. The ride is more comfortable and the steering feels more responsive and lighter than the V6 petrol or diesel Santa Fe, both of which I’ve driven extensively.

The better ride I think comes down to the stabilising effect of extra weight situated low from the batteries (they’re located under the driver). Hyundai told me the front suspension had been revised to deal with the added weight, too.

So, I feel the ride is now more comfortable, less jittery with a smidge more planted feeling to the handling.

The lighter and better steering feel may have something to do with having a smaller engine in the nose of the Santa Fe. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder weighs less than the 2.2-litre diesel engine and the V6 petrol. That lighter font end now has a more ‘pointable’ feeling.

That said, the electric motor would add more weight to the Santa Fe hybrid’s nose, too.

Another difference to the way the hybrid drives is the take-off acceleration. It’s quite sudden and forceful for a family SUV in this class and that’s due to the 350Nm of torque, available from 1000rpm.

That’s great for moving away out of a car space and quickly blending into traffic, or accelerating away from traffic lights.

Visibility as with the regular Santa Fe is excellent and parking is easy, too, given this isn’t a large SUV.  

Not surprisingly, the drive characteristics of petrol and diesel Palisade models differ. The naturally aspirated petrol V6 lacks the low-down punch of a turbo with maximum torque (355Nm) arriving at 5200rpm. But it’s still strong in the mid-range, and the upside is ultra-smooth and linear power delivery, the peak (217kW) arriving way up at 6000rpm.

As mentioned earlier, choosing petrol automatically means front-wheel drive, which can result in a tendency towards understeer in tighter corners. But over a mix of city, freeway and B-road driving on the launch program there wasn’t a hint of push on the front axle.

Swap to the turbo-diesel four and additional thrust (440Nm) immediately makes its presence felt, but we’re not talking sports car acceleration here. 

It might pull hard initially but the diesel Palisade runs out of puff at higher revs, with peak power (147kW) hitting at 3800rpm, and you can expect it to accelerate from 0-100km/h in around 10 seconds. The free-revving (and circa 90kg lighter) petrol Palisade will hit the same mark in roughly eight seconds.

The AWD diesel brings extra security on loose or slippery surfaces like the track to your favourite camping spot, a cheeky trip to the snow, or negotiating the local boat ramp. 

Speaking of which, braked trailer towing capacity for petrol and diesel versions is 2.2 tonnes, which means a big dual-axle caravan is off the agenda, although a single axle camper-trailer or hitching up the tinnie will be fine. A trailer pre-wiring package is standard.

For the more adventurous types the approach, departure and break-over angles are 18.5, 20.3, and 17.9 degrees respectively.

The upgraded eight-speed auto transmission is smooth with both models featuring wheel-mounted shift paddles for when you want to take control.

What was that about the Palisade being big? At just under 5.0m long it’s a sizeable machine and suspension is strut front / multi-link rear, with new selective dampers and revised spring rates on both models.

The tricky dampers feature an additional sliding valve (below the main fixed valve) to better control frequency, and it’s worth noting that unlike other recent Hyundai models where the suspension has been tuned locally, the Palisade’s final ‘global’ suspension configuration was finalised at Hyundai’s Namyang R&D centre in South Korea.

There was Aussie input along the way, though, and on the basis of this first drive the overall result is a positive one.

Ride quality, even over coarse and pock-marked backroads and riding on 20-inch rims, is good, with minimal engine and wind noise intruding thanks in part to more sound insulation, thicker rear door glass, better body sealing and revised drivetrain mountings to minimise vibration.

With revised bearing, the electric power steering is nicely weighted and pleasingly progressive. Not a stand-out in terms of road feel, but not tragic, either.

You can feel the weight of the car, though it remains predictable and stable in corners, be it a FWD petrol or AWD diesel.

Braking is by big ventilated discs all around (340mm fr / 314mm rr), which is nice to know when towing comes into the picture. The pedal is nice and progressive and stopping power is strong.

Parking is surprisingly straight-forward given the size of this truckster and three rows of seats, with the Highlander’s 3D surround view function and digital interior mirror welcome.

The latter frees up rear vision when headrest, passengers or big loads get in the way, but I know I’m not alone in finding these camera-based systems disconcerting initially because of their limited depth-of-field.

The front seats remain comfortable in the face of long stints behind the wheel, although the rear seats feel relatively flat and firm.

In terms of ergonomics, the blend of screen-based and physical controls is spot-on.

Safety’s a tough subject when it comes to the Palisade. After more than 18 months on sale here the superceded model has only just been assessed by ANCAP, and mainly because it scored less than 80 per cent in the adult occupant protections test, and a less than 70 per cent safety assist examination, it was handed a four- out of five-star rating.

But additional active and passive safety tech, including ‘Multi-anti-Collision Brake’ which reduces the risk of additional impacts after a crash, rear brake assist, and inclusion of a front centre airbag has redressed the balance, and this car scores five stars against 2022 ANCAP criteria. The floor and side structure have also been reinforced.

Standard crash-avoidance tech also includes, blind-spot monitoring and ‘Collision Avoidance Assist’, driver attention monitoring, AEB (up to highway speed with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection, and ‘Junction Turning’ function), ‘High Beam Assist’, ‘Speed Limit Assist’, lane following and lane keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise, and tyre pressure monitoring. There’s more, but you get the idea.

If a crash is unavoidable, as well as the new front centre airbag, there are front and side bags in the first row, as well as side curtains covering all three rows.

For securing child seats or baby capsules, there are two or three top tethers in the second row (depending on seven-or eight-seat configuration) and another two in the outer positions of the third row. There are two ISOFIX mounts in the second row, and one in the back.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has the same warranty as the rest of the range at five years/unlimited km. The battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty, which is pretty standard for hybrids.

Servicing is required every 10,000km/12months, however, the costs were yet to be finalised at the time of publishing.

Hyundai covers the Palisade with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard in the mainstream market now.

12 months roadside assistance is provided, which is renewed for another year every time you service your vehicle at an authorised Hyundai dealer - up to a maximum 10 years.

Service is recommended every 12 months or 15,000km, and pre-paid capped price servicing is available across various agreed time and distance combinations.