MG Im6 vs Hyundai Palisade

What's the difference?

A super solid first outing from the IM brand. Don't let the pricing fool you, there is still bang for buck on offer in the IM6 Performance, even if it at times feels a bit too digital for my tastes.

So, is the new Palisade a luxury mainstream family transporter or a premium-priced SUV without the premium badge?

The reality is, it’s somewhere in the middle. The $14,000 price rise is a huge step up for family buyers, likely an insurmountable sum for many, which leaves them looking at the more affordable (but smaller) Santa Fe, waiting for a cheaper Palisade variant or going somewhere else entirely.

Having said all that, there’s no question, for those who can afford it, the new Palisade is a clear upgrade over the old model in every way. Especially the premium look and feel, which is a leap up, but also the driving experience, with its combination of potent but efficient powertrain and locally-tuned suspension.

So, for those who can afford it, the Palisade Calligraphy will provide a luxury experience at a lower price - which means it does offer good value, just at a higher price.

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

I feel almost mean saying this, because there will be plenty of people who like the way the IM6 looks, and I don’t want to rain on their parade. But… I’m not one of them.

It reminds me a bit of the pre-facelift Tesla Model Y, in that it’s largely feature-less and a bit blobby, and there’s not a sharp angle anywhere to be found on the thing. Premium to me means powerful and assured — picture just about any Audi — whereas I just find this a bit bland and soft.

Anyway, I do like the big alloys, the insulated glass roof and the light treatment front and rear.

And I like the cabin. The seats aren’t leather, but they’re super thick and comfortable, and there is a genuinely premium air in the cabin, helped by the acreage of screens and the quality elements, like the little door panels.

The doors unlatch electrically, matching the pop-out door handles outside, but they can be a bit fidgety. Someone from MG told me how they worked (you kind of cover the handle and let the door come to you) but I watched everyone else who tried to open them struggle. If you're at the point where you have to explain how a door handle works, you might have over-egged the pudding.

The second screen below the main one acts a bit like a mobile phone. You can alter your home screen widgets and access the main menu, even as Apple CarPlay is synched at the top. You’ll get used to it, I’m sure, but I found it to be a bit fidgety.

Actually it reminds me a little bit of the Lexus trackpad, or whatever that hateful system was called, where you controlled the main screen via a little mousepad thing, though happily it’s nowhere near as annoying as that was.

Unlike many of its rivals that adopt a common design theme, Hyundai has made sure each of its models is dramatically different visually.

While there are some common elements that tie them together, comparing the new Palisade to the rest of Hyundai’s SUV range it’s clearly very different. 

For the Palisade that means a deliberately big and bold exterior, with the vertically stacked headlights and large grille to create a unique look compared to either the Santa Fe or Ioniq 9. It’s the same at the rear, with more vertically stacked tail-lights. 

That bold, premium design theme carries over to the interior, where there are some unmistakable Hyundai elements - like the steering wheel - but the soft, curved lines of the dashboard give it a distinct look compared to anything else the brand is offering at the moment.

Hyundai says the interior is inspired by premium furniture design and that rings true, but it’s also a noticeably tall dashboard, which gives a lot of visual depth to the interior.

To emphasise the premium furniture design and the flagship-nature of the Calligraphy, there are four different colour options for the Nappa leather interior - black, brown, dark charcoal (with brown stitching) and light grey/dark navy.

The IM6 measures 4904mm long, 1988mm wide and 1669mm tall, and it rides on a 2950mm wheelbase, with IM describing it as a "mid-large SUV", though I expect it will be classed as a medium SUV Australia.

That said, ICE and EV mid-size electric SUVs are not cut from the same cloth, with the latter making use of a flat floor to maximise space. And so it is with the IM6, where backseat room is pretty damn impressive. I’m 175cm, and I had no problem at all with legroom or headroom, plus the same plush seats from up there are in the back, too.

There are also air vents but no temperature controls, and while there are USB ports, there is no regular household-style plug in the cabin. 

The glass in the windows is laminated, while the roof is double glazed, which MG tells me is Australian summer-proof, but I guess we'll know for sure in a couple of months.

There’s no shortage of cargo room either. There’s a 32-litre frunk up front, and there’s 646 litres in the boot with the rear seats in place. They’re 60/40 split, and if you drop them, luggage space grows to 1621 litres.

The towing capacity is a braked 1500kg, too, but I don’t expect to see many of these towing a camper trailer around.

The new Palisade is bigger in every dimension compared to the old model, and that helps translate into a roomy cabin, which in turn does help make it feel more premium.

As mentioned earlier, the Palisade comes with Hyundai’s Digital Key 2.0, which allows you to have a virtual key on your compatible smartphone, so you can lock/unlock and start the car without a physical key. The new fingerprint scanner, which is a small circular scanner in the centre console, allows you to program your Palisade to start by pressing your finger on the scanner.

While the Digital Key is a great concept and has obvious practical benefits, the fingerprint scanner doesn’t make much sense when you can also start the car by pressing the ‘start’ button.

Anyway, once you’re inside, the driver is treated to Hyundai’s ‘Ergo-motion’ seat, which can provide on-the-go massage. Both front seats are the brand’s relaxation seats, which can recline into a more comfortable position if you need to take a nap (obviously not when you’re driving).

In the second row the Palisade comes standard with a three-person bench, but for $1000 you can swap that out for a pair of captain’s chairs. Hyundai expects the split between these to be an even 50-50.

The third row is also a three-person bench, which means the Palisade can accommodate up to eight occupants, if needed. The third row would only accommodate three adults at a squeeze, but would be fine for younger children.

The second row seats can tilt out of the way at the press of a button, to make getting into the third row easier.

What’s really impressive about the Palisade Calligraphy cabin is the level of detail paid to making sure each seat is well looked after. Naturally there are cup/bottle holders and other small item storage spaces, but both the second and third rows get air-conditioning controls as well as heated seats (for the outboard positions), plus there are six 100W USB-C ports spread around the cabin. The front seats are heated and ventilated, and there’s also a UV sterilisation compartment in the front as well as a wireless charging pad.

Out the back the boot is a respectable 300 litres with the third row in use, but it expands to a roomy 712 litres with the third row stowed. 

If you do need to fold down either the second or third row seats, you can do it at the press of a button in the boot. There’s also a 240-volt household outlet in the boot which allows you to run small electric devices.

Hyundai has opted to launch with only the Calligraphy grade for now, but that won’t be the end of the Palisade range. The more rugged XRT Pro variant will be coming in 2026, but no details are locked in just yet in terms of timing or pricing.

So, for now there is just one Palisade to pick, the Calligraphy priced from $89,900 (plus on-road costs). That’s a whopping $14,000 more expensive than the model it replaces, which is a huge jump regardless of the many changes Hyundai has made.

To be fair to Hyundai, the range-topping Kluger Hybrid Grande will set you back $85,135 (plus on-roads), so they’re in the same ballpark. But both are quite pricey for mainstream, family SUVs, especially in the current economic times.

Fortunately, Hyundai has been very generous with standard equipment, befitting the Calligraphy badge. This includes 21-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, sunroof, a 14-speaker Bose sound system, leather-appointed upholstery, inbuilt navigation as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s also Hyundai’s 'Digital Key 2.0', which launched on the recent Ioniq 9 and an all-new fingerprint scanner - more on those below.

This is the real party trick of the IM6, because there’s a nuclear power plant under the metal somewhere. All up, the twin-motor setup produces a total 578kW and 802Nm, though I suspect you’re never accessing all the grunt all at once. Still, 100km/h zips by in 3.4 seconds, and the top speed is 239km/h. For the record, that’s exactly as fast the Ferrari Roma Spider I recently handed back, so yeah, it’s properly supercar quick.

Hyundai has replaced both the old 2.2-litre turbo-diesel and the 3.8-litre V6 petrol with an all-new hybrid powertrain.

Officially known as the 'TMED-II' hybrid system, the set-up combines a new 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a freshly developed hybrid system that integrates two electric motors, instead of just one.

It’s a very complex set-up that Hyundai spent many spreadsheet graphics explaining, but in simple terms, the two motors are mounted between the engine and the transmission and one motor is dedicated to creating power and the second one to drive the wheels.

The end result is the new Palisade makes a healthy 245kW of power and 460Nm of torque, whilst also being quite fuel efficient.

Also on board is a 100kWh Nickel-Cobalt-Magnesium battery that produces a WLTP driving range of 505kms. Pretty good.

Charging is strong, too. The high-tech platform allows for 396kW DC fast charging, which is faster than what is currently offered in Australia. The claim is 30-80 per cent charged in 15 minutes. There’s also an external vehicle-to-load (V2L) port.

Hyundai claims this new hybrid set-up allows for a short amount of all-electric driving range, although it doesn’t reveal how far, but its main priority is to improve fuel economy while creating a viable alternative to the increasingly unpopular turbo-diesel engines.

Which it arguably manages to do quite well. Despite being a full-size SUV capable of accommodating up to eight occupants, the Palisade has a claimed fuel economy rating of just 6.8L/100km, which is an impressively small number for such a sizable vehicle.

While we couldn’t achieve that number on our predominantly open-road test drive, we still returned a solid 8.6L/100km, which is good given the conditions.

The Palisade is fitted with a relatively large 72-litre fuel tank, which means if you can hit the official claim, there is a theoretical driving range of more than 1000km.

First things first, don't get too distracted by the word "performance" here. The IM6 doesn't act like a performance car, it feels bit too plush, and bit too digital, for that.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Performance cars are often loud, raucous and uncomfortable, and the IM6 is none of those things. Instead, those mountains of power and torque make silky, silent progress absolutely effortless, which feels pretty premium to me.

MG makes a big deal of how much work went into insulating the cabin from noise – with active noise cancellation joined by double-paned insulated glass – and it is a properly calming and quiet space.

Also strong is the suspension, with the adaptive air setup soaking up most bumps and bruises, but I found it can clang over really solid bumps, sounding like it's bouncing off a stopper. The steering is solid, too, with a nice weight, if not overly talkative in the feedback department, while the rear-wheel steering helps eat into the turning circle for tight three-point turns.

The downside, though, is that it all feels a little too digital, and like there's been a little too much overthinking gone into it. Having to push a button to see behind you in a hurry is bonkers (see my explanation in the Safety section below), and the secondary screen is more annoying than intuitive. And there were several bings or bongs I couldn't even identify. All of which interrupts the otherwise calming nature of the drive experience.

While it may look like a small engine of paper, the hybrid system provides good performance. It offers plenty of punch when you need it, not labouring up hills or when overtaking. But it’s also very quiet and smooth at lower speeds and when cruising, so the powertrain gets good marks.

The Palisade is also pleasant to drive thanks to its locally-tuned suspension and steering. Hyundai has returned to a local ride and handling program, after wavering in the aftermath of the pandemic. Engineers from Hyundai’s Korean headquarters came out to assist and ensure it was as well suited to our unique road conditions.

The result is a large SUV with good body control but also good compliance, which means it feels responsive to driver inputs but the suspension is still able to soak up bumps with relative ease. At no point does it feel crashy or harsh, instead it has a very relaxed driving character.

Safety was a controversial topic with the first-generation Palisade, with some minor safety systems missed during the rush to get it secured in right-hand drive production, ANCAP decided to test it and publicly slam Hyundai for offering a four-star model. Only to quickly upgrade it to five-stars when Hyundai added the missing safety tech, as planned, when it did the mid-life refresh.

So, after ANCAP’s questionable approach last time, Hyundai took no chances this time around and is confident it will score a maximum five stars when it is tested. No stone was left unturned with the addition of all the required active safety systems and even deleted the central lamp that runs across the grille in other market models.

It has all the usual suspects, including autonomous emergency braking, lane change assist and rear cross-traffic alert, but also gets the more advanced systems like forward junction assist. There are plenty of passive systems, including airbag coverage for all three rows.

Unfortunately, Hyundai still has some work to do on implementing these systems in a seamless manner. The brand has made some improvements, but there are still a lot of ‘bings’ and ‘bongs’ when you change speed limits, veer too close to a lane marking or similar. 

It’s great to have these safety systems, but only if they work well enough so you leave them on and pay attention to them.

The IM6 is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, rather than MG’S 10-year term. Capped-price servicing is offered for the first five years, with your total bill just under $3000. The service intervals are 20,000kms or 12 months.

Hyundai has recently introduced a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which covers the new Palisade.

Of course, Hyundai is one of the best established car brands in the Australian market, and has a nationwide dealership network so factory servicing should be easy for most owners. This is a major advantage in these changing times with some many new brands looking to make a mark in Australia with modest foundations.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, the latter is a bit shorter than average. And the capped price servicing plan only runs for five years. Costs vary from $397 for a minor check-up to $674 for your fourth visit, but over the course of the five years you’ll pay out $2600.