In a period of just one year, Hyundai has launched quite a number of new SUVs in South Africa.

The SUV deployment appears to be reaching a highpoint with the entrance of the Palisade.

This generously sized and Americanesque SUV, is a seven- and an eight-seater. The jury is still out, but chances are, the Palisade may possibly create a buzz in the high-end SUV section.

According to pundits, the SUV has surpassed the hatchback as the highly admired build flair in the passenger-car portion of the domestic new-car market.

Through launching a tidy sum of crossovers and SUVs in just over a year, the Korean car manufacturer has contributed immensely to this craze.

Hyundai’s squad now comprises the Creta, Kona, Santa Fe, Tucson, Venue Kona N Line, Creta and now the R1 million Palisade.

The launch of this generously sized SUV, has put Hyundai in pole position when it comes to the family-car market. The current seven-seater cars are either too small on the third row to carry an average adult or the boot is useless with the third-row seats up.

I bet you my ever-fluctuating rand, which a certain Nomvula promised to pick up, we finally have in our country an SUV that is capable, well-specked and full of all bells and whistles.

I double dare you to dispute my assertion that Hyundai is not here to play games…they are in this business to ruffle some feathers. You better believe me when I say the name Palisade is apt.

The Cambridge dictionary describes a palisade as a strong fence made out of wooden or iron poles that is used to protect people or a place from being attacked. In this instance the Hyundai Palisade will keep the competition at bay.

Family SUV’S like the Volvo XC90, Ford Everest, Toyota Fortuner, Audi Q7 and the likes have six or seven seats but the third row is designed for pleasure of kids and not well-sized chaps like me.

The Kia Sedona is the only car that almost matches the Palisade but neighbours ekasi like to pay you a visit looking all morose, assuming that someone has passed on because usually it (Kia Sedona) is used as a hearse.

The Palisade comes standard with all safety equipment that you will expect in luxury SUVs like the BMW X7 or the Mercedes GLS.

Although it’s a 5m vehicle it handles like a medium-sized sedan. You get more cup holders than passengers and everyone has access to a USB port to charge their devices.

You have enough space to pack your luggage even when the third-row seats are up. The seats are full leather to cater for spillages from the young ones. The digital cockpit is 12.3-inch and the media display is 10-inch big.

It comes standard with 18- or 20-inch wheels that make handling this giant feel like a go cart.

There is no body roll and large families will love it. This machine is powered by a famous Hyundai 2.2L diesel engine matched to a well calibrated eight-speed gearbox.

Although it weighs almost 2 tons, it only consumes around 8.2 litres of fuel for 100km.
Naturally, this vehicle is not a sprinter but fast enough for its size and effortlessly overtakes on the freeway.

It is equipped with a special mirror to spy on the young one’s next to the rear-view mirror. And special push-button speakers to give orders in case they misbehave.

All this comes standard with an 84 month or 200,000kms peace of mind warranty.

The base price is just shy of a R1 million, at R999,900 for both seven- and eight-seaters. The service plan is seven years or 150,000km.

This is indeed the best family mover with a reasonable price and is functional for both city driving and long journeys.

For that price and class, it will be a monumental task for the competition be break through the Palisade.