Palisade four-star crash shock

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has issued a shock four-star safety rating to Hyundai’s family-sized seven-seat SUV, the Palisade.

The result, which applies to all diesel-powered LX2-series Palisade variants sold in Australia and New Zealand from November 2020, composed scores of 79 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 88 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 63 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection and 63 per cent in the area of Safety Assist.

ANCAP said the combination of a sub-80 per cent grade in the Adult Occupant Protection category and sub-70 per cent score in the area of Safety Assist prevented the Palisade from achieving a five-star result.

“The Hyundai Palisade fell short in two of the four key areas of assessment, which unfortunately has seen it unable to meet the top level of safety that families and fleets have come to expect,” explained ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.

Ms Hoorweg said that as the only top-10 selling model within the Large SUV under $70,000 segment without an independent safety rating, the Hyundai Palisade was put through its paces against the current 2020-2022 test and rating criteria. All other models within the segment hold a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

According to ANCAP, the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane keeping assistance (LKA) systems fitted to the Palisade “lack the sophistication of systems fitted to peer vehicles assessed against the same criteria and have limited its rating within the Safety Assist area of the assessment”.

ANCAP said the Palisade was further letdown by its back of AEB junction functionality, multi-collision braking system and speed limit (speed sign) information system. Further, it said the model’s emergency lane keeping functionality is “limited” in terms of operation.

In terms of the Palisade’s physical crash performance, a Marginal score was achieved for the chest of the driver in the oblique pole test. ANCAP also said that whiplash protection for second- and third-row occupants “could be improved”.

The safety body also noted that the Palisade is not offered with a head-protecting centre airbag, but says the fixture is not a “prescribed prerequisite for achieving a five-star rating”.

“ANCAP’s role is to provide clear, reliable and independent consumer information for the broadest possible range of popular-selling models, and this rating and timing of the upcoming model update represents an opportunity for Hyundai to factor in the necessary safety-related upgrades to elevate the Palisade to five stars,” added Ms Hoorweg.

“This is an extremely competitive market and segment, so we’d encourage Hyundai to do what they can to bring the Palisade to equal footing with its competitors.

“Thirty-five of the 37 new models rated by ANCAP to our current 2020-2022 criteria – including the Hyundai Staria, Staria Load, Tucson and Ioniq 5 – have achieved five-star ANCAP safety ratings, and this highlights the great work Hyundai and other vehicle manufacturers are doing to prioritise safety and provide their customers with the safest vehicles they can.”

The updated Hyundai Palisade is set for launch in Q3 of this year.