2022 Hyundai Palisade facelift spied again, one step closer to Australia

The facelifted 2022 Hyundai Palisade large family SUV continues to undergo testing in South Korea – and the latest photos provide our first glimpse at its interior, ahead of first Australian showroom arrivals expected before the end of this year,

While the Palisade has only been on sale in Australia since late 2020, it arrived in Hyundai US showrooms in 2019 – meaning it's in line for a mid-life facelift in 2022, with spy photos pointing to new exterior styling inspired by the smaller Tucson, additional technology, and interior updates.

Exterior photos published in recent months show Hyundai's largest SUV will gain a restyled front fascia with a grille pattern inspired by the jewel-like design of the smaller Tucson, upgraded LED headlights with revised vertical signatures, and new alloy wheel designs.

A new video posted by Woopa TV on YouTube provides our first clear look at the updated Palisade's interior, which retains the twin-screen layout and centre console of the current model, but gains a new steering wheel from the Sonata sedan and Tucson SUV.

Of greater interest is the centre touchscreen, which appears to have been enlarged to a 12.3-inch display – judging by the smaller bezels compared to today's car – per other recent Hyundai and Kia models, replacing the current Palisade Elite and Highlander's 10.25-inch screen.

Behind the new steering wheel, this Palisade prototype features the same combination of analogue dials and a 7.0-inch digital display as the current model sold in Australia.

A fully-digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster has been available in the US since the Hyundai Palisade launched in 2019 – but this option has never been available in Australia (likely as it has not been engineered for right-hand drive), and it's not clear if this will change with the facelifted model.

Spy photographers have also caught a new six-seat model, similar to the option recently added to the Hyundai group's three-row Genesis GV80 and Hyundai Santa Fe SUVs.

There's no word on if the facelifted Palisade will receive any safety upgrades – though the only technology offered within the Hyundai range not available with the Palisade is Remote Smart Parking Assist, which allows the car to be driven in or out of a parking space from the key fob, when standing alongside the vehicle.

Under the bonnet, it's likely the updated Palisade will retain its choice of a 217kW/355Nm 3.8-litre non-turbo petrol V6 with front-wheel drive, or a 147kW/440Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel with all-wheel drive.

While all-wheel drive is available with the petrol V6 overseas, Hyundai is yet to engineer it for right-hand drive, citing packaging issues specific to swapping the position of the steering wheel to the right side. The same issue is faced by the related Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento SUVs.

Hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions are available with the Santa Fe and Sorento around the world, but no such options are available with the Hyundai Palisade – though once again, it's not clear if such options will be introduced with the facelifted model.

The 2022 Hyundai Palisade is expected to be revealed in full in the coming months.

While Australian arrival timing is yet to be locked in, Drive expects the updated family SUV to arrive in local showrooms in the second half of 2022.

All photos via The Korean Car Blog and Autospy.