NZ-accredited assessor notes revised edition en route to NZ might do better than original format put to test

CRASH test agency criticisms of the largest Hyundai sold here could well be addressed by an updated model set to land later this year.

The Australasian Crash Assessment Programme (ANCAP) has decided the 2022 Hyundai Palisade should be meted a four-star safety rating, making it the only vehicle in the Large SUV segment to not receive a five-star score from the independent assessor, which receives funding from New Zealand government agencies.

The score is specific to the first generation Palisade, which has been in production since 2018 but didn’t come to NZ until 2019.

The big seven-seater has just undergone a big mid-life refresh, already on sale in the United States, where Palisades for Australasia are built.

Hyundai NZ has confirmed it will start selling the updated car from later this year, from now on only in diesel format as the V6 petrol’s economy and CO2 emissions are too hostile under Clean Car. As is, the diesel attracts a CO2 penalty.

ANCAP tested the Palisade to a 2020-2022 criteria more stringent than the regime it went through when launched in North America.

The test in Melbourne decided the model was deserving of a “marginal” rating for driver’s chest protection in the oblique pole test – an assessment for results between “weak” and “adequate”.

Vulnerable Road User Protection (for pedestrians) and Safety Assist (crash-avoidance technology) segments of the assessment both fell short of the scores required to earn an overall five-star safety rating.

“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,” ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg said comment shared to media.

However, ANCAP says the mid-life update will include upgrades to some of the car’s safety systems that could make a difference. Because of this, the refreshed product will also be assessed in due course.

Hoorweg noted that 35 of the 37 new models rated by ANCAP to the 2020-2022 criteria – including Hyundai’s Staria in passenger and commercial configurations, Tucson and Ioniq 5 – achieved five-star ANCAP safety ratings.

“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.”