2023 Hyundai Palisade vs Mitsubishi Outlander

What's the difference?

This upgraded Palisade has the refinement, practicality, and value to stand up as a quality option for those seeking big family accommodation. It’s nicely put together, safety’s top-shelf, and it certainly stands out from the crowd.

A hybrid powertrain would be nice, because the V6 particularly, likes a drink. But given the new Sante Fe will offer hybrid power later this year, maybe that’ll come in time.

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

The Mitsubishi Outlander LS Black Edition scores big marks for practicality as long as you don’t think of it as a conventional seven-seater. Treat it as a five-seater, with the super-handy option of squeezing a couple of kids into the occasional third row for short trips, and you’ll be laughing.

It’s comfortable, refined and fuel-efficient, but it isn’t perfect. Side curtain airbags not covering those ‘+2’ third row seats is a safety miss. The exterior design, especially at the front, is polarising (my guess is mostly to one pole). And the lengthy warranty hand-cuffing you to Mitsubishi network service to enable an ‘extra’ five years’ cover feels awkward.  

However, the closer is solid value-for-money. It not only passes the family practicality and flexibility test, it’s keenly priced and well-equipped relative to mid-size competitors.   

It feels like the Palisade’s only been around for five minutes, but closing in on two years is the reality, and it’s been on-sale elsewhere since 2018, so a design refresh is timely.

This is a big canvas to work with, and you’d never guess the US is a prime market for this model. 

Up front, the already sizable grille is squarer and even more imposing, while the LED headlights are vertically-stacked down each side, and the indicators are hidden behind shaded geometric pieces extending out from the top of the grille. 

For car spotters, the Palisade Elite’s grille is tinted predominantly black, while the Highlander’s has bright accents.

The 20-inch alloy wheels are the same size but new design on both grades, and the Highlander features satin chrome door handles and rocker sill panels.

At the back the full-width high-mount stop light is upgraded to LED, the tail-lights are revised, and the exhaust outlets have been squared off.

Things have changed inside, too. The centre air vent is more neatly integrated, the new-look steering wheel has four spokes, plus there’s a 12.3-inch HD multimedia screen, and 12.3-inch digital instrument display on both models.

There’s also an adjustable centre armrest, the indicator stalks have been massaged into a more geometric shape, and overall there’s a nice blend of screen functionality and physical controls.

The look is distinctively assertive outside and that little bit sleeker inside.

Say what you like about the current Mitsubishi Outlander, but there’s no doubt the design of the car’s ‘face’ is distinctive.

The large grille section consists of an upright lower panel and sloping, broadening, slotted upper piece. Big splashes of curved chrome run down the sides, at the same time defining the slim, angular daytime running lights above.

Then, more upright headlight units sit on top of separate fog lights, the entire combination topped by ‘Outlander’ script in proud relief along the bonnet’s leading edge, the latter obviously inspired by Range Rover’s long-established badge treatment.   

The rest of the exterior is more conventional, with - surprise, surprise - the Black Edition defined by a whole bunch of black stuff.

Everything from the 20-inch alloy wheels to the front and rear skid plates, exterior mirror housings and the grille are blacked out.

And the theme carries over inside with a sleek and comfy combination of black synthetic suede and synthetic leather on the seats (with contrast stitching), a black laser-etched panel in the front centre console around the gearshift, black headlining and black front pillar trim.

Overall, the interior is simple, understated and functional with a common-sense mix of physical and digital controls, as well as soft-touch materials where it counts.

Does large scale automatically deliver big practicality? Well, in this case the answer is yes. Big doors and heaps of interior space combine with thoughtful storage options, to deliver family-friendly practicality.

There’s hectares of room in the front as well as two lidded bins, one large one between the seats, the top of which doubles as a centre armrest, and a smaller box in the centre console, containing two expandable cupholders. The console is also a two tier arrangement with an awkward to reach into but still handy oddments tray on the lower level.

The glove box is a decent size, as are the door pockets, complete with a sculpted area for large bottles. 

Move to the centre row and you’ll slide into one of two ‘captains chairs’ in the seven-seat configuration, complete with adjustable ‘wing’-type headrests on the Highlander, familiar to any seasoned air traveller. It’s a three-position bench in the eight-seater.

If space is luxury, middle seaters in the Palisade cop a five-star experience. There’s ample head, leg and shoulder room, with enough space for three child seats or baby capsules across in the eight seat set-up. 

An ability to slide the centre seats fore and aft should quell any turf wars between second and third row occupants (although the backrest recline function could heat this up again), pull-up window shades are a plus, and there’s adjustable ventilation control as part of the three-zone climate system.   

Storage includes a large and small cupholder in each door, as well as a bottle holder underneath, map pockets on the front seats backs (with smartphone-sized pouches built-in), and another pair of cupholders on the centre armrest on eight-seat versions.

Tilt and slide the second-row seat via a one-touch ‘Walk-in’ function, and you have low-stress access to three third-row positions.

Legroom is okay for me at 183cm (with the middle row in a reasonable position), and headroom is fine. When it comes to width, adults will need to be on good terms to share the space on what would hopefully be a short trip. But up to mid-teens won’t have a problem, especially as these seats recline, too.

You’re even looked after with ventilation (in the roof), dual cupholders either side and USB power outlets.

Speaking of which, there’s a pair of Type-C USB outlets for power in each row (total six) with a single USB-A port in the front for media connection. Add two 12V sockets in the front, plus another in the second row and devices won’t be going short on charge.

And how’s this for a party trick? Hyundai has created a media cable tunnel between the top and lower tiers of the front centre console, to keep unwieldy cables under control. Plus, the wireless device charging pad has been upgraded to 15-watts for quicker turnaround.

Also worth noting a ‘Quiet Mode’ function limits audio volume in the first row and mutes it in the second two. Nice for parents with sleeping kids (or those with the Airpods in) in the back, who would still like some musical company up front.

With all three rows upright, boot space is 311 litres (VDA), which is enough to be useful for day trips when you have a full house on-board. Fold the third row and that grows to 704 litres, and with the second and third rows down you’re at 2447 litres, and that’s plenty.

There are tie-down anchors and bag hooks galore, the loading height is manageable (there’s only a modest lip to deal with), a hands-free, speed- and height-adjustable power tailgate is standard on both grades, and there’s a full-size alloy spare on-board.

At just over 4.7m long, close to 1.9m wide and 1.75m tall, the Outlander is a ‘large’ medium-size SUV.

There’s lots of breathing room up front and the car is wide enough that the driver and front passenger aren’t bursting each other's personal space bubbles.  

Within the car’s overall footprint, a 2.7m wheelbase (the distance between the axles) is pretty generous and rear seat room is good, too.

Sitting behind the driver’s seat set for my 183cm position I enjoyed more than adequate head, leg and shoulder room.

Three full-size adults across the second row are okay for up to medium length trips, thanks in no small part to a flat rear floor. And depending on the child seats or boosters you’re working with, three-abreast for smaller humans should be do-able, as well.

Storage options in the front include a medium-size lidded box between the seats (which doubles as a centre armrest), a reasonable glove box, two big cupholders in the centre console and generous bins in the doors with space for large bottles.

The wireless charging pad is handy for your phone (even when it’s not charging) as well as other bits and pieces. And an overhead bin flips down for your sunnies.

There are directional air vents for those in the rear with storage running to a shelf underneath the vents, map pockets on both front seat backs, two large cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest and slots in the doors, again with space for larger bottles.

Move to the third row, and… you’ll be cramped. Mitsubishi is up front in positioning this car as a ‘5+2’, meaning full-time seating for five and (very much) part-time seating for two.

Those two in the way-back seats will be small kids, on short trips, and even then, the sliding (and reclining) middle row will need to move forward quite a bit to accommodate their legs. Adults? Forget it.

Power and connectivity options include primary USB-A and USB-C sockets for media in the dash plus another two outlets in the rear for power only. There are 12-volt plugs in the front and the boot.

Speaking of which, the boot will accommodate 163 litres (VDA) worth of stuff (to the top of the seats) with the third row upright, which is enough for some shopping bags, school bags, etc.

Folding that 50/50 split-folding row down means removing the ludicrously long (but undoubtedly effective) head restraints for a flat-floor load space of 478 litres (VDA).

We were able to load in the large CarsGuide pram, with room to spare, and our three-piece luggage set (36L, 95L and 124L) was also swallowed easily.

Lower the 40/20/40 split-fold second row seat and you have 1461 litres (VDA - to the roof) at your disposal. 

There are small storage areas either side of the load space behind the wheel tubs and tie-down anchors to help keep loose loads under control.

The Outlander LS Black Edition is rated to tow a 1.6-tonne braked trailer (750kg unbraked) with ‘Trailer Stability Assist’ standard, and the spare is a space-saver.

At $41,490, before on-road costs, the Outlander LS Black Edition is a ‘5+2’ rather than a full-time seven-seater. But there’s no doubt it will be cross-shopped with other large/medium three-row SUVs like the Nissan X-Trail ST-L 7 Seat ($46,290), Skoda Kodiaq Style 132TSI ($51,490) and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 132TSI Life ($48,490).

Worth noting those three competitors are all all-wheel drive, which no doubt contributes to the higher price points. But we’re still well below the Genesis GV80, Land Rover Discovery and Mercedes-Benz GLBs of this world.

And if you’re fine with front-wheel drive, as the Outlander is, that makes this Mitsubishi a potential value-for-money winner against its competitive set.

So, aside from the performance and safety tech we’ll cover later in this review, what features are included as standard in the Outlander LS Black Edition? 

For a start, you can expect dual-zone climate control, a 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen, Android Auto and (wireless) Apple CarPlay, sat-nav, six-speaker audio (with digital radio), power-adjustable driver’s seat, keyless entry and start, cruise control, a 7.0-inch ‘Multi Information Display’ in the instrument binnacle, and a wireless charging pad.

Plus there are LED headlights, tail-lights, DRLs and fog lights, a leather-bound steering wheel and gearshift, a combination of synthetic suede and synthetic leather seat trim and 20-inch alloy wheels.

That’s solid for a car in the around $40K bracket, but it pays to remember your front passenger will be adjusting their seat manually and the tailgate is of the open-and-close-it-yourself variety.

For those adjustments in electronic form, as well as a head-up display and other bits and pieces you’ll need to step up to the Aspire grade at $44,240, before on-roads. Still good value.

Engine choice is unchanged with a 3.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol V6 in front-wheel drive variants, and a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four powering all-wheel drive models. Both are matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The ‘Lambda II’ petrol V6 is an all-alloy unit, featuring direct-injection, and variable valve timing on the inlet and exhaust side (D-CVVT) to produce 217kW at 6000rpm and 355Nm at 5200rpm.

The ‘R series’ diesel four features an iron block and alloy head, a single turbo and direct-injection to deliver 147kW at 3800rpm and 440Nm from 1750-2750rpm.

Tweaks to the eight-speed auto transmission include a new carrier for the rear gear set, low-friction sealing at key points, a revised input shaft, an updated selection actuator, lower viscosity oil, and a dual-chamber design torque converter on diesel models.

The Outlander LS Black Edition is powered by a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

It produces 135kW at 6000rpm and 244Nm at 3600rpm, sending drive to the front wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission.

Hyundai’s official fuel economy figure for the Palisade FWD petrol on the combined cycle is 10.7L/100km, the V6 emitting 251g/km of CO2 in the process. The equivalent numbers are 7.3L/100km and 193g/km for the AWD 2.2-litre turbo-petrol four.

Nothing to set the world on fire, but it’s worth remembering this is a properly big, roughly two tonne, three-row SUV. That said, although the launch drive included a small amount of city and suburban traffic, freeway running was over-represented, so we’ll wait for a full road-test to capture real-world figures.

The tank holds 71 litres on both versions, which using the quoted consumption number, translates to a range of around 660km for the petrol and 970km for the diesel.

Mitsubishi’s official fuel economy number for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 7.7L/100km, the 2.5-litre petrol four emitting 174g/km of CO2 in the process.

Over a week of city, suburban and some freeway running, we averaged 8.9L/100km, which is pretty impressive for a close to 1.7-tonne, seven-seat SUV.

Minimum fuel requirement is 91 RON ‘standard’ unleaded and you’ll need 55 litres of it to fill the tank.

Using the official economy number, that translates to a range of around 715km, which drops to just under 620km using our real-world figure.

Not surprisingly, the drive characteristics of petrol and diesel Palisade models differ. The naturally aspirated petrol V6 lacks the low-down punch of a turbo with maximum torque (355Nm) arriving at 5200rpm. But it’s still strong in the mid-range, and the upside is ultra-smooth and linear power delivery, the peak (217kW) arriving way up at 6000rpm.

As mentioned earlier, choosing petrol automatically means front-wheel drive, which can result in a tendency towards understeer in tighter corners. But over a mix of city, freeway and B-road driving on the launch program there wasn’t a hint of push on the front axle.

Swap to the turbo-diesel four and additional thrust (440Nm) immediately makes its presence felt, but we’re not talking sports car acceleration here. 

It might pull hard initially but the diesel Palisade runs out of puff at higher revs, with peak power (147kW) hitting at 3800rpm, and you can expect it to accelerate from 0-100km/h in around 10 seconds. The free-revving (and circa 90kg lighter) petrol Palisade will hit the same mark in roughly eight seconds.

The AWD diesel brings extra security on loose or slippery surfaces like the track to your favourite camping spot, a cheeky trip to the snow, or negotiating the local boat ramp. 

Speaking of which, braked trailer towing capacity for petrol and diesel versions is 2.2 tonnes, which means a big dual-axle caravan is off the agenda, although a single axle camper-trailer or hitching up the tinnie will be fine. A trailer pre-wiring package is standard.

For the more adventurous types the approach, departure and break-over angles are 18.5, 20.3, and 17.9 degrees respectively.

The upgraded eight-speed auto transmission is smooth with both models featuring wheel-mounted shift paddles for when you want to take control.

What was that about the Palisade being big? At just under 5.0m long it’s a sizeable machine and suspension is strut front / multi-link rear, with new selective dampers and revised spring rates on both models.

The tricky dampers feature an additional sliding valve (below the main fixed valve) to better control frequency, and it’s worth noting that unlike other recent Hyundai models where the suspension has been tuned locally, the Palisade’s final ‘global’ suspension configuration was finalised at Hyundai’s Namyang R&D centre in South Korea.

There was Aussie input along the way, though, and on the basis of this first drive the overall result is a positive one.

Ride quality, even over coarse and pock-marked backroads and riding on 20-inch rims, is good, with minimal engine and wind noise intruding thanks in part to more sound insulation, thicker rear door glass, better body sealing and revised drivetrain mountings to minimise vibration.

With revised bearing, the electric power steering is nicely weighted and pleasingly progressive. Not a stand-out in terms of road feel, but not tragic, either.

You can feel the weight of the car, though it remains predictable and stable in corners, be it a FWD petrol or AWD diesel.

Braking is by big ventilated discs all around (340mm fr / 314mm rr), which is nice to know when towing comes into the picture. The pedal is nice and progressive and stopping power is strong.

Parking is surprisingly straight-forward given the size of this truckster and three rows of seats, with the Highlander’s 3D surround view function and digital interior mirror welcome.

The latter frees up rear vision when headrest, passengers or big loads get in the way, but I know I’m not alone in finding these camera-based systems disconcerting initially because of their limited depth-of-field.

The front seats remain comfortable in the face of long stints behind the wheel, although the rear seats feel relatively flat and firm.

In terms of ergonomics, the blend of screen-based and physical controls is spot-on.

Close to 4.7m long and tipping the scales at 1660kg, the Outlander LS Black Edition is a substantial rather than large front-wheel drive SUV.

Its 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine produces 135kW and 244Nm with that second, peak pulling power figure arriving at a relatively high 3600rpm.

You can expect 0-100km/h acceleration in around 10 seconds which is pretty handy, if not exactly earth-shattering.

Yet, the Outlander is a pleasant machine to drive - quiet, refined and with enough oomph to get the job done in the cut-and-thrust of suburban traffic and cruise comfortably once out of town.

I'm not a fan of CVT autos, but the unit fitted to the Outlander is one of the better ones, minimising the usual disconnect between road speed and engine rpm.

The suspension (strut front, multi-link rear) is comfy, even over less than perfect urban surfaces, steering feel is good, and the body remains stable in the bends.

That cornering performance is also helped by the (255/45) Bridgestone Ecopia rubber, designed specifically for SUVs and 4WDs. They’re economy-focused but grip hard, without a hint of squeal in tight cornering.

Braking is firm and progressive with (350mm) ventilated discs at the front and (330mm) solid rotors at the rear.

Under the heading of miscellaneous observations, the front seats remain comfortable and supportive after lengthy stints behind the wheel. An 11.2m turning circle isn’t tiny so it pays to plan ahead for U- or three-point turns. And all-around vision is good, with the exception of the enormous third row headrests. If there’s no one in those seats, make sure to remove them and pack the seat flat.

The Mitsubishi Outlander scored a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment in 2022 and the active (crash avoidance) tech is impressive.

The standard suite includes lane departure warning and departure prevention, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, AEB operational from 5.0-110km/h (with forward collision warning, junction assist and pedestrian detection), rear AEB (below 15km/h), fatigue monitoring, auto rain-sensing wipers, traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera. 

If, despite all that, a crash is unavoidable there are eight airbags on-board - front and side bags for the driver and front passenger, side curtains, a driver’s knee bag and a front centre bag to minimise head clash and other injuries in a side impact.

Important to note the head-protecting side curtain airbags cover the first and second rows but not the third. Less than ideal.

There are three top tether points across the back seat for location of baby capsules and/or child seats, with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions. 

Hyundai covers the Palisade with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard in the mainstream market now.

12 months roadside assistance is provided, which is renewed for another year every time you service your vehicle at an authorised Hyundai dealer - up to a maximum 10 years.

Service is recommended every 12 months or 15,000km, and pre-paid capped price servicing is available across various agreed time and distance combinations.

Mitsubishi Australia covers the Outlander with a 10-year/200,000 km warranty, with five-year corrosion (perforation) protection also included.

That’s double the time period offered by the majority of brands in the local new car market, however an unlimited kilometre term is more typical. And… there’s a catch.

To qualify for the 10-year cover Mitsubishi says, “The vehicle must have had ALL scheduled services performed within the authorised Mitsubishi Dealer Network (from the first service onwards).” 

Have the vehicle serviced outside the Mitsubishi network, or not in accordance with the service schedule, and you’re looking at five years/100,000km.

Speaking of servicing, capped pricing is available for 10 years/150,000km, with the lowest annual cost being $299, and the highest (year 10) coming in at $849. The annual average over that period is $434. Not outrageous, but not especially sharp, either.

Also worth noting, roadside assistance is complimentary for the first year, renewed annually for up to four years, again, if you have your Outlander serviced by an authorised Mitsubishi dealer.