10 minute read
Motoring
NEW CAR SALES UP IN 2022 DESPITE SUPPLY ISSUES
Toyota HiLux is Australia’s biggest-selling vehicle for the 7th straight year
By ALISTAIR KENNEDY
The Federal Chamber Of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has released the fnal Australian motor vehicle sales fgures for 2022.
Despite demand exceeding supply as a result of the usual suspects, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, the Australian automotive market still recorded sales of 1,081,429 new vehicles – an increase of 3% over 2021 sales.
For the 20th straight year Toyota was Australia’s top selling car brand with 231,050 units, an increase of 3.3%. Although Mazda sales declined by 5.3% it remained in clear second place with 95,718 sales, with Kia fnishing third (its highest-ever position) with an increase of 15.3% and overtaking Korean sibling Hyundai (5th) for the frst time.
MG (7th) continued to grow strongly with an increase of 27% over 2021 sales while Isuzu UTE (9th) made the top ten for the frst time.
SUVs and light commercials accounted for 76.8 per cent of sales and comprised eight of the top 10 vehicles with only Toyota Corolla (6th) and Hyundai i30 (10th) preventing a cleansweep.
For the seventh straight year the topselling Australian vehicle was Toyota HiLux with 64,391 sales, well ahead of Ford Ranger (47,479) and RAV4 (34,845).
Battery electric vehicles accounted for 3.1 per cent of total sales with a total of 33,410 units, well up on the 5,149 in 2021. Add 81,786 Hybrids and 5,937 Plug-In Hybrids (PHEV) and the future is clear.
FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said the pathway through COVID recovery, microprocessor shortages and bottlenecks due to global shipping issues had created great challenges for car makers and their dealer networks in 2022.
“While 2022 has been a year of resilience and recovery, 2023 is shaping up as one of the most signifcant in recent history, particularly in terms of the development of policies that set the direction for the future decarbonisation of the light vehicle feet.
UPGRADE ADDS EXTRA FEATURES TO HYUNDAI VENUE
Hyundai Venue has compact styling with touches of small-SUV in its details
By ALISTAIR KENNEDY
Hyundai has given its Venue small SUV its frst upgrade with a number of new and improved features across all three models in the range.
Very much a cityfocused SUV/hatchback crossover, Venue has been in Australia since July, 2019 with steady sales keeping it around the middle of the highly competitive compact SUV market segment.
Externally there are no changes to Venue‘s conservative and functional styling, apart from the previous shark fn external aerial that has been replaced by a pole-style aerial.
Leading the way in the upgrades is the Bluelink connected car system which is being progressively rolled out across the entire Hyundai range.
Standard on the Venue Elite, Bluelink introduces features such as Automatic Collision Notifcation, Natural Voice Control and segment-frst remote vehicle control functionality via the Bluelink smartphone App.
Bluelink and the accompanying connected car services are provided free of charge across the fveyear warranty period.
All Venue models also now come with a smartphone wireless charging for compatible Qi-standard devices. The charging pad is located in a dedicated recess in the front centre console and also has a cooling fan to help prevent the device from overheating while charging.
A new 4.2-inch LCD instrument cluster display is now featured as standard across all 2023 Venue grades. It includes a standard digital speedometer and tachometer and is customisable with three colour scheme selections through system settings. In addition to the previous USB-A multimedia port the MY23 Venue range now also has a USB-C type charging port in the front centre console. The Elite variant adds a pair of USB-C type charging ports for the rear seat passengers including a small storage compartment suitable for mobile phones. Also new in all variants is Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) which detects the entry of occupants via the rear doors opening and closing. When this happens, the system sends an audible warning chime and prompts the driver with a visual warning message to ‘check rear seats’. All models now come with Hyundai’s latest revised steering wheel remote control button layout, improving ease-of-use. The new “Custom” button (denoted by a star) allows the driver to program their desired function, ensuring that their most-used vehicle functions are just at their fngertips.
Elite also gets a new auto-dimming rearview mirror (ECM) as standard.
The MY23 Hyundai Venue is on-sale now although new orders could take between three and six months to be delivered.
FINE RELIEF FOR SAFE MOTORISTS
A re-elected Liberal and Nationals Government will waive the fnes on a range of minor driving offences for motorists who have a three year clean driving record.
From 3 April, eligible motorists will be able to apply to have the fne waived for low level offences including speeding offences under 10km/hr or driving in a bus or transit lane.
School zone, heavy vehicle, red light, mobile phone and speeding offences above 10km per hour will not be eligible under the scheme given the serious safety risks involved.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the initiative struck the right balance, recognising safe driving by providing the one-off waiver for the lowest range road offences.
“For those motorists who have a history of safe driving, this initiative will save them potentially hundreds of dollars if they commit a minor road offence,” Mr Perrottet said.
Minister for Metropolitan Roads Natalie Ward said enhancing road safety was at the core of the policy.
“To be eligible, motorists have to have a clean driving record for three years. This Liberal and Nationals policy rewards good drivers and provides a real incentive to put safety frst, unlike Labor’s policy which focuses on helping serial offenders at risk of losing their licence,” Mrs Ward said.
Minister for Finance Damien Tudehope said greater awareness of the scheme will encourage positive behaviour change.
“Receiving a fne can come as an unwelcome shock but under this policy, motorists will have cause to refect on how an extended clean driving record can bring relief,” Mr Tudehope said.
In 2021, there were 227,500 fnes issued for low level offences to motorists with a three year clean driving record, totalling $39.2 million in fnes.
Hyundai Palisade stands out from the SUV crowd HYUNDAI PALISADE IS BIG AND BOLD
By ALISTAIR KENNEDY
Launched in late 2020 it was given an upgrade in May 2022 with updated exterior and interior design elements, improved safety and tech features.
Palisade comes in two equipment levels, Elite and Highlander, each with the choice of 3.8-litre petrol FWD or 2.2-litre diesel AWD. Prices range from $65,900 for the Elite petrol 2WD to $79,900 for our test vehicle, the Highlander diesel AWD.
STYLING
Not only is Palisade a large vehicle but it has styling that accentuates its bulk, starting from the front with a huge version of the parametric grille that’s being progressively rolled out across the Hyundai range.
The grille is fanked by vertically stacked triple LED headlights, together with similarly shaped taillights, that emphasise the height of the Palisade.
The Highlander variant that we tested came with exclusive design touches, including a satin chrome fnish for the grille with matching badge and skid plate fnishes. There are hidden-type turn signals, body-coloured cladding and exclusive 20-inch wheels with a 15-spoke turbine design.
ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS
The 3.8-litre petrol V6 generates 217 kW of power at 6000 rpm and 5200 Nm of torque with standard unleaded fuel. The 2.2-litre CRDi diesel has less power (147 kW at 3800 rpm) but extra torque (440 Nm between 1750 and 2750 revs).
Both have a recently updated eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
The diesel AWD uses an active on-demand HTRAC system.
INTERIOR
Inside, Palisade comes with a full-width front air vent and a great-looking and feeling four-spoke steering wheel capped off in Highlander with a two-tone fnish.
A foating centre console angles up to merge with the dashboard, with a large space below for outof-sight storage as well as a USB-C and 12V sockets. There’s plenty of additional storage space at the rear of the centre console with two adjustable drink holders and another pair of USB and 12V jacks. Palisade comes with two seating options, the more conventional 3-3-2 eight-seat family-focused arrangement or an executive 3-2-2 sevenseater with a pair of individual captain chairs in the middle row.
The boxy styling of Palisade means there’s excellent headroom in all three seat rows. Legroom is also good with the centre row seats able to slide back and forwards to cater for both easier access and extra comfort to third row passengers.
Highlander also gets heated and ventilated front and second-row seats in both seven- and eight-seat variants as well as quilted seat inserts, quilted and perforated door trim inserts, suede headlining and stainless-steel front speaker grilles.
With all seats in place there’s a reasonable 311 litres of cargo space, expanding to 704 litres with the third-row seatbacks folded and a van-like 2447 litres with all rear seats down. one between the front seats, full-length curtain ‘bags, and lap-sash safety belts for all occupants rather than the normal lap-only belt in the centre-rear spot.
Other advanced safety features come with the Hyundai SmartSense system and include Blind Spot View and CollisionAvoidance Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Forward and Rear Cross-Traffc Collision Avoidance Assist, Lane Following and Lane Keeping Assist, and Safe Exit Assist.
Highlander adds a Blind-Spot View Monitor, Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist and Surround View Monitor.
Palisade is the frst model in the Hyundai range to get the company’s Bluelink Connected Car system with safety features that include automatic collision notifcation and emergency call function.
Other convenience features provided by Bluelink include remote unlocking, climate control setting and engine start.
INFOTAINMENT
Standard in both Palisade models is a 12.3-inch high-defnition touchscreen multimedia system. It comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (both wired), six USB-C and one USB-A ports, Bluetooth message playback, embedded satellite navigation with live traffc updates, Qi standard wireless smartphone charging, and a voice memo function with up to 70 minutes recording time.
A second, fully-digital, 12.3-inch screen in front of the driver displays the instrument cluster as well as blind spot view monitors, activated with the turn indicators on either side. Both variants come with a 12-speaker Infnity premium audio system.
As well as the previously mentioned safety features, Bluelink Vehicle Reporting allows owners to check a number of features on their smartphone including tyre pressures, fuel level and range.
Through the Bluelink Send To Car feature, satellite navigation directions can be pre-set on a smartphone and synced to the car before departure.
DRIVING
Initially, the large dimensions can be a bit intimidating when you frst get into the Palisade but the various assistance features together with its high driving position and excellent visibility help to quickly overcome these concerns.
Also, with its comparatively tight turning circle of 11.8 metres it can handle the average shopping centre with room to spare although the backside tends to jut out.
While other eight-seat SUVs are based on a heavy-duty four-wheeldrive ‘ladder frame’ chassis, the Hyundai Palisade is built like a car.
That means its centre of gravity is lower and steering and suspension should be more like the average passenger vehicle. Travelling in stop-start city low-speed conditions, this is the case.
Out on the motorway the Palisade cruises smoothly and quietly with little clue that it is powered by a diesel. Most of our time was spent with either one or two occupants on board but it felt that it would have no trouble coping with the maximum eight people.
The steering is wellweighted and gives good feedback.
Combined cycle fuel consumption is listed at 10.7 litres per 100 kilometres with the petrol engine and 7.3
L/100km from the diesel. We averaged 8.7 L/100km during our test.
SUMMING UP
Hyundai Palisade is an impressive vehicle that combines the practicality of an SUV while coming close to being car-like in the way it drives.
It’s reasonably priced and comes with plenty of safety and tech equipment.
Palisade comes with Hyundai’s standard fveyear, unlimited warranty. Bluelink is also free for the same fve-year period but incurs a charge from then onwards.
GIBBO’S
AUTOPARTS
