Rent Hyundai Palisade 2023 in Dubai

Big families landing at DXB with a week of luggage need a car that swallows people and cases without anyone drawing the short straw in the back. We rent the Hyundai Palisade 2023 in Dubai for exactly that job, with 250 km a day included so a few airport runs and a Hatta weekend don't eat into your allowance. This is the latest, well-equipped version of Hyundai's three-row SUV, and the reason to book it over a smaller crossover comes down to one thing: the third row is a real seat, not a token. The rest of this page is about who that suits, and who should go bigger or smaller.

What you're actually renting

Under the bonnet is the 3.8-litre V6 making 291 hp through an 8-speed automatic, sent to the front wheels or all four depending on the unit we hand over. That's a lot of engine for a family SUV, and it shows when you're merging onto Sheikh Zayed Road fully loaded. Eight people and a boot full of bags don't slow it down the way they flatten a four-cylinder crossover. The gearbox is smooth and quiet, and at a 120 km/h cruise the cabin stays calm enough for the kids in row three to nap.

Does my family and luggage fit

This is the question the Palisade answers better than almost anything in its rate bracket. The middle row is genuinely roomy, and the third row will take two adults for an airport transfer or a dinner across town without complaints. It's not a place to put a grown man for three hours to Abu Dhabi, but for school runs, mall trips, and getting eight people to a wedding, it works.

The catch is luggage. With all three rows up, you get a shallow shelf behind the back seats, enough for a few soft bags or the weekly shop, not a stack of hard cases. So the honest version is this: seven or eight passengers, or a full load of airport luggage, but rarely both at once. Drop the third row and the boot opens up to take several large cases easily, which is how most families travelling four or five up will run it.

Heat, and how fast it cools

A car this size bakes hard in a Dubai car park, and a big cabin takes longer to pull down than a hatchback's. The Palisade handles it well. Air-con vents reach all three rows, so nobody in the back is left to suffer while the front gets cold first, and on a 45-degree afternoon the cabin is comfortable within a few minutes of pulling away. For families with toddlers in the third row, those rear vents are the detail that actually matters.

Living with its size

Five metres of SUV is a lot of car to park, and you'll feel it in older Marina towers and tight multi-storey bays where the lines were drawn for a Corolla. Reverse cameras and sensors make it manageable, but a packed deck takes patience, and you'll want an end bay when you can grab one. The 203 mm of ground clearance clears every speed bump and mall ramp without scraping, and gives the AWD versions enough for graded desert tracks and the run up to Hatta, though this is a family hauler, not a dune machine.

On the open road it's in its element. DXB and DWC airport runs with a full family and a load of luggage are exactly what it's built for, and on the E11 it cruises and overtakes with power to spare.

Fuel, and what it costs to run

No way around it, a 291 hp V6 drinks. Expect somewhere around 12 to 13 litres per 100 km in mixed Dubai city driving, more if you sit in Salik-corridor traffic at peak. The upside is the 71.9-litre tank, which gives you a comfortable 550 km or so of real-world range, so a week of school runs and a couple of airport trips won't have you at the pump constantly. If running cost is your first concern, this isn't the efficient pick, and a smaller crossover will roughly halve your fuel bill.

A few Dubai basics apply to every rental: Salik tolls run on your account, RTA fines pass to you, and seatbelts are required in all rows, with child seats mandatory for under-fours. With a third row full of kids, that last one is worth sorting before you collect the car.

Who should rent it, and who shouldn't

Rent the Palisade 2023 if you've got a big family or a group and you want everyone to travel in comfort, with a third row that's actually usable and the freshest cabin and kit in the range. For airport runs, mall days, and the occasional Hatta trip, it's the right size and it doesn't feel cheap inside.

Size up to a full-size SUV like a Tahoe or a Patrol if you genuinely need eight seats and a full load of luggage every day. Size down to a five-seat crossover if it's usually just two adults and a couple of kids, because then you're paying for fuel and parking hassle you don't need. For the family that fills three rows and wants room to breathe doing it, the Palisade hits the spot.