Hyundai's flagship seven-seater just got a wardrobe change, and it's all black everything. The new Palisade Calligraphy Black Ink takes the range-topping Calligraphy and dips it in shadow, giving Australia's favourite big Hyundai a darker, meaner presence without touching a thing under the bonnet.

A murdered-out makeover done properly

This isn't a sticker pack. The Black Ink treatment swaps the usual chrome and bright accents for black-finished wheels and blacked-out exterior trim, the kind of detailing that usually costs you a weekend and a set of wraps at an aftermarket shop. Hyundai has done the work for you and factory-backed it. The interior and exterior borrow a lot from the Genesis G80 Black.

You get two paint choices to frame the dark trim, and they pull in opposite directions. Go Abyss Black and the whole thing disappears into itself, one seamless slab of menace. Choose Creamy White and the contrast does the talking, black wheels and trim popping hard against a pale body. Both work. Neither is subtle, which is rather the point.

Key features of the Palisade Calligraphy Black Ink:

  • Black Hyundai emblems & badging
  • Hot-stamped black grille & active air flap
  • Satin black-finished grille surround
  • Gloss black window surrounds
  • Satin black lower bumper
  • Gloss black 21-inch alloy wheels
  • Satin black beltline
  • Black roof rails
  • Interior: black metallic treatment

Nappa leather and a darker cabin

Slide inside and the theme carries through. The Black Ink wears black Nappa leather across the seats, paired with exclusive black metallic trim finishes you won't find on the standard Calligraphy. It's a genuinely cohesive look rather than a token gesture, the sort of cabin that makes the school run feel a little more like a boardroom. Everything else that makes the Calligraphy the pick of the Palisade range stays put, so you're not sacrificing kit for the darker theme.

Pricing and availability

Here's the part that matters. The Palisade Calligraphy Black Ink is on sale now, priced from $92,400 (MLP). That puts it right at the pointy end of the Palisade line-up, where it belongs given the exclusive finishes inside and out. It's a limited flavour of an already well-sorted large SUV, aimed squarely at buyers who want their family hauler to look like it means business.

If the standard Calligraphy always felt half a shade too shiny for your taste, this is the answer Hyundai has been waiting to give you. Keep an eye on my full review to see whether the Black Ink drives as sharp as it looks.

Available now.

US Spec photos.