My wife and I were leaning towards the 2025 Palisade, but then we started checking out the Santa Fe Hybrid, both in Calligraphy trim. The hybrid option is really appealing, and the tech on both seems pretty comparable. The Palisade has a slight edge with things like ventilated second-row seats, power-folding 3rd row, and massaging seats, but none of those are deal-breakers for us.
We’re leaning towards the Santa Fe for its better HDA, wireless CarPlay, and Bose speakers. Plus, the Santa Fe easily wins with better exterior/interior color options. We absolutely love the blue with beige interior. On the Palisade, the green exterior is great, but it’s only available with a black interior.
A couple of questions:
Are there any big changes coming for the 2026 Santa Fe?
Do you think the 2025 Santa Fe will drop in price once the 2026 model is out?
Thoughts on the new 2026 Palisade hybrid?
We currently have a 2016 Highlander that’s been great, so waiting another 6-8 months isn’t a problem for us.
Ty said:
Avoid buying the first model year of a redesign if you can. There are always bugs to work out.
Totally agree. We were debating the 2025 Santa Fe Hybrid vs another car and spoke to some mechanics. They all said the same thing: skip the first year if possible.
Ty said:
Avoid buying the first model year of a redesign if you can. There are always bugs to work out.
That’s generally good advice, but sometimes the first year of a redesign can be a huge upgrade. For example, when Porsche redesigned the 911 in 1998, it was way better than the old one. But yeah, warranties help a lot these days to cover any issues.
I don’t think there’ll be major changes to the 2026 Santa Fe. The 2026 Palisade hybrid, on the other hand, is supposed to have 330hp but worse MPG. It’s also growing a bit in size and will probably have better fit and finish. Expect it to cost more, though.
@Colby
Yeah, I bet the Palisade hybrid will have a waitlist and dealer markups. Still curious to see it! The early pics of the Korean version look awesome.
I picked the Santa Fe because I didn’t need as much room as the Palisade. Also, the black-on-black 2025 Calligraphy looks so sleek. Couldn’t be happier with my choice.
I had a 2024 Palisade but switched to a 2025 Santa Fe. The Palisade felt more luxurious, but I really like the Santa Fe’s infotainment setup and center console design.
Ridley said:
I’ve read that the Santa Fe hybrid doesn’t get great gas mileage. Edmunds had one for a year and said it wasn’t much better than the gas model.
Hybrids need a different driving style to get good mileage. If you drive it like a gas car, you won’t see the benefits.