2026 Hyundai Santa Fe vs. Toyota Highlander

Three-row SUV shoppers in McKinney, TX, have two strong options on their list this year. The 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe and the Toyota Highlander both offer roomy cabins, capable powertrains, and modern safety tech, but the specs tell different stories depending on what matters most to your household.

2026 Santa Fe vs. Highlander: Which Three-Row SUV Fits McKinney Families Best

This comparison comes down to priorities. The Santa Fe brings a roomier cabin, a bigger standard touchscreen, and a notably longer powertrain warranty. The Highlander counters with standard AWD across all trims and a higher max towing capacity. Neither one wins across the board, which is why a side-by-side specs breakdown matters more than gut instinct or brand loyalty alone.

For families commuting along Highway 75 or heading out to Lake Lavon on weekends, the right pick depends on whether you value cabin comfort and tech, or towing muscle and drivetrain consistency across trims.

Powertrain and Performance: Turbo Power vs. Hybrid Efficiency

Neither the 2026 model uses a V6 anymore. Both automakers have shifted to turbocharged four-cylinder engines paired with hybrid options, so this is really a question of tuning philosophy rather than engine architecture. Here’s the full breakdown:

2026 Santa Fe Turbo and Hybrid Engine Options

The 2026 Santa Fe’s turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder, engineered by Hyundai Motor Company, makes 277 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque, paired with a new 8-speed automatic transmission that replaces last year’s dual-clutch setup. The Santa Fe Hybrid pairs a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine with an electric motor for a combined 231 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque, driving through a 6-speed automatic. The hybrid isn’t available on the XRT trim. Buyers choose between FWD or HTRAC AWD across most trims.

2026 Highlander Gas and Hybrid Engine Options

The Highlander’s gas engine is a turbocharged four-cylinder rated at 265 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, paired with an 8-speed automatic, and AWD comes standard across the lineup. Trim levels include XLE, XSE, Limited, and Platinum, with the base LE dropped for 2026. The Highlander Hybrid delivers 243 horsepower combined and comes standard with AWD. Hybrid trims (XLE, Limited, Platinum) include second-row captain’s chairs standard, though a bench seat is available on XLE.

Towing Capacity and Real-World Fuel Economy

If you tow a boat most weekends, the Highlander’s towing capacity of up to 5,000 lbs gives it a real edge over the Santa Fe lineup. The Santa Fe Limited tops out at 3,500 lbs, while the off-road-oriented XRT trim reaches 4,500 lbs with trailer brakes attached. The Santa Fe Hybrid tows less, at 2,000 lbs with trailer brakes or 1,650 lbs without.

Fuel economy tells a different story. The Santa Fe Limited FWD is rated at 20/29/24 mpg, matching the Highlander’s 21/28/24 on the gas side. The hybrid is where the Santa Fe separates itself, reaching 37 city / 36 highway / 36 combined in front-wheel drive, or 35/34/34 with HTRAC AWD. The Highlander Hybrid can reach up to 35 mpg combined. If your weekend routine involves hauling a trailer or camper, weigh the Highlander’s towing advantage seriously against the Santa Fe’s fuel economy, which matches the Highlander gas model at 24 mpg combined.

Passenger Space, Cargo Room, and Family Practicality

Space is where things get interesting, especially for families who spend a lot of time buckling kids into the back rows.

Seating Comfort and Legroom Across Three Rows

Compared to legroom, the Santa Fe leads in every row. Front legroom measures 44.4 inches versus 42.0 inches in the Highlander, a gap you feel immediately on a long drive. The second row favors the Santa Fe by a wider margin still, 42.3 inches against 38.7, though hybrid models give up a little at 41.5. The third row holds the pattern at 30.0 inches versus 28.0 inches, and the Santa Fe’s 152.0 cubic feet of passenger volume beats the Highlander’s 141.8 cubic feet.

Headroom is closer to a tie up front, where both measure just over 41 inches without a sunroof, but the Santa Fe pulls ahead where families actually notice it: 40.6 inches in the second row versus 39.4, and 37.7 in the third row versus 36.1. That third-row figure is the one to watch if you regularly seat teenagers back there. Seating differs, too. The Santa Fe seats 7 on SE, SEL, and XRT, offers 6 or 7 on Limited, and seats 6 on Calligraphy with standard captain’s chairs. The Highlander seats 7 or 8 on XLE and Limited trims, and 7 on XSE and Platinum trims.

Cargo Capacity for Gear, Groceries, and Road Trips

The Highlander pulls ahead on cargo across the board: 16 cu ft behind the third row against the Santa Fe’s 14.6, 48.4 behind the second row against 40.5, and 84.3 maximum against 79.6. If maximum haul capacity is your deciding factor, that’s the Highlander’s clearest win, and we’d say so. Where the Santa Fe answers back is the shape of the space. Its boxy roofline and wide tailgate make loading bulky items easier than raw cubic feet would suggest, and the extra legroom means you’re less likely to have to fold a row just to fit passengers comfortably.

Technology, Safety, and Driver-Assist Features

The Santa Fe’s standard 12.3-inch touchscreen comes on every trim level, no upgrade required. The Highlander starts with an 8.0-inch screen, and larger displays require moving up in the trim level. That’s a meaningful difference for families who want modern connectivity without paying for a higher package.

On safety, both vehicles come loaded with driver-assist features, but the details matter. Every 2026 Santa Fe comes standard with Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with pedestrian, cyclist, and junction-turning detection; Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Warning; Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist; Lane Keeping Assist; Lane Following Assist 2; Driver Attention Warning; Safe Exit Assist; Rear Occupant Alert; and High Beam Assist. The Santa Fe’s Blind-Spot View Monitor comes standard on Limited and Calligraphy trims.

This is where the gap is widest. The 2026 Santa Fe earned IIHS Top Safety Pick+, the Institute’s highest honor, and both the Santa Fe and Santa Fe Hybrid carry a 5-star overall NHTSA rating. The 2026 Highlander earns no IIHS award. It rates Good in the small-overlap front and updated side tests, but Marginal in the updated moderate-overlap front test; that single rating disqualifies it from both award tiers. The reason is worth understanding if you carry passengers in the back: IIHS found the rear passenger dummy’s lap belt slid off the pelvis onto the abdomen during the crash, raising the risk of abdominal injury, with a moderate risk of head or neck injury as well. The Highlander’s structure and front-seat protection rated Good throughout. For a three-row SUV that spends most of its life with the back rows occupied, that’s a distinction worth weighing.

Pricing, Trims, and Overall Value

Pricing shapes many buying decisions, and the Santa Fe’s trim range starts lower on paper. The Santa Fe SE starts at $35,050, reflecting the trims and features listing, with SE AWD at $36,850. The SE Hybrid runs $36,400, and the SE Hybrid AWD is $38,200. Moving up, the SEL starts at $37,590, the SEL AWD at $39,390, the SEL Hybrid at $38,690, and the SEL Hybrid AWD at $40,490. The XRT AWD comes in at $42,040. Limited trims start at $44,600 (AWD $46,400), and Limited Hybrid starts at $45,700 (AWD $47,500).

The Highlander’s most popular trim, the XLE AWD, starts around $46,270. XSE AWD runs $48,340, Limited AWD reaches $50,725, and Platinum AWD tops out at $53,925. The Highlander Hybrid XLE AWD lands around $48,020.

Standard Features and Available Upgrades

The Santa Fe’s base SE trim already includes the 12.3-inch touchscreen and SmartSense safety suite, features that some Highlander buyers need to move up in trim to access. If you want the longest warranty and the most standard tech for your money, the Santa Fe’s lower trims make a strong case.

For financing options, including programs designed for buyers with less-than-perfect credit, our team can walk you through the available paths.

Cost of Ownership: Warranty and Maintenance

Warranty coverage is one of the clearest differences here. The Santa Fe includes a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and 7-year/unlimited-mile corrosion protection. The Highlander’s coverage is shorter, at 3 years/36,000 miles basic and 5 years/60,000 miles powertrain.

Looking specifically at Santa Fe ownership costs, the SE trim has an estimated 5-year cost to own of $68,971, with depreciation of around $19,974 and a residual value of nearly $16,676. The Limited trim runs higher, at roughly $77,726 over five years, with depreciation of nearly $27,044, a residual value of around $19,156, and out-of-pocket costs of nearly $50,682.

AWD Capability for North Texas Roads and Weather

Summers here get brutally hot, and every so often, an ice storm rolls through and turns overpasses into a real hazard. Dependable traction matters more than most drivers expect until they actually need it. The Santa Fe XRT comes standard with HTRAC AWD, all-terrain tires, and extra ground clearance, plus that 4,500-lb towing capacity with trailer brakes.

The Highlander takes a different approach, offering standard AWD on every 2026 trim along with Multi-Terrain Select, which includes four drive modes: Mud & Sand, Rock & Dirt, Snow, and Normal. XSE, Limited, and Platinum trims step up to Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD that can shift power side to side across the rear axle. That’s a genuine advantage in consistency: you can’t accidentally order a front-drive Highlander. The counterpoint is ground clearance. The Highlander sits at 8.0 inches, and the standard Santa Fe at 7.0, but the XRT raises that to 8.3 with better approach and departure angles, so it’s the more capable of the two once the pavement ends.

Want AWD guaranteed regardless of trim level? The Highlander simplifies that decision. Want a rugged, purpose-built AWD trim instead? The XRT gives you that option.

Why Huffines Hyundai McKinney Recommends the Santa Fe

We recommend the Santa Fe because the evidence lines up, not because we only sell Hyundai. The longer warranty, standard 12.3-inch touchscreen across every trim, and roomier legroom in all three rows solve real problems for families who actually live with these vehicles every day. Add in the hybrid’s 37 mpg city and 36 combined in front-wheel drive, and daily commuters around McKinney get even more out of the deal.

As a family-run dealership ourselves, part of Huffines Auto Dealerships since J.L. Huffines, Sr. founded the group in Denton, TX back in 1924, we understand what local families need from a vehicle that has to handle school drop-offs one day and a long weekend drive the next. Our Service Center follows Hyundai’s standards, so the Santa Fe’s reputation for reliability is backed by maintenance you can trust, close to home.

Explore the 2026 Santa Fe or Schedule Your Test Drive Today

Specs on a page only tell part of the story. The best way to know if the Santa Fe fits your family is to sit in it, load the third row with your kids, and take it for a real drive around McKinney. You can schedule a Hyundai test drive with our team whenever it’s convenient.

Visit Us in McKinney

Ready to see the lineup in person? Browse available 2026 Santa Fe inventory to compare trims and pricing, then contact our team with any questions about financing, trade-ins, or scheduling a visit. We’re located at 1301 N Central Expy, McKinney, TX 75070, and we’re happy to help you find the Santa Fe that fits your family.