Fall at Old Hickory Lake is one of the better seasons to be out on the water near Hendersonville. The summer crowds thin, the foliage on the Cumberland River bluffs turns amber, Rock Castle hosts its Fall Folk 'n' Bluegrass Fest on the lake's shores, and the bass fishing gets serious enough that Sanders Ferry Park is hosting a world bass fishing championship this October. When September rolls around, we field a practical question on the lot about which Hyundai actually fits the trip.
Which Hyundai fits the trip? For most families pulling a boat or setting up a full camp, the 2026 Hyundai Palisade is our answer. It tows up to 5,000 pounds when properly equipped, seats eight, and folds flat to 86.4 cubic feet of cargo. Bigger isn't always the right call, though. A couple doing day trips with kayaks doesn't need three rows. A family who camps once a month needs a third row but also cares what they spend on gas between Hendersonville and the campsite. Below, we match each pick to a real Old Hickory Lake trip type using verified 2026 specs.
How We Ranked These Four: The Old Hickory Lake Criteria
We ranked these four on the things that actually decide a lake trip. We weighted towing capacity for boat ramps and trailers, usable cargo volume for real gear loads, EPA-estimated fuel efficiency for the commute-and-weekend driver, and passenger room for families who fill every seat. Each pick also carries its own tradeoff, because that's the only way the ranking means anything.
| Rank | Pick | Best For | Standout Spec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palisade (V6) | Boat-towers and full-family base camp | Up to 5,000-lb tow, 86.4 cu ft max cargo |
| 2 | Palisade Hybrid | Families wanting efficiency and a third row | Up to 4,000-lb tow, EPA ~31-34 mpg combined (FWD) |
| 3 | Santa Fe Hybrid | 7-passenger day trips and festival weekends | 79.6 cu ft max cargo, EPA 36 mpg combined (FWD) |
| 4 | Tucson Hybrid | Couples, solo anglers, compact lake days | EPA up to 38 mpg, 38.7 cu ft behind rear seats |
The Palisade (V6): Tow Muscle and Room for Everyone
If you're pulling a pontoon or a bass boat to one of Old Hickory Lake's nine U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds, the conversation starts with the tow rating, and the 2026 Palisade V6 is rated at up to 5,000 pounds when equipped with the factory tow hitch package. The rating covers most aluminum fishing boats and loaded tandem-axle trailers without drama, and it holds across every trim.
There's a tradeoff, and it's an honest one. The EPA estimates around 19 city and 26 highway for the V6 with front-wheel drive. You're not buying this one for the gas bill. What you're buying is the capacity to pull a real boat, seat eight across three rows, and fold everything flat to 86.4 cubic feet of cargo when you need the space more than the seats. The redesigned 2026 Palisade also brought dual 12.3-inch displays and real third-row adult space, so the run from West Main Street to the lake ramp doesn't turn into a complaints session. Room and pull, in one SUV.
The Palisade Hybrid: Third Row Meets Hybrid Efficiency
The 2026 Palisade Hybrid surprises people who haven't looked at it closely. It pairs a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with a hybrid motor for a combined 329 horsepower, tows up to 4,000 pounds when properly equipped, and delivers an EPA-estimated 31 to 34 mpg combined in front-wheel-drive form. That gap between 22 mpg and 31 mpg matters when you're also running 25-mile commutes into Nashville every weekday.
There's a caveat worth stating plainly. The Palisade Hybrid gives up 1,000 pounds of tow versus the V6. A 20-foot pontoon on a heavy trailer sits at or over its limit. A lighter aluminum fishing boat, a pop-up camper, or two kayaks on a utility trailer fits comfortably within it. Max cargo stays at 86.7 cubic feet with both rear rows folded, so the full family's gear still fits. The hybrid system's regenerative braking also does real work on the hilly roads along the Cumberland River corridor. It's the pick when you want the third row, want to tow something moderate, and want better fuel economy across the other 50 weeks of the year. For the right load, it fits.
The Santa Fe Hybrid: Seven Seats for Day Trips and Festival Weekends
The 2026 Santa Fe Hybrid rarely enters a boat-towing conversation, and that's the right call, but it earns a serious look for the family doing fall day trips to Rock Castle's Fall Folk 'n' Bluegrass Fest or shuttling a crew to the lake's public access points for a day of shore fishing. You get three rows, up to seven seats, and an EPA-estimated 37 city and 36 highway (both figures front-wheel drive). An AWD variant is available and still returns an EPA-estimated 35 city and 34 highway, which matters on damp, leaf-covered roads in late October.
The cargo picture is worth understanding. With the third row in use, there's 14.6 cubic feet behind it.
Fold that row and you're at 40.5 cubic feet. Drop both rear rows and you reach 79.6 cubic feet maximum. A cooler, a few camp chairs, and a day bag fit easily. A week of camping gear for a family of five needs the Palisade's larger footprint. The Santa Fe Hybrid is the pick when the trip stays lake-adjacent, the festival, the shore fishing day, the family picnic at one of the Corps recreation areas, with everyone aboard. Nobody left in the driveway.
From our team: A fair point of confusion between the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Palisade Hybrid is size. The 2026 Santa Fe is now a three-row mid-size SUV, not the compact it once was. If you need seven seats and don't need to tow more than about 1,650 pounds, the Santa Fe Hybrid is a well-equipped pick at a lower entry point than the Palisade.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Load Up
The Tucson Hybrid earns its own section below, but before we get there, four practical points apply to the whole list.
- The Palisade V6's 5,000-pound tow rating requires the optional factory tow hitch package, and it isn't standard on every trim. Confirm it before you buy if towing is the reason you're here.
- Hyundai issued a software recall in early 2026 affecting the instrument panel display on several 2026 models, including the Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe Hybrid, and Tucson Hybrid. The fix is a free over-the-air software update or a quick dealer service visit. If you own one of these models, check with our service team to confirm yours is resolved before the trip.
- Hybrid EPA estimates come from a testing cycle. A fully loaded vehicle running the AC on hilly terrain near the Cumberland River will return somewhat less, so factor that into your plans.
- The Tucson Hybrid is rated at 2,000 pounds maximum tow. It isn't a trailer vehicle for anything meaningful. Its strength is efficiency and maneuverability, and hauling just isn't its job.
The Tucson Hybrid: The Right Pick for Couples and Compact Lake Days
The 2026 Tucson Hybrid is the right vehicle when two people are heading out, not eight, and the EPA estimates up to 38 mpg city and 38 mpg highway on the base Blue SE trim, with standard HTRAC all-wheel drive on every Tucson Hybrid. That AWD earns its keep on wet boat ramps and the unpaved access roads leading to some of Old Hickory Lake's more secluded campgrounds. The Tucson Hybrid gives you efficiency and grip together, no tradeoff needed.
Cargo behind the rear seats measures 38.7 cubic feet with the seats up. Fold them down and you reach 74.5 cubic feet maximum. For two people doing a weekend of fishing, paddling, and camp cooking, that's the right amount of space. The compact footprint also makes parking near popular launch areas and trailheads noticeably easier than wrangling a full three-row SUV. It seats five and tows a maximum of 2,000 pounds, so a boat or a loaded camper is out of its range. Think two adults, a pair of kayaks on a hitch carrier, and a weekend at the lake. Just you two and the lake.
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