How to Pick the Right 2026 Hyundai Santa Cruz Trim for Nashville Shoppers Near Opry Mills

Choosing a Santa Cruz trim comes down to the engine far more than the feature list. You're really picking between two different trucks that share a badge. Pick the engine first, and let the trim fall out of that choice. Get the order backward and you'll either pay for a turbo you don't need or cap your towing at 3,500 pounds when 5,000 was right there.

Here's how our team at Hyundai of South Nashville walks local shoppers through it.

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What Actually Matters When Choosing a Santa Cruz Trim?

Two decisions drive everything else here, which engine you want and whether you need 5,000-pound towing. Everything else (screens, wheels, seat materials) works back from those two.

EPA figures per fueleconomy.gov for the 2026 model year. AWD on the NA engine trims drops combined to 24 mpg.

That table tells a story a lot of buying guides skip. The SEL Activity hits the 5,000-lb towing number without pushing you into the turbo engine and its fuel economy penalty. If towing is your reason for looking at the Santa Cruz at all, that's your decision point, not the jump to XRT.

The Engine Choice Is the Real Trim Decision

For most Nashville driving the naturally aspirated 2.5L is plenty of truck, capable on South Nashville commutes and weekend errands, though it won't give you the turbo's shove on a grade. The EPA rates it at 22 city and 30 highway with front-wheel drive, and in mixed real-world driving around Nashville that's a realistic number to expect.

You'll find the same base engine architecture in The Tucson, useful context because Hyundai has refined this powertrain across several models.

The turbocharged 2.5L in the XRT and Limited makes 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque, and it pulls hard. Here's the part we're straight about on the lot. In the 2025 and earlier models, that engine came paired with a dual-clutch transmission that could feel jerky and hesitant in slow traffic (exactly the kind you'll sit in on Briley Parkway on a busy Opry Mills Saturday). For 2026, Hyundai replaced the dual-clutch with a conventional 8-speed automatic. The swap is a real improvement, and one of the cleaner reasons to choose the current model year over a used 2024 or earlier turbo Santa Cruz at a similar number.

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The Towing Number That Changes Everything

You'll see plenty of guides tell you to buy the XRT if you plan to tow, but that advice misses how the Santa Cruz lineup is laid out. The 5,000-pound rating shows up a full trim before the turbo, so you can tow serious weight without paying for the bigger engine.

The jump from 3,500 lbs to 5,000 lbs happens at the SEL Activity, which still runs the naturally aspirated engine. So you can get serious towing capability (enough for a bass boat or a small camper trailer, which covers plenty of Middle Tennessee weekend use) without stepping into the turbo's fuel economy tradeoff or its higher price point.

The XRT and Limited tow the same 5,000 lbs, but you're paying for the turbo engine and standard AWD, which is worth it if you want the power and traction. To pay that just to reach 5,000 lbs makes little sense.

A couple of notes specific to the Nashville area. The SEL Activity's optional AWD (available, not standard) earns its keep if you run I-24 into the hills or catch the occasional bad-weather day. Our icy spells are infrequent but real, and AWD on the NA-engine trims is an option worth adding at purchase and hard to retrofit later.

Under-bed lockable storage comes standard across all trims, which matters when you're loading up from Bass Pro Shops at Opry Mills. You're not leaving gear exposed in the bed on Music Valley Drive. The storage earns its keep here, not just a marketing bullet point.

The Palisade is the better conversation if you're hauling more people than gear (different vehicle, different purpose).

Match the Gear to How You Actually Drive Around Nashville

The Santa Cruz makes the most sense as a daily driver that moonlights as a weekend hauler, and it helps to be clear about what it isn't before you sign. It isn't a work truck, and it isn't a mid-size pickup. Think of it as a crew-cab-sized SUV with an open bed and SUV road manners.

For Opry Mills-area shoppers, the 39.6-foot turning diameter is comparable to most compact SUVs, so working the Briley Parkway exits and the parking lots around the Gaylord Opryland complex isn't the ordeal it would be in a full-size truck. You park it like a crossover. Opry Mills sits next to the Gaylord Opryland complex.

Our team's read comes down to this. If your driving is mostly South Nashville to downtown on I-65 or Bell Road, with weekend road trips into Middle Tennessee, the SEL Activity in front-wheel drive is where the math lines up. You get the 5,000-lb towing for the handful of times a year you need it, the 25 mpg combined for the other 360 days, and a feature set that doesn't feel stripped.

If you're after the turbo because you haul heavy loads often or you want the stronger pull on I-65 grades, the XRT is your trim. With the 2026 transmission update, it's a better everyday drive than earlier turbo Santa Cruz models.

Don't buy the Limited unless you actually want the ventilated seats, Bose audio system, and digital instrument cluster. Those features are nice to have. They aren't necessary, though, if you're weighing an XRT against a Limited and trying to spend thoughtfully.