If your family has outgrown a mid-size SUV and you want something that feels a step above the default seven-seater, two cars keep landing on the same shortlist: the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid and the Mazda CX-90. Both are big, all-wheel drive, three-row SUVs. Both are pitched as the premium choice from a mainstream brand. They get there in very different ways.

The Palisade is a full hybrid with up to eight seats and Hyundai's seven year warranty. The CX-90 is a 3.3 litre six-cylinder with mild hybrid assistance, offered as a petrol or a diesel, with six or seven seats and more towing capacity.

Every figure below comes from Hyundai and Mazda's own websites, build tools, brochures and press releases, checked on 3 November 2026. Prices are each maker's drive-away figure for a private buyer in Sydney (postcode 2000) in a standard paint colour. Your postcode will change the number, so run your own on each maker's build tool before you sign.

The short answer

Want the cheapest way into a premium three-row SUV, or need to tow 2,500kg? The Mazda CX-90 Touring at $66,990 drive-away. Need eight seats, lower petrol bills and the longer warranty? The Hyundai Palisade Hybrid Elite at $82,756 drive-away. Doing big highway kilometres? Look hard at the CX-90 diesel, which beats both petrol options on official fuel use.

Price: the CX-90 opens $15,766 lower

2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid
2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid

Hyundai's build and price tool lists the Palisade Hybrid at these drive-away prices for Sydney 2000:

There is also a petrol-only Palisade XRT Pro at $87,692 drive-away. It is the off-road styled version with a 2.5 litre turbo petrol engine and no hybrid system, and it is covered in our XRT Pro pricing story. This guide sticks to the hybrid.

2026 Mazda CX-90 G50e Touring
2026 Mazda CX-90 G50e Touring

Mazda's build tool lists the CX-90 from these drive-away prices for Sydney 2000:

Mazda's 2026 pricing update priced the petrol and diesel versions the same at each grade, with list prices (before on-road costs) of $66,100 for the Touring, $75,100 for the GT and $82,100 for the Azami. The GT and Azami currently carry Mazda's 2026 Plate Clearance tag, so ask the dealer what that is worth on the day.

Grade for grade, the gap is narrower than the headline. A CX-90 GT is $1,574 under a Palisade Elite. A CX-90 Azami is $8,895 under a seven-seat Palisade Calligraphy. The big saving is only at the entry point, where the CX-90 Touring undercuts the Palisade Elite by $15,766.

Engines: one full hybrid against two mild hybrid sixes

The Palisade Hybrid pairs a 2.5 litre turbo petrol four-cylinder with electric motors for a combined 245kW and 460Nm, driving all four wheels through a six-speed automatic. It is a full hybrid, so it can move on electric power at low speed, but you never plug it in.

The CX-90 uses a 3.3 litre turbo six-cylinder with a 48 volt mild hybrid system. The G50e petrol makes 254kW and 500Nm. The D50e diesel makes 187kW and 550Nm. Both are all-wheel drive. Mazda markets the CX-90 as a hybrid, but the mild system assists the engine rather than driving the car on its own, so do not expect Palisade-style electric creeping through car parks.

On paper the petrol CX-90 is the stronger of the two by 9kW and 40Nm. The diesel gives away power but has the most torque of the three.

Fuel use: the diesel CX-90 wins, the Palisade beats the petrol

Official combined figures on the ADR 81/02 lab test:

Over 15,000km a year, that works out to about 810 litres for the diesel CX-90, 1,020 litres for the Palisade Hybrid and 1,230 litres for the petrol CX-90. The Palisade saves about 210 litres a year over the petrol Mazda. Lab figures and real driving rarely match, and big SUVs tend to miss their label by more than small cars, as our real-world fuel use guide shows. Treat these as a ranking, not a promise.

Seats and boot: eight seats or six

The Palisade is the only one of the two you can buy with eight seats. The Elite and the 8-seat Calligraphy grades run a second-row bench; the 7-seat Calligraphy grades swap it for two captain's chairs. Hyundai quotes 712 litres of cargo space with the third row folded and 2,081 litres with the second and third rows down, both measured to the VDA standard.

The CX-90 comes with six or seven seats, and second-row captain's seats are offered on the Azami. Mazda quotes 257 litres with all three rows up, 608 litres with the third row folded and 2,025 litres with rows two and three folded, again VDA and including underfloor storage.

If you regularly carry eight people, the decision is made for you: it is the Palisade. If you carry seven and want the most space behind row two, the Palisade still has the edge on Hyundai and Mazda's own figures.

Towing: the CX-90 petrol pulls 500kg more

The Palisade Hybrid is rated at 2,000kg braked and 750kg unbraked, with a 100kg towball download. The petrol XRT Pro is rated at 2,200kg.

The CX-90 G50e petrol is rated at 2,500kg braked with a 150kg towball limit when fitted with a genuine Mazda towing kit. The D50e diesel is rated at 2,000kg braked.

That is enough for a boat, a camper trailer or a small van in all cases. For a family caravan of more than two tonnes, neither is a natural fit; see our caravan tow vehicle guide for the 3,500kg four-wheel-drive wagons.

Warranty and safety

Hyundai offers a seven year, unlimited kilometre warranty on passenger cars first registered from 1 June 2025, provided every scheduled service is done at an authorised Hyundai dealer. Skip that and it drops to five years. The hybrid battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km. Mazda's new car warranty is five years with unlimited kilometres.

Hyundai says the Palisade Hybrid carries a five star ANCAP rating. We could not find a published ANCAP rating for the CX-90 on ANCAP's website, so if a current crash rating matters to you, ask Mazda or the dealer where it stands before you buy.

Which one should you buy?

Buy the Mazda CX-90 if you want the lowest buy-in, the strongest towing and a six-cylinder that suits long highway runs, especially in diesel form. The Touring at $66,990 drive-away is the value pick of this pair. Our earlier CX-90 review covers how it drives.

Buy the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid if you need eight seats, do mostly suburban driving where a full hybrid earns its keep, and want the seven year warranty. Amelia's Palisade Hybrid review covers it in detail.

Not sold on either? The Toyota Kluger, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento hybrids are cheaper and compared in our three-way seven-seat hybrid guide. If you want a sliding-door people mover, read BYD M9 vs Kia Carnival. For the wider field, see our best seven-seater SUVs and cheapest 7-seaters guides.

Prices and offers change often. Check the current figure for your postcode on Hyundai and Mazda's build tools before you commit.

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