Compare the2021 Kia SorentoVS 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics

Safety

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The Kia Sorento has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Sorento and the Santa Fe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Sorento has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Santa Fe’s 140-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 10th.

Engine

The Sorento 2.5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 6 more horsepower (191 vs. 185) and 3 lbs.-ft. more torque (181 vs. 178) than the Santa Fe’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Sorento 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 46 more horsepower (281 vs. 235) and 51 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 260) than the Santa Fe 2.0T’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento gets better fuel mileage than the Santa Fe:

			MPG
Sorento
	2WD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
		2.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	4WD	2.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
Santa Fe
	2WD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
		2.0 Turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
	4WD	2.0 Turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

Transmission

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Sorento’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Santa Fe:

	Sorento	Santa Fe
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12.6 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sorento SX/Prestige/X-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Santa Fe (255/45R20 vs. 235/65R17).

The Sorento SX/Prestige/X-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Santa Fe 2.0T’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento SX/Prestige/X-Line has standard 20-inch wheels. The Santa Fe’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Sorento has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento’s wheelbase is 1.9 inches longer than on the Santa Fe (110.8 inches vs. 108.9 inches).

Passenger Space

The Sorento has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Santa Fe can only carry 5.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento’s cargo area provides more volume than the Santa Fe.

	Sorento	Santa Fe
Third Seat Folded	38.4 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	45 cubic feet	35.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	75.5 cubic feet	71.3 cubic feet

The Sorento’s cargo area is larger than the Santa Fe’s in almost every dimension:

	Sorento	Santa Fe
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	15.5”/42.5”/76.5”	n.a./42.4”/77.4”
Max Width	54”	53.7”
Min Width	42.4”	42.3”
Height	33”	31.5”

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Sorento. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Ergonomics

The Sorento Prestige/X-Line’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Santa Fe SEL/Limited’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Sorento’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Hyundai only offers heated mirrors on the Santa Fe SEL/Limited.

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