Compare the2022 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2021 BMW X4

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Fe are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X4 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Santa Fe and X4 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The X4’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Santa Fe are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Santa Fe and the X4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Santa Fe comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The X4’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X4. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the X4 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Santa Fe’s reliability 39 points higher than the X4.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 10th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 18th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 6 places higher in reliability than BMW.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 33 more horsepower (281 vs. 248) and 53 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 258) than the X4 xDrive30i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe gets better mileage than the X4:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X4 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe 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 X4 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better traction, the Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X4 (255/45R20 vs. 245/40R20).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe is 1.2 inches wider in the front than the average track on the X4.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the X4’s (37.4 feet vs. 40 feet).

The Hyundai Santa Fe may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 500 pounds less than the BMW X4.

The Santa Fe has 13.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the X4 (111.5 vs. 97.8).

The Santa Fe has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear headroom, 6.2 inches more rear legroom and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the X4.

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X4 with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 23.7 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X4 with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

The Santa Fe SEL/Limited/Calligraphy has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The X4 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The X4 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Santa Fe has a standard rear wiper. The X4 doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The X4 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X4 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The X4’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

The Santa Fe is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The X4 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.