Compare the2022 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2021 Mazda CX-5

Both the Santa Fe and CX-5 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 CX-5’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 CX-5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Santa Fe AWD’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The CX-5 doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Compared to metal, the Santa Fe’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Mazda CX-5 has a metal gas tank.

Both the Santa Fe and the CX-5 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, 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, 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 CX-5’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Mazda covers the CX-5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the CX-5 ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Fe’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the CX-5’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CX-5.

There are over 50 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Santa Fe has a 150-amp alternator. The CX-5’s standard 100-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 Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 10th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 22nd, 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 Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 14th.

The Santa Fe’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 4 more horsepower (191 vs. 187) than the CX-5’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 31 more horsepower (281 vs. 250) than the CX-5’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder FWD gets better fuel mileage than the CX-5 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder FWD (25 city/28 hwy vs. 23 city/28 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Santa Fe’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be disabled at the start of a trip with its optional disable switch. The CX-5 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CX-5 with the 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the CX-5 FWD’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Santa Fe has 3.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the CX-5 AWD’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 15.3 gallons).

An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Hyundai Santa Fe, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the CX-5.

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 CX-5 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the Santa Fe’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CX-5:

The Santa Fe stops shorter than the CX-5:

For better traction, the Santa Fe has larger standard tires than the CX-5 (235/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CX-5 (255/45R20 vs. 225/65R17).

The Santa Fe’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CX-5 Sport/Touring’s standard 65 series tires. The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the CX-5 Grand Touring/Signature/Carbon Edition’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the CX-5 Sport/Touring. The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the CX-5 Grand Touring/Signature/Carbon Edition.

The Santa Fe has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The CX-5’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the CX-5 (108.9 inches vs. 106.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the CX-5.

The Santa Fe has 7.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CX-5 (111.5 vs. 103.6).

The Santa Fe has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom, 2.3 inches more front hip room, 2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.1 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more rear hip room and 3.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the CX-5.

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the CX-5 with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 30.9 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CX-5 with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 59.6 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Santa Fe’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The CX-5 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Maximum trailer towing in the Mazda CX-5 is limited to 2000 pounds. The Santa Fe offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Santa Fe uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The CX-5 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

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 CX-5 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The power windows standard on both the Santa Fe and the CX-5 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Santa Fe is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CX-5 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Santa Fe’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The CX-5’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The CX-5 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The CX-5’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Santa Fe and the CX-5 offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Santa Fe has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The CX-5 doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe (except SE) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The CX-5 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 CX-5 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 CX-5 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.