Compare the2022 Lexus RXVS 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus RX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Lexus RX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The RX has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the RX and the Santa Fe Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the RX first among midsize premium suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Santa Fe Hybrid isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 8th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in reliability, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 7th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus third in reliability. Hyundai is ranked 6th.

The RX 350’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 69 more horsepower (295 vs. 226) and 10 lbs.-ft. more torque (268 vs. 258) than the Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The RX 450h’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid produces 82 more horsepower (308 vs. 226) than the Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

The RX’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe Hybrid (19.2 vs. 17.7 gallons).

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Lexus RX, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Santa Fe Hybrid.

The RX 450h has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

The RX’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Fe Hybrid are solid, not vented.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the RX has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Santa Fe Hybrid Blue. The RX’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited.

The RX has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Santa Fe Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The RX offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Santa Fe Hybrid’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

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

Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is limited to 2000 pounds. The RX offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Hyundai. J.D. Power ranks Lexus second in service department satisfaction. With a 55% lower rating, Hyundai is ranked 24th.

The RX offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The RX’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 Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the RX the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Santa Fe Hybrid can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The RX’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Santa Fe Hybrid Blue/SEL’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the RX offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer cornering lights. The RX also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The RX’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Santa Fe Hybrid has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The RX has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Santa Fe Hybrid.

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

Consumer Reports® chose the Lexus RX as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Lexus RX outsold the Hyundai Santa Fe by 302 units during 2020.