Compare the2022 Kia Sorento Plug-In HybridVS 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

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

Safety

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The Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and the Santa Fe Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Santa Fe Hybrid
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	280	376
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	44 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 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 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 2 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 Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 7th.

Engine

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 35 more horsepower (261 vs. 226) than the Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity gets better mileage than the Santa Fe Hybrid:

		MPGe
Sorento Plug-In Hybrid
	Electric Motor	83 city/75 hwy
Santa Fe Hybrid
		MPG
	Blue 1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/31 hwy
	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	33 city/30 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Santa Fe Hybrid:

		MPG
Sorento Plug-In Hybrid
	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/33 hwy
Santa Fe Hybrid
	Blue 1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/31 hwy
	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	33 city/30 hwy

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid can drive on battery power alone for up to 32 miles. The Santa Fe Hybrid must run its internal combustion engine to move.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’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.

Tires and Wheels

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Santa Fe Hybrid Blue’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Santa Fe Hybrid Blue.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid 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.

Suspension and Handling

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

Passenger Space

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard seating for 6 passengers; the Santa Fe Hybrid can only carry 5.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Santa Fe Hybrid.

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Santa Fe Hybrid
Third Seat Folded	38.5 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	45 cubic feet	36.4 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	75.5 cubic feet	72.1 cubic feet

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

Ergonomics

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’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.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid 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.