Compare the2022 Kia Sorento HybridVS 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

The Kia Sorento 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 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, 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 front parking sensors.

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 Hybrid is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid:

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

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.

The Sorento 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.

The Sorento 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.

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

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

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

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

The Sorento 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.

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

The Sorento Hybrid will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Sorento Hybrid will retain 48.48% to 49.14% of its original price after five years, while the Santa Fe Hybrid only retains 46.35% to 46.72%.