Compare the2022 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2021 Lexus NX Series

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and NX Series have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe Hybrid 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 NX Series’ 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 Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The NX Series doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Santa Fe Hybrid. But it costs extra on the NX Series.

Compared to metal, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Lexus NX Series has a metal gas tank.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the NX Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is safer than the Lexus NX Series:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX Series
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	16%	46%
Neck Stress	149 lbs.	509 lbs.
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	24 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	50/51 lbs.	480/609 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	244	355
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Injury Risk	27%	42%
Neck Stress	99 lbs.	295 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	222/167 lbs.	442/307 lbs.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is safer than the Lexus NX Series:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX Series
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	61	192
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	148	317
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	376	542
Hip Force	576 lbs.	828 lbs.

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

Warranty

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

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe Hybrid 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the NX Series. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the NX Series ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the NX Series’ (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Hybrid for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the NX Series (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard 760-amp battery. The NX Series’ 580-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 32 more horsepower (226 vs. 194) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 199) than the NX 300h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid is faster than the NX 300h :

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX Series
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	8.9 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.4 sec	5.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.4 sec	16.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88 MPH	84.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Hybrid gets better mileage than the NX Series:

			MPG
Santa Fe Hybrid
	AWD	Blue 1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/31 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	33 city/30 hwy
NX Series
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	33 city/30 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		F Sport 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The NX 300 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the NX Series Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the NX Series’ standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 15.9 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Lexus NX Series (3 to 7). This means the Santa Fe Hybrid produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the NX Series every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Santa Fe Hybrid stops shorter than the NX Series:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX Series
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	136 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Santa Fe Hybrid has larger tires than the NX Series (235/65R17 vs. 225/65R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited has standard 19-inch wheels. The NX Series’ largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the NX Series (108.9 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Hybrid is 2.9 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the NX Series.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited handles at .79 G’s, while the NX 300 pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe Hybrid has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the NX 300h (8.2 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Santa Fe Hybrid’s minimum ground clearance is 1.3 inches higher than on the NX 300 (8.2 vs. 6.9 inches).

Passenger Space

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 3 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front legroom, 2.4 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 4.7 inches more rear legroom, 2.4 inches more rear hip room and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the NX Series.

Cargo Capacity

The Santa Fe Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the NX Series with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 17.7 cubic feet). The Santa Fe Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the NX Series with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 54.6 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Santa Fe Hybrid easier. The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29 inches, while the NX Series’ liftover is 31.2 inches.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the NX Series’ in almost every dimension:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	NX Series
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.4”/77.4”	36”/71.5”
Max Width	54”	53”
Min Width	43.4”	44.3”
Height	31”	27”

Towing

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the NX Series’ (2000 vs. 0 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Santa Fe Hybrid’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 NX Series’ power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the NX Series. The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the NX Series.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The NX Series doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited 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 NX Series doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. 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 NX Series doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Lexus NX Series by 70% during the 2021 model year.