Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2022 BMW X1

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Fe are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X1 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Santa Fe and X1 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 X1’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 X1 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist in the Santa Fe as “Superior.” The X1 scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy has standard Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The X1 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Santa Fe SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The X1 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Santa Fe’s blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. The X1 doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Fe’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The X1 doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Santa Fe and the X1 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

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 is safer than the BMW X1:

	Santa Fe	X1
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	296	328
Neck Injury Risk	16%	32%
Neck Stress	149 lbs.	360 lbs.
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	60 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	50/51 lbs.	257/329 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	27%	31%
Neck Stress	99 lbs.	175 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	222/167 lbs.	309/268 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 is safer than the BMW X1:

	Santa Fe	X1
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	61	143
Hip Force	415 lbs.	486 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	148	193
Spine Acceleration	54 G’s	65 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	576 lbs.	815 lbs.

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Santa Fe its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X1 last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

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 X1’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X1. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the X1 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Santa Fe’s reliability 13 points higher than the X1.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 39 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 15th.

Engine

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 53 more horsepower (281 vs. 228) and 53 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 258) than the X1’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the BMW X1:

	Santa Fe	X1
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	6.8 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	15.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98.4 MPH	90.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The Santa Fe has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the X1 (18.8 vs. 16.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

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 X1 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Santa Fe 2.5T’s brake rotors are larger than those on the X1:

	Santa Fe 2.5T	X1
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13 inches
Rear Rotors	12 inches	11.8 inches

The Santa Fe stops shorter than the X1:

	Santa Fe	X1
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	134 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	136 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Santa Fe has larger standard tires than the X1 (235/60R18 vs. 225/50R18). The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X1 (255/45R20 vs. 225/50R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe Calligraphy has standard 20-inch wheels. The X1’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe’s wheelbase is 3.8 inches longer than on the X1 (108.9 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe is 3.2 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the X1.

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X1 (8.2 vs. 7.2 inches), allowing the Santa Fe to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Santa Fe has 10.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the X1 (111.5 vs. 101.2).

The Santa Fe has 3.7 inches more front legroom, 3.5 inches more front shoulder room, 4.7 inches more rear legroom and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the X1.

Cargo Capacity

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X1 with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 27.1 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X1 with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 58.7 cubic feet).

The Santa Fe’s cargo area is larger than the X1’s in almost every dimension:

	Santa Fe	X1
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.4”/77.4”	35.1”/69”
Max Width	54”	51.5”
Min Width	43.4”	39.5”
Height	31”	33”

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Santa Fe’s (except SE) optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The X1 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Payload and Towing

The Santa Fe has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The X1 has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Assist on the Santa Fe uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The X1 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Santa Fe has a much higher standard payload capacity than the X1 (1411 vs. 924 lbs.).

The Santa Fe has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the X1 (1411 vs. 926 lbs.).

Ergonomics

The Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The X1 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 X1 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Santa Fe has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X1 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Santa Fe’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the X1’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Santa Fe’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the X1’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Both the Santa Fe and the X1 offer available heated front seats. The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the X1.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The X1 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 X1 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 X1’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Economic Advantages

The Santa Fe will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Santa Fe will retain 51.18% to 51.49% of its original price after five years, while the X1 only retains 47.06% to 47.87%.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Santa Fe, based on reliability, safety and performance. The BMW X1 isn't recommended.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the BMW X1 by almost 17 to one during 2022.