Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2022 BMW X3

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
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 X3 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Santa Fe and X3 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 X3’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 X3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Santa Fe and the X3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 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 is safer than the BMW X3:

	Santa Fe	X3
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	16%	21%
Neck Stress	149 lbs.	202 lbs.
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	64 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	50/51 lbs.	116/280 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	27%	38%
Neck Stress	99 lbs.	139 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 X3:

	Santa Fe	X3
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	61	64
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	736 lbs.	794 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	576 lbs.	624 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 87 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X3 has not been fully tested, yet.

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 X3’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 X3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the X3 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

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.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 6 places higher in reliability than BMW.

Engine

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 33 more horsepower (281 vs. 248) and 53 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 258) than the X3 s/xDrive30i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the X3 s/xDrive30i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Santa Fe	X3
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	6.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	15.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98.4 MPH	91.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe gets better mileage than the X3:

			MPG
Santa Fe
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
X3
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/26 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X3 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the X3’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Santa Fe has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the X3 M40i’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 17.7 gallons).

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 X3 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Santa Fe stops much shorter than the X3:

	Santa Fe	X3
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	136 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X3 (255/45R20 vs. 245/45R20).

Suspension and Handling

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the X3 xDrive30i pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the X3 xDrive30i (26.7 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the X3’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X3 (8.2 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Santa Fe to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Hyundai Santa Fe may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 pounds less than the BMW X3.

Passenger Space

The Santa Fe has 10.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the X3 (111.5 vs. 101.4).

The Santa Fe has .1 inches more front headroom, 3.8 inches more front legroom, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 5.3 inches more rear legroom and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the X3.

Cargo Capacity

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X3 with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 28.7 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X3 with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 62.7 cubic feet).

The Santa Fe’s cargo area is larger than the X3’s in every dimension:

	Santa Fe	X3
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42.4”/77.4”	36.5”/69”
Max Width	54”	47”
Min Width	43.4”	43.3”
Height	31”	30.1”

Payload and Towing

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 X3 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Santa Fe has a much higher standard payload capacity than the X3 (1411 vs. 902 lbs.).

The Santa Fe has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the X3 (1411 vs. 941 lbs.).

Ergonomics

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 X3 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 X3 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Santa Fe’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the X3’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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 X3 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 X3’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Santa Fe owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Santa Fe will cost $325 to $3890 less than the X3 over a five-year period.

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 X3 only retains 49.78% to 50.55%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Santa Fe will be $15682 to $16159 less than for the BMW X3.

Recommendations

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the BMW X3 by 55% during the 2021 model year.