Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2023 Volvo XC40

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 XC40 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Santa Fe and the XC40 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 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 Volvo XC40:

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, results indicate that the Hyundai Santa Fe is safer than the Volvo XC40:

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

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 XC40’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 Volvo covers the XC40. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the XC40 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. With 71 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Volvo.

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 Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 108 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is ranked 30th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volvo vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 1 place higher in reliability than Volvo.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 34 more horsepower (281 vs. 247) and 53 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 258) than the XC40 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe uses regular unleaded gasoline. The XC40 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe has 4.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the XC40 (18.8 vs. 14.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 XC40 doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Santa Fe stops shorter than the XC40:

For better traction, the Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the XC40 (255/45R20 vs. 245/45R20).

The Santa Fe has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The XC40’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe’s wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than on the XC40 (108.9 inches vs. 106.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1 inch wider in the rear than the track on the XC40.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the XC40 B5 Plus AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the XC40 B5 Plus AWD (26.7 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe has a greater minimum ground clearance than the XC40 (8.2 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Santa Fe to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Santa Fe has 13.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XC40 (111.5 vs. 98).

The Santa Fe has 2.2 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front legroom, 2.8 inches more front hip room, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, 5.6 inches more rear legroom, 1.7 inches more rear hip room and 2 inches more rear shoulder room than the XC40.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Santa Fe’s rear seats recline. The XC40’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the XC40 with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 20.4 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the XC40 with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 57.5 cubic feet).

The Santa Fe’s cargo area is larger than the XC40’s in every dimension:

A Trailer Sway Assist is standard on the Santa Fe, using 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. A trailer sway program costs extra on the XC40.

The Santa Fe has a much higher standard payload capacity than the XC40 (1411 vs. 925 lbs.).

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 XC40 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The XC40 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Santa Fe has standard extendable sun visors. The XC40 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XC40 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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 XC40 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 XC40 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 XC40’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Volvo XC40, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Volvo XC40 by over six to one during 2022.