Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In HybridVS 2022 Porsche Macan

Both the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and Macan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe Plug-In 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 Macan’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 Plug-In Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Macan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a standard blind spot warning system, which 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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Macan’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’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 Macan doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Macan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and the Macan 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

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 Plug-In Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 87 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Macan has not been tested, yet.

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

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

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Porsche pays for maintenance for the Macan (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 4 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’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 Porsche vehicles. With 15 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Porsche.

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 Porsche vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Porsche is ranked 7th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Porsche vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 3 places higher in reliability than Porsche.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity gets better mileage than the Macan:

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Macan:

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid can travel with zero emissions for 31 miles. The Macan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

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

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Porsche Macan (5). This means the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Macan every 15,000 miles.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Macan’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Macan (8.2 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The design of the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid amounts to more than styling. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .33 Cd. That is lower than the Macan (.35 to .37) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid get better fuel mileage.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s rear seats recline. The Macan’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Macan with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 17.2 cubic feet). The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Macan with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 52.9 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Macan doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, just waiting momentarily behind the back bumper can open the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s liftgate, leaving your hands completely free. The Macan doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Santa Fe Plug-In 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 Macan’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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

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

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Macan.

The Santa Fe Plug-In 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 Macan doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling the transmission and speed with the brake pedal. With its available fully controlled system, the driver just activates it and it parks autonomously, 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 Macan’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid and the Porsche Macan, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Porsche Macan by over five to one during the 2021 model year.