Compare the2023 Audi A4 AllroadVS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A4 Allroad have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Santa Fe doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The A4 Allroad’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Audi A4 Allroad has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A4 Allroad. But it costs extra on the Santa Fe.

Both the A4 Allroad and the Santa Fe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Audi A4 Allroad is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

	A4 Allroad	Santa Fe
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	1.1 inches	1.1 inches
Hip Force	308 lbs.	415 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
HIC	333	376

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

Warranty

The A4 Allroad’s corrosion warranty is 5 years longer than the Santa Fe’s (12 vs. 7 years).

Reliability

The Audi A4 Allroad’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Santa Fe’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

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 A4 Allroad’s reliability 51 points higher than the Santa Fe.

Engine

The A4 Allroad’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 70 more horsepower (261 vs. 191) and 92 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 181) than the Santa Fe’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the A4 Allroad gets better mileage than the Santa Fe:

			MPG
A4 Allroad
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/30 hwy
Santa Fe
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/25 hwy

Transmission

The A4 Allroad’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the A4 Allroad’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Santa Fe:

	A4 Allroad	Santa Fe
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	12.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12 inches

The A4 Allroad’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Fe are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A4 Allroad has larger tires than the Santa Fe (245/45R18 vs. 235/60R18).

The A4 Allroad’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Santa Fe’s standard 60 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The A4 Allroad has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Santa Fe’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The A4 Allroad has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A4 Allroad’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Santa Fe (110.9 inches vs. 108.9 inches).

The A4 Allroad Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

Chassis

The A4 Allroad is 8.5 inches shorter in height than the Santa Fe, making the A4 Allroad much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the A4 Allroad easier. The A4 Allroad’s trunk lift-over height is 26.1 inches, while the Santa Fe’s liftover is 29 inches.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the A4 Allroad. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The A4 Allroad’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Santa Fe’s (3968 vs. 2000 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the A4 Allroad is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Santa Fe. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Hyundai. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 34% lower rating, Hyundai is ranked 29th.

Ergonomics

The A4 Allroad’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Santa Fe’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the A4 Allroad the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Santa Fe can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The A4 Allroad’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Santa Fe SE/XRT/SEL’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A4 Allroad to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A4 Allroad Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the A4 Allroad has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The A4 Allroad’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Hyundai only offers heated mirrors on the Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy.

The A4 Allroad’s standard rear view mirror and optional side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Santa Fe offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The A4 Allroad has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi A4 Allroad, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Hyundai Santa Fe isn't recommended.