Compare the2023 Chevrolet BlazerVS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Blazer are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Hyundai Santa Fe has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

The Chevrolet Blazer has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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.

Both the Blazer and the Santa Fe 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

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 Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

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

There are almost 4 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Blazer’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Blazer has a standard 170-amp alternator (155-amp - Blazer V6 FWD). The Santa Fe’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

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 Blazer’s reliability 49 points higher than the Santa Fe.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Santa Fe isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

The Blazer’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 37 more horsepower (228 vs. 191) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 181) than the Santa Fe’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Blazer’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 27 more horsepower (308 vs. 281) than the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Blazer V6 is faster than the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Blazer’s fuel efficiency. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Blazer AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe (21.7 vs. 18.8 gallons).

The Blazer has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Blazer higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Santa Fe (5 to 7). This means the Blazer produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Santa Fe every 15,000 miles.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Blazer, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Santa Fe.

For better traction, the Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Santa Fe (265/45R21 vs. 255/45R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Blazer RS/Premier offers optional 21-inch wheels. The Santa Fe’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Chevrolet Blazer’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Hyundai Santa Fe only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Blazer has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Blazer 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 Blazer’s wheelbase is 3.8 inches longer than on the Santa Fe (112.7 inches vs. 108.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Blazer is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Santa Fe.

The front grille of the Blazer uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Blazer uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

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

Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Santa Fe is limited to 3500 pounds. The Blazer offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Blazer can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Blazer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Santa Fe can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Blazer’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Santa Fe does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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

On a hot day the Blazer’s driver can lower all 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.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Blazer LT/RS/Premier’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Blue Link can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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

The Blazer’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 Blazer’s optional rear and 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 Blazer 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.

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Santa Fe isn’t in the top three.