Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2023 Audi A4 Allroad

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 A4 Allroad doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy has standard Parking Collision Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Santa Fe 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 A4 Allroad’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Santa Fe has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the A4 Allroad.

The Santa Fe’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 A4 Allroad doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Santa Fe and the A4 Allroad have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and around view monitors.

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 Audi A4 Allroad:

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 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The A4 Allroad is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

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 A4 Allroad’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 Audi covers the A4 Allroad. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the A4 Allroad ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A4 Allroad.

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

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Santa Fe has a standard 760-amp battery. The A4 Allroad’s 420-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Audi vehicles. With 54 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Audi.

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 Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 84 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 25th.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 20 more horsepower (281 vs. 261) and 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 273) than the A4 Allroad’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe uses regular unleaded gasoline. The A4 Allroad requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe has 3.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the A4 Allroad (18.8 vs. 15.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Hyundai Santa Fe, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the A4 Allroad.

For better stopping power the Santa Fe 2.5T’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the A4 Allroad:

The Santa Fe stops shorter than the A4 Allroad:

For better traction, the Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the A4 Allroad (255/45R20 vs. 245/45R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe Calligraphy has standard 20-inch wheels. The A4 Allroad’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the A4 Allroad.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the A4 Allroad Premium Plus pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the A4 Allroad’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the A4 Allroad (8.2 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the Santa Fe to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Santa Fe has 19.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A4 Allroad (111.5 vs. 92).

The Santa Fe has 3.8 inches more front headroom, 2.8 inches more front legroom, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear headroom, 6 inches more rear legroom and 3.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the A4 Allroad.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Santa Fe’s rear seats recline. The A4 Allroad’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the A4 Allroad with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 24.2 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the A4 Allroad with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 58.5 cubic feet).

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 A4 Allroad doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 A4 Allroad 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 A4 Allroad only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 A4 Allroad 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 A4 Allroad Prestige’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

The Santa Fe is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The A4 Allroad doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Santa Fe owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Santa Fe will cost $1515 to $3535 less than the A4 Allroad 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 A4 Allroad only retains 46.18% to 46.44%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Santa Fe will be $14804 to $19991 less than for the Audi A4 Allroad.

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

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Audi A4/S4 by almost 8 to one during 2022.