Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2023 Audi Q5 Sportback

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 Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Santa Fe and the Q5 Sportback 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, 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, 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 Audi Q5 Sportback:

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 Hyundai Santa Fe is safer than the Audi Q5 Sportback:

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 Q5 Sportback’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 Q5 Sportback. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback.

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 power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Santa Fe has a 150-amp alternator. The Q5 Sportback’s standard 110-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Santa Fe has a standard 760-amp battery. The Q5 Sportback’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 Q5 Sportback’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 Q5 Sportback requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

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 Q5 Sportback.

For better stopping power the Santa Fe 2.5T’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Q5 Sportback:

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe is 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Q5 Sportback.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Q5 Sportback’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

The Hyundai Santa Fe may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 400 pounds less than the Audi Q5 Sportback.

The Santa Fe has 1 inch more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 3.9 inches more rear legroom and 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q5 Sportback.

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q5 Sportback with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 24.7 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q5 Sportback with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 51.9 cubic feet).

The Santa Fe’s cargo area is larger than the Q5 Sportback’s in every dimension:

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 Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a remote starting 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 Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback 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 $1440 to $3825 less than the Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback only retains 48.81% to 48.82%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Santa Fe will be $16197 to $21949 less than for the Audi Q5 Sportback.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Audi Q5 Sportback, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Audi Q5 by almost two to one during 2022.