Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2023 BMW X1

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Fe are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X1 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Santa Fe and X1 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe 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 X1’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 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X1 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Santa Fe and the X1 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and 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 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X1 has not been tested, yet.

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 X1’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 BMW covers the X1. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the X1 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe’s warranty.

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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 39 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 15th.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 40 more horsepower (281 vs. 241) and 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 295) than the X1’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X1 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe has 4.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the X1 (18.8 vs. 14.3 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 X1.

For better traction, the Santa Fe has larger standard tires than the X1 (235/60R18 vs. 225/55R18). The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X1 (255/45R20 vs. 245/45R19).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the X1 (108.9 inches vs. 106 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 2.7 inches wider in the rear than the track on the X1.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the X1’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X1 (8.2 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Santa Fe to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Santa Fe has 3.7 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front shoulder room, 4.7 inches more rear legroom and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the X1.

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X1 with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 25.7 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X1 with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 57.2 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Santa Fe’s (except SE) optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The X1 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Santa Fe has a much higher standard payload capacity than the X1 (1411 vs. 994 lbs.).

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 X1 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy’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 X1’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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 X1 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Santa Fe’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The X1 doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The X1 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Santa Fe and the X1 offer available heated front seats. The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the X1.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The X1 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The X1 doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

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 X1 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 X1’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

The Santa Fe is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The X1 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the BMW X1 by almost 17 to one during 2022.