Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2023 BMW X1

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Hybrid and X1 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The X1 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid 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, all wheel drive, 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 and available 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 Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X1 has not been tested, yet.

The Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid’s warranty.

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 Santa Fe Hybrid’s reliability 29 points higher than the X1.

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.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Hybrid gets better mileage than the X1:

			MPG
Santa Fe Hybrid
		Blue 1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/31 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	33 city/30 hwy
X1
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy

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

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the X1 (17.7 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better traction, the Santa Fe Hybrid has larger tires than the X1 (235/65R17 vs. 225/55R18).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe Hybrid’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 Hybrid is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the X1.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe Hybrid’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 Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X1 (8.2 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 3.7 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front shoulder room, 3.8 inches more rear legroom and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the X1.

The Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The X1 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited’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.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Hybrid’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 Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The X1 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the X1. The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited 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 Hybrid Limited 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 Hybrid Limited’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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the X1.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited 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 Hybrid Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling the transmission and speed with the brake pedal. With its available fully controlled system, the driver just activates it and it parks autonomously, 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.

Consumer Reports® chose the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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