Compare the2023 Jeep RenegadeVS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

The Jeep Renegade 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.

The Renegade has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Renegade. But it costs extra on the Santa Fe.

Both the Renegade and the Santa Fe 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights and rear parking sensors.

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 Jeep Renegade 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 3 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Renegade’s warranty.

The engine in the Renegade has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engines in the Santa Fe have dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

The Renegade’s 1.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 29 lbs.-ft. more torque (210 vs. 181) than the Santa Fe’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

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

The Renegade 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.

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

The Renegade stops shorter than the Santa Fe:

The Renegade Trailhawk offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Santa Fe; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

The Renegade’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the Renegade Trailhawk’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Santa Fe’s (35.3 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Renegade’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Santa Fe’s (36.3 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Renegade Trailhawk has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe (8.7 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Renegade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Jeep Renegade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 550 pounds less than the Hyundai Santa Fe.

The Renegade is 1 foot, 9.8 inches shorter than the Santa Fe, making the Renegade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Renegade (except Trailhawk) 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.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Renegade. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Renegade’s front power windows 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 Santa Fe’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Renegade offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Renegade’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 Renegade 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.

The Renegade will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Renegade will retain 52.53% to 58.07% of its original price after five years, while the Santa Fe only retains 51.18% to 51.49%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Jeep Renegade will be $4219 to $10198 less than for the Hyundai Santa Fe.