Compare the2023 Hyundai Santa FeVS 2023 Nissan Murano

Both the Santa Fe and Murano 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 Murano’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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Santa Fe AWD’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Murano doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Santa Fe and the Murano have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, 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 Nissan Murano:

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 Nissan Murano:

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 Murano’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Murano. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Murano ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Fe’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Murano’s (7 vs. 5 years).

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. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Murano.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Santa Fe has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Murano’s 130-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 Murano’s 550-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 57 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 20th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 2 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 21 more horsepower (281 vs. 260) and 71 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Nissan Murano:

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

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Santa Fe’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Murano doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

For better stopping power the Santa Fe’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Murano:

For better traction, the Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Murano (255/45R20 vs. 235/65R18).

The Santa Fe’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Murano S/SV’s standard 65 series tires. The Santa Fe Calligraphy’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

The Santa Fe has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Murano’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Murano Platinum AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Murano Platinum AWD (26.7 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

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

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Murano (8.2 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Santa Fe to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Hyundai Santa Fe may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 200 pounds less than the Nissan Murano.

The Santa Fe is 4.4 inches shorter than the Murano, making the Santa Fe easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Santa Fe has 3.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Murano (111.5 vs. 108.1).

The Santa Fe has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 3.6 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more front hip room, 3 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear hip room than the Murano.

The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Murano with its rear seat up (36.4 vs. 32.1 cubic feet). The Santa Fe has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Murano with its rear seat folded (72.1 vs. 67 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Santa Fe easier. The Santa Fe’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29 inches, while the Murano’s liftover is 30.7 inches.

The Santa Fe’s cargo area is larger than the Murano’s in almost every dimension:

The Santa Fe’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Murano’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan Murano is only 1500 pounds. The Santa Fe offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

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 Murano doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Murano doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Santa Fe’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Murano’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Santa Fe and the Murano have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Santa Fe is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Murano prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 Murano’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Murano SV/Midnight/SL/Platinum’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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

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 Murano 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 Murano doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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 Murano only retains 46.1% to 47.26%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Santa Fe will be $3348 to $6138 less than for the Nissan Murano.

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

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Nissan Murano by almost four to one during 2022.