Compare the2024 BMW X4VS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

The X4’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The BMW X4 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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 X4 has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The X4 has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the X4. But it costs extra on the Santa Fe.

Both the X4 and the Santa Fe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available around view monitors.

The X4’s corrosion warranty is 5 years longer than the Santa Fe’s (12 vs. 7 years).

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X4 second among compact premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Santa Fe isn’t in the top three in its category.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW third in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 13th.

The X4 xDrive30i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 57 more horsepower (248 vs. 191) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 181) than the Santa Fe’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The X4 M40i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 101 more horsepower (382 vs. 281) and 58 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 311) than the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the X4 xDrive30i gets better fuel mileage than the Santa Fe 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder AWD (21 city/28 hwy vs. 22 city/25 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the X4’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

For better stopping power the X4’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Santa Fe:

The X4’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Fe are solid, not vented.

The X4 stops shorter than the Santa Fe:

For better traction, the X4 has larger standard tires than the Santa Fe (245/50R19 vs. 235/60R18).

The X4’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Santa Fe’s standard 60 series tires. The X4’s optional 245/40R21 front and 275/35R21 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Santa Fe Calligraphy’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the X4 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Santa Fe. The X4’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Santa Fe Calligraphy.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the X4 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The X4 offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Santa Fe’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The X4 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the X4’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the Santa Fe (112.8 inches vs. 108.9 inches).

The X4 M40i handles at .89 G’s, while the Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The X4 M40i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD (25.6 seconds @ .73 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .67 average G’s).

The front grille of the X4 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 (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the X4. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The engine in the X4 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Santa Fe. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Hyundai. J.D. Power ranks BMW 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 35% lower rating, Hyundai is ranked 29th.

The X4’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 Santa Fe’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the X4 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote or with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Santa Fe can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The X4’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Santa Fe SE/XRT/SEL’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the X4 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer cornering lights. The X4 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The X4’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 X4’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Santa Fe offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The X4 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.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X4 first among compact premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Santa Fe was rated third in its category.