Compare the2024 Mitsubishi Eclipse CrossVS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Eclipse Cross and the Santa Fe Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Eclipse Cross has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Eclipse Cross has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Santa Fe Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better maneuverability, the Eclipse Cross AWD’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Santa Fe Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Eclipse Cross has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe Hybrid (8.5 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Eclipse Cross to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 700 pounds less than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid.

The Eclipse Cross is 9.4 inches shorter than the Santa Fe Hybrid, making the Eclipse Cross easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Eclipse Cross SEL offers an optional 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 Santa Fe Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Eclipse Cross SE/SEL’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 Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.