Compare the2024 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2024 Cadillac XT4

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Cadillac XT4 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and XT4 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 XT4’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.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The XT4 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the XT4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid weighs 549 to 882 pounds more than the Cadillac XT4. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 XT4’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 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Cadillac covers the XT4. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the XT4 ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the XT4’s (7 vs. 6 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Cadillac only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the XT4.

There are over 48 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Cadillac dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe Hybrid’s warranty.

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 Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is ranked 9th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 5 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 13 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 258) than the XT4’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Hybrid gets better mileage than the XT4:

Regenerative brakes improve the Santa Fe Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The XT4 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The XT4 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the XT4 FWD’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the XT4 AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 16.3 gallons).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the XT4. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

For better stopping power the Santa Fe Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the XT4:

For better traction, the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the XT4 (255/45R20 vs. 245/45R20).

The Santa Fe Hybrid’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 XT4 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the XT4 (110.8 inches vs. 109.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Hybrid is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the XT4.

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the XT4 (7 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard seating for 7 passengers; the XT4 can only carry 5.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 49.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XT4 (151 vs. 101.3).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.7 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear headroom, 2 inches more rear legroom, 5.1 inches more rear hip room and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the XT4.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Santa Fe Hybrid’s middle and third row seats recline. The XT4’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the XT4.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Santa Fe Hybrid’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The XT4 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches. The XT4’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XT4 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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. Only the XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport offers wireless charging and it costs extra.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The XT4 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Santa Fe Hybrid 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 XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Cadillac XT4 by almost six to one during 2023.