Compare the2024 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2024 Infiniti QX50

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and QX50 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 QX50’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 Hybrid’s standard Downhill Brake Control allow you to creep down safely. The QX50 doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and QX50 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Santa Fe Hybrid has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The QX50’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

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 QX50 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the QX50 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 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 QX50’s 4-year/60,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe Hybrid 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Infiniti covers the QX50. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the QX50 ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 4 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Infiniti dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe Hybrid’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is rated below average.

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 Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 80 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is ranked 23rd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 2 places higher in reliability than Infiniti.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Hybrid gets better mileage than the QX50:

Regenerative brakes improve the Santa Fe Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The QX50 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Santa Fe Hybrid’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. The QX50 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The QX50 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the QX50 (17.7 vs. 16 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Infiniti QX50 (6). This means the Santa Fe Hybrid produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the QX50 every 15,000 miles.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The QX50’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

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 QX50 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The design of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid amounts to more than styling. The Santa Fe Hybrid has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .294 Cd. That is lower than the QX50 (.32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Santa Fe Hybrid get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the Santa Fe Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The QX50 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard seating for 7 passengers; the QX50 can only carry 5.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 46.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the QX50 (151 vs. 104.4).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has .1 inches more front headroom, 4.7 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 2.8 inches more rear legroom, 1.1 inches more rear hip room and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the QX50.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the QX50.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the QX50’s (2000 vs. 0 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Assist on the Santa Fe Hybrid 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 QX50 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The power windows standard on both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the QX50 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Santa Fe Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The QX50 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 QX50 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 QX50 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Infiniti QX50 by over 13 to one during 2023.