Compare the2024 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Outlander 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 Outlander’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.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Outlander 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 Outlander’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Outlander 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid weighs 628 to 982 pounds more than the Mitsubishi Outlander. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Outlander runs out after 100,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Hybrid for 1 year and 6000 miles longer than Mitsubishi pays for maintenance for the Outlander (3/36,000 vs. 2/30,000).

There are almost 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi 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 Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 14th.

Engine

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 50 more horsepower (231 vs. 181) and 90 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 181) than the Outlander’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Santa Fe Hybrid
	FWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/35 hwy
	AWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/34 hwy
Outlander
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/31 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Santa Fe Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Outlander 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 Outlander doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Outlander (17.7 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

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 Mitsubishi Outlander (6 to 7). This means the Santa Fe Hybrid produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Outlander every 15,000 miles.

Suspension and Handling

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 Outlander doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Outlander (110.8 inches vs. 106.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Hybrid is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Outlander.

Chassis

For excellent aerodynamics, the Santa Fe Hybrid has standard flush composite headlights. The Outlander has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 25.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Outlander (151 vs. 125.5).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has .5 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front legroom, 2.5 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear legroom, 1.6 inches more rear hip room, 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room, 3.2 inches more third row headroom, 11.3 inches more third row legroom, .6 inches more third row hip room and 2.3 inches more third row shoulder room than the Outlander.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Santa Fe Hybrid	Outlander
Behind Third Seat	14.6 cubic feet	11.7 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	40.5 cubic feet	33.5 cubic feet

The Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard Sinking Seat third row seat, which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Outlander doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Servicing Ease

The Santa Fe Hybrid uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Outlander uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Outlander 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 Outlander prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard front power windows 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 Outlander’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches.

On a hot day the Santa Fe Hybrid’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Outlander can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard Proximity Key allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Pushbutton Start standard on the Outlander only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle. Pushbutton Start is not available on the Outlander SE/Black Edition/SEL.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Outlander’s power window, power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mitsubishi only offers heated mirrors on the Outlander SE/Black Edition/SEL.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Outlander doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Outlander SEL offers wireless charging.

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 Outlander 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 Outlander doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Mitsubishi Outlander by almost three to one during 2023.