Compare the2024 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2024 Volkswagen Atlas

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 Volkswagen Atlas doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Atlas 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 Atlas’ 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 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 Atlas doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Atlas doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Atlas have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 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 Atlas’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe Hybrid 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Atlas ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Hybrid for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Atlas (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

There are over 29 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it 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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 61 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen 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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 69 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 21st.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 16 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

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

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

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 Volkswagen Atlas (3). This means the Santa Fe Hybrid produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas every 15,000 miles.

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

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (37.9 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (7 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Santa Fe Hybrid is 10.5 inches shorter than the Atlas, making the Santa Fe Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 significantly lower than the Atlas (.33) 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 Atlas doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 2.6 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and 3.9 inches more rear legroom than the Atlas.

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

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

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Atlas only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Volkswagen Atlas by 38% during 2023.