Compare the2024 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan

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

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Tiguan 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 Tiguan’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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Santa Fe Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Tiguan 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid weighs 491 to 843 pounds more than the Volkswagen Tiguan. 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 Tiguan’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 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan 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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan (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.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 47 more horsepower (231 vs. 184) and 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

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

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 15.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 15.9 gallons).

For better traction, the Santa Fe Hybrid has larger standard tires than the Tiguan (235/60R18 vs. 215/65R17).

The Santa Fe SEL Hybrid’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tiguan S’ standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe SEL Hybrid has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Tiguan S.

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

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Hybrid is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Tiguan.

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 Tiguan (.34) 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 Tiguan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 27.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tiguan (151 vs. 123.9).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 4.1 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 2.8 inches more rear legroom, 1.4 inches more rear hip room, 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room, 3.9 inches more third row headroom, 2.1 inches more third row legroom, 3.2 inches more third row hip room and 5.7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Tiguan.

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

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

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 Tiguan doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (2000 vs. 1500 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 Tiguan doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 Tiguan doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Tiguan can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

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 Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Tiguan have standard heated front seats. The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Tiguan.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Tiguan SE/SEL.

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 Tiguan SE/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 Tiguan 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 Tiguan SEL 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 Tiguan by 73% during 2023.