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Compare the2025 Mazda CX-30VS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid

2025 Mazda CX-30
2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-30 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Mazda CX-30 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The CX-30 has standard Whiplash-Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the CX-30 and the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda CX-30 is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid:

CX-30

Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid

Driver

STARS

5 Stars

5 Stars

HIC

148

296

Passenger

STARS

5 Stars

5 Stars

HIC

179

244

Neck Compression

85 lbs.

89 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda CX-30 is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid:

CX-30

Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid

Front Seat

STARS

5 Stars

5 Stars

Chest Movement

1 inches

1.1 inches

Hip Force

275 lbs.

415 lbs.

Rear Seat

STARS

5 Stars

5 Stars

Hip Force

525 lbs.

736 lbs.

Into Pole

STARS

5 Stars

5 Stars

Max Damage Depth

12 inches

14 inches

HIC

178

376

Spine Acceleration

30 G’s

44 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Mazda CX-30 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Reliability

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J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Hyundai is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 4 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

Engine

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The CX-30’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 62 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 258) than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

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An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-30 (except Turbo)’s fuel efficiency. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Brakes and Stopping

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The CX-30 stops shorter than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid:

CX-30

Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid

60 to 0 MPH

119 feet

125 feet

Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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The CX-30 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

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The CX-30 2.5 S Premium handles at .84 G’s, while the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-30 2.5 S Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-30’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

Chassis

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The Mazda CX-30 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 950 to 1000 pounds less than the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid.

The CX-30 is 1 foot, 3.4 inches shorter than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid, making the CX-30 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Ergonomics

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The CX-30 has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The CX-30 Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-30’s front and rear power windows all 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 Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-30 Premium has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CX-30’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Recommendations

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/11/21

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-30 and the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

© 1999 - 2023 Advanta-STAR Automotive Research. All rights reserved.