Compare the2026 Nissan MuranoVS 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe

The Nissan Murano has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help 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 doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Murano Platinum offers an optional front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Murano. But it costs extra on the Santa Fe.

Both the Murano and the Santa Fe 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, 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 and available around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Nissan Murano is safer than the Santa Fe:

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Murano for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Nissan will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Hyundai doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Santa Fe.

There are over 25 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Murano’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Hyundai.

On the EPA test cycle the Murano gets better fuel mileage than the Santa Fe XRT HTRAC AWD (21 city/27 hwy vs. 19 city/25 hwy).

The Murano has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe (18.7 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Murano has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Murano, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Santa Fe.

For better stopping power the Murano’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Santa Fe:

The Murano’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Fe are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Murano has larger tires than the Santa Fe (255/55R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The Murano’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Santa Fe SE/SEL’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Murano has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Santa Fe SE/SEL.

The Murano has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Murano is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Santa Fe.

For greater off-road capability the Murano has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe (8.3 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Murano to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Murano uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Murano has .4 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Santa Fe.

The Murano has a much larger cargo volume than the Santa Fe with its rear seat up (32.9 vs. 14.6 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Murano. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Murano to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes and tire rotation based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Hyundai doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Santa Fe.

The Murano’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’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

The Murano’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Santa Fe’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Murano (except SV) offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Santa Fe.

The Murano 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 Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Nissan Murano has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy offers wireless charging.