Compare the2026 Subaru AscentVS 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Ascent has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

The Subaru Ascent’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Hyundai Santa Fe does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Ascent and the Santa Fe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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, available around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

	Ascent	Santa Fe
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	190	460
Neck Injury Risk	21%	28%
Neck Stress	229 lbs.	273 lbs.
Neck Compression	8 lbs.	33 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	159/292 lbs.	290/423 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	210	369
Leg Forces (l/r)	35/30 lbs.	726/652 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 Subaru Ascent is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

	Ascent	Santa Fe
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	73 lbs.	85 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	27 G’s	32 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	149	155

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

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 Subaru Ascent is safer than the Santa Fe:

	Ascent	Santa Fe
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	82	89
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	.87 in
Torso Max Deflection	.98 in	1.34 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	915 lbs.	1227 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	201 lbs.	580 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Ascent has a standard 190-amp alternator. The Santa Fe’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Ascent second among upper midsize suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Santa Fe isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai With 10 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Hyundai.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Hyundai is ranked 10th.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Subaru Ascent is faster than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

	Ascent	Santa Fe
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	7.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	15.8 sec

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Ascent lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Ascent gets better fuel mileage than the Santa Fe XRT HTRAC AWD (19 city/26 hwy vs. 19 city/25 hwy).

The Ascent has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe (19.3 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The Ascent has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Ascent	Santa Fe
Front Rotors	13.1 inches	12.8 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.8 inches

The Ascent’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.

The Ascent stops much shorter than the Santa Fe:

	Ascent	Santa Fe
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	136 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Ascent has larger tires than the Santa Fe (245/60R18 vs. 235/60R18).

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ascent’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the Santa Fe (113.8 inches vs. 110.8 inches).

For greater off-road capability the Ascent has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe (8.7 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Ascent to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Ascent’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the Santa Fe XRT (8.7 vs. 8.3 inches).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Ascent Limited is quieter than the Santa Fe Calligraphy HTRAC AWD:

	Ascent	Santa Fe
70 MPH Cruising	64 dB	68 dB

Passenger Space

The Ascent offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Santa Fe can only carry up to 7.

The Ascent has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear hip room, 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.7 inches more third row legroom, 3.2 inches more third row hip room and 3.7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Santa Fe.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Ascent	Santa Fe
Behind Third Seat	17.8 cubic feet	14.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	43.5 cubic feet	40.5 cubic feet

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

Towing

The Ascent’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Santa Fe’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Ascent is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Santa Fe. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Ascent to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes, tire rotation, and vehicle inspections, 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.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Hyundai. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 66% lower rating, Hyundai is ranked 30th.

Ergonomics

The Ascent’s 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 Santa Fe’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Ascent’s exterior PIN entry system. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Bluelink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Ascent’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Santa Fe’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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

The Ascent’s standard rear view mirror and optional 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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Ascent 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.

The Subaru Ascent has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Hyundai charges extra for Homelink® on the Santa Fe.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Ascent and the Hyundai Santa Fe, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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