2021 Hyundai Santa Fe vs Kia Sorento

What's the difference?

The previous Santa Fe was outstanding among its rivals and this new one in most ways is even better. Yes, I didn’t find the new Santa Fe quite as engaging to drive as the outgoing one, but it’s comfortable and easy to pilot, plus the new features, tech and safety equipment, along with increased practicality make the new version better overall than the old one.

The sweet spot in the range is the Active grade which comes with a proximity key, dual-zone climate control, leather seats, the high mounted centre console and privacy glass without the price tag of the Elite or Highlander.

Much like the wider Sorento range, the GT-Line petrol is an absolute knockout and therefore should be on top of the shopping list of any family looking for a seven-seater.

In fact, the Sorento GT-Line petrol’s brilliant combination of good looks, cutting-edge technology, seven-seat versatility and overall driving comfort is worthy of Olympic gold.

While it might be hard to look past the lack of third-row curtain airbags, families that don’t need seven seats full-time should be able to, and they’ll be rewarded for doing so.

This updated model looks so different from the front that we were stopped in a car park by another family in a Santa Fe who asked if this was the new-generation car. 

The answer is no, but it’s a really big update which has added a new rectangular grille, inset LED headlights, T-Shaped LED running lights and new tail-lights which are now joined by a horizontal reflective strip.   

This generation Santa Fe has always been a good looking mid-sized SUV and the new face lands a punch filled with attitude. 

It’s interesting that this grille is a departure from the Y-shaped frame used across the brand’s range during the past decade and if I didn’t know better it could be a glimpse of the changing face of Hyundai.

The Santa Fe isn’t huge, but you should check to see if it’s going to fit in your garage. A glance at the dimensions reveals it’s grown in length by 15mm and now measures 4785mm end-to-end. With roof rails the Santa Fe stands 1710mm tall and it’s 1900 mm across.

From the outside all Santa Fes look pretty much the same, but inside there are two quite different cockpits. Look at the images of the entry-grade Santa Fe’s dashboard, now look at the Highlander’s. Yep the entry grade Santa Fe doesn’t get the ‘floating’ high-mounted centre console which is on all the other grades above. 

That’s a shame, as the new centre console not only looks great but puts the buttons for climate and media within easier reach. The shifting buttons on the raised centre console also look beautiful – the entry-grade misses out on this, too.

Still, the cabin, even on the entry-grade car, is a premium feeling place with the layered effect to the design of the dash we first saw in 2018 when this generation Santa Fe was introduced. The range-topping Highlander goes ‘next level’ with Nappa leather seats and the virtual instrument cluster.

The Highlander is the grade I spent the most time in and while the cabin looks posh, the interior feels tough. Our car had the 'Camel' Nappa leather, but the Highlander also can be had with black Nappa leather at no extra cost. The standard black suede headliner is also a nice touch on this grade.

The entry-grade Santa Fe has black and grey cloth upholstery (see the images), the Active gets black leather, while the Elite comes in a choice of black or 'Cognac' leather.

There are eight exterior paint colours. The two standard ones are: 'Glacier White' and 'White Cream.' The premium colours are: 'Typhoon Silver', 'Magnetic Force', 'Phantom Black', 'Taiga Brown', 'Rain Forest' and 'Lagoon Blue.' 

When was the last time a new Kia model turned this many heads? The Stinger? Probably, but the Sorento is a different beast because it’s a vehicle most people would actually buy.

Yep, the Sorento is out to make a statement from the get-go. Where its predecessor was close to anonymous, this car draws attention for all the right reasons.

This all starts up front, where an enlarged version of Kia’s signature ‘tiger nose’ grille sits loud and proud with a black mesh insert.

The striking look is made all the more attractive courtesy of daytime running lights, which trail into the bottom corners of the grille while underscoring the headlights.

Then the bumper adds a bit of aggro with its large air intake, which is flanked by black U-shaped trim. Even the bonnet is nicely creased!

Around the side, the GT-Line petrol tested here ups the visual ante with an appealing set of Dark Chrome 20-inch alloy wheels.

Chrome accents also add intrigue below the A-pillars, while the wedge-like glasshouse dials up the sportiness.

At the rear, things get quite daring, with the split, horizontal tail-lights guaranteed to stand out from the crowd.

The tailgate is also intricately ‘folded’, while the spaced-out, centred ‘Sorento’ lettering below the number plate points out the bleeding obvious.

Inside, the Sorento GT-Line petrol continues to delight, with it feeling far, far more premium than you’d expect. No, seriously.

First, black quilted Nappa leather-appointed upholstery lovingly covers the seats, armrests and door inserts, while soft-touch plastics are deployed on the upper and middle dashboard, and door shoulders.

Then there’s the cool crosshatch metallic trim, which combines with the prevalent silver and gloss-black accents, with the latter attracting fingerprints and scratching, very easily.

But the main event is a side-by-side digital screen tag team - a 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen and 12.3-inch instrument cluster.

Alongside the windshield-projected head-up display, this set-up is powered by Kia’s latest software, which is a pleasure to use, even with the myriad of capacitive buttons around the place. You still get some physical controls, though.

It’s also worth mentioning the gear selection, which is a rotary dial instead of a traditional lever. There’s a learning curve, but it works well enough when you get your head around it.

I think the Santa Fe can pull off a better balancing act than its mid-sized SUV rivals of being practical while still being stylish.    

There are seven seats as standard and yes that third row isn’t big enough for me, but I’m 191cm (6'3") tall and I can sit behind my driving position in the second row with even more room now in this updated version. Headroom in the second row is also excellent – even with the sunroof.

My six-year old son had no issues climbing in and out of the second row, and those wide opening rear doors offered plenty of space for me to get in and fasten him into his car seat.

The front passenger seat has a power adjustment on the side of the bolster for rear passengers to move it back and forth. Parents beware: kids will be drawn to this and small fingers might get squashed if they play with it.

Boot space with the third row in place remains the same at 130 litres, but with those back seats folded there's 24 litres more space now with a luggage capacity of 571 litres.

The handsfree tailgate opens just by standing next to it with the key in your pockets which sounds brilliantly convenient but there were times when it opened when I didn’t want it to and was just walking past.

Cabin storage is good with cupholders on either side of the third row, two in the second row and another two up front.

There’s a large centre console storage box and medium sized door pockets. And under the floating centre console (on the Active grades up) is an area large enough to stow a small backpack

The upright design of the wireless phone charger with its little trapdoor is ingenious. All Santa Fes come with the wireless charger, plus two USB ports for the second row and two more up front.

There’s dual-zone climate control, and that means no temperature setting for the second row, although there are directional air vents in all three rows.

Measuring 4.8mm long (with a 2815mm wheelbase), 1.9m wide, and 1.7m tall, the Sorento GT-Line petrol is on the smaller side for a large SUV, but that doesn’t mean bad things for practicality.

For example, the boot’s cargo capacity is a useful 187L (VDA), but stow the 50/50 split-fold third row (via handy pull tabs) and it increases to a competitive 616L, while shelving the 60/40 split-fold second row (via two latches) will grow it to a cavernous 2011L.

Better yet, four tie-down points and two bag hooks are on hand to secure loose items, while the load lip is tiny and the floor flat, making bulkier loads easier to deal with.

And yes, a 12V power outlet is also in tow, while the load cover can be stowed underfloor when not in use.

The third row is accessed via one-touch buttons, which mercifully tumble the second row forward. With the latter in its rearmost position, a 184cm (6'0") frame like mine needs to split its legs, with knees pressed against the backrest in front, but a centimetre of legroom is on offer.

Amenities-wise, each of the two seats gets its own USB-A port, cupholder and rectangular cubby, which are located to the sides. Not too shabby.

Things get even better in the second row, where the bench manually slides and reclines. Behind my driving position, I have a massive eight centimetres of legroom as well as roughly four centimetres of headroom. And the central tunnel is small, so three adults can sit abreast with no complaints.

Better yet, there are two USB-A ports are in the front seat backrests, plus another at the rear of the centre console, right next to a 12V power outlet. Map pockets are also on hand alongside storage nets. You don’t see that every day.

Then there’s the second-row cupholder overload, with the fold-down armrest featuring two, while another two are incorporated into the door armrests. And yes, the rear door bins can also accommodate two regular bottles.

And when it comes to fitting child seats, five top-tether and four ISOFIX anchorage points are split between the second and third rows. Yep, it’s pretty easy being a parent here.

In the first row, a wireless smartphone charger, three USB ports and a 12V power outlet take up most of the centre stack’s cubby, while two cupholders and a small cubby are located behind.

And the central bin is not only large, but features a removeable tray, while the glove box is also on the larger side.

Finally, the front door bins can also take one regular bottle each and still have enough space for other paraphernalia.

Priced from $61,070, plus on-road costs, the GT-Line petrol sits second from the top of the Sorento range, with only its diesel counterpart going $3000 higher.

The GT-Line's generous standard equipment list includes, four drive modes ('Eco', 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Smart'), dusk-sensing LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, 'Dark Chrome' 20-inch alloy wheels (with a full-size spare), auto-folding side mirrors with heating, roof rails, keyless entry, rear privacy glass, and a hands-free power-operated tailgate.

Inside, add push-button start, a 10.25-inch touchscreen multimedia system, satellite navigation, (wired) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, digital radio, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a windshield-projected head-up display, a wireless smartphone charger and a panoramic sunroof feature.

And then there’s the heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, heated and cooled front seats, heated outboard middle seats, 14-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, 10-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, auto-dimming rearview mirror, black quilted Nappa leather-appointed upholstery, ambient lighting and second-row sunshade blinds.

Seven paintwork options are available, with our test vehicle finished in 'Snow White Pearl', which costs $695 extra, bringing the price as tested to $61,765.

For reference, the Sorento GT-Line petrol’s direct rival is the related Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander petrol ($61,700), while it also faces competition from the Mazda CX-9 Azami FWD ($66,190) and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 162TSI Highline ($53,190).

You can choose between a diesel or a petrol engine to power your Santa Fe, and a hybrid powertrain is coming soon.

The petrol is a refreshed version of the previous 3.5-litre V6 making 200kW/331Nm, while the 2.2-litre diesel is new and produces 148kW/440Nm.

Also new is the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission found in the diesel variant. It’s a wet-clutch type of DCT and it’s smooth and quick.

The V6 has a regular eight-speed automatic.

The hybrid power train arriving in 2021 looks to be promising and it'll be all-wheel drive.

As its name suggests, the Sorento GT-Line petrol is motivated by a 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 petrol engine.

This 'new' 'Smartstream' unit produces a hearty 200kW of power at 6300rpm and 332Nm of torque at 5000rpm.

And in tow is a dependable eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission (with paddle-shifters) and a basic front-wheel-drive system.

But if you’d prefer a 148kW/440Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive instead, the GT-Line diesel will do the trick for $3000 more.

The Sorento line-up will add eco-friendly Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid petrol-electric powertrain options later this year, but it remains to be seen if they will be available in the GT-Line grade.

For reference, both versions of the Sorento GT-Line have a braked towing capacity of 2000kg (750kg unbraked).

Hyundai says that after a combination of open and urban roads the V6 petrol should use 10.5L/100km. That’s pretty thirsty.

The diesel engine goes through less, even though it’s powering all four wheels. Hyundai says the mileage after the same sort of combination of roads should be 6.1L/100km. 

I covered 174 km in my fuel test of the diesel Highlander and the trip computer said I used an average of 8.1L/100km.

A hybrid variant makes so much sense on an SUV which is likely to spend a lot of time in urban and suburban settings and we're expecting it to be highly fuel efficient. 

The Sorento GT-Line petrol’s fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test (ADR 81/02) is 9.7L/100km, while its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are 222g/km.

Reasonable numbers, but in the real world we averaged a higher 11.7L/100km over 209km of driving, and I'm not sure how much better anyone else could do in mixed conditions.

For that reason alone, the Sorento’s upcoming ‘self-charging’ hybrid version is shaping up as the go-to option for family buyers, particularly in and around the city.

In good news, though, the Sorento GT-Line petrol’s 67L fuel tank takes more affordable 91RON petrol at minimum, which is always a win for the budget-conscious.

And for what it’s worth, the alternative Sorento GT-Line diesel uses 6.1L/100km and emits 159g/km, although it will take years to recoup the $3000 difference in cost and make the initial investment worthwhile.

This generation Santa Fe came out in 2018 and since then I’ve covered thousands of kilometres in all grades in every engine variant. I’ve also driven and tested its competitors and it has stood out from them in terms of how good it is to drive. 

Not many of its competitors were able to offer the combination of connection, comfort and easiness which the Santa Fe offered.

For this updated Santa Fe only the diesel variants were available to drive at the Australian launch and I tested the top-of-the-range Highlander and the entry-grade Santa Fe. 

To me this new Santa Fe rides more comfortably than that previous model, but offers less of that connected feel that made the outgoing car feel planted and sporty. This may be down to a different suspension set-up. 

Hyundai told us that for this new Santa Fe, rather than have an Australian-specific suspension set-up (as with the previous car), this new one has a global, one-size-fits-all tune. Hyundai still had an input, but the tune isn’t exclusively for Australia.

Yup, the last Santa Fe was so good that this new one has big shoes to fill, and to me it can’t quite match its predecessor’s all-rounder driving qualities.

Still, the new Hyundai Santa Fe is better to drive than almost all of its competitors, with good engines and transmissions, great visibility, and ease of control which makes it a breeze to pilot anywhere from dirt roads and motorways to car parks.

As far as family-focused seven-seaters go, the Sorento GT-Line petrol is nice to drive around town, although it is a little unrefined in some areas.

For example, off the line and at low speed, the engine-transmission combination isn’t as smooth as you’d expect it to be. It just feels a bit lazy and clunky.

This is a shame, because once you're up and running, the naturally aspirated V6 delivers pleasing performance, even if it doesn’t feel quite as quick as its outputs suggest.

And the torque-converter automatic behaves just the way you’d want it to, eventually proving to be responsive when required, while also being subtle with its gear changes.

Better yet, the suspension (MacPherson strut front/multi-link rear) lacks adaptive dampers but is no worse off for it, with it being more than comfortable in its own right, despite the obvious threat posed by the 20-inch alloy wheels.

Indeed, this set-up deals with speed humps and road imperfections really well. And with ride quality almost always flawless, children will have few complaints to make, including in the third row.

Parents will also have a good time when driving thanks to the electric power steering, which is on the lighter side, making low-speed manoeuvres, including parking, easier to perform.

This system is also quite direct, but not sports-car quick, so you certainly won’t be fooled into thinking you’re driving something very different. That said, its balanced nature is well suited here.

And when it comes to handling, the effects of the local tuning program are once again apparent, with relatively strong body control demonstrated in spite of a 1835kg tare mass.

Again, we’re not talking about a sports car here, but cornering can be enjoyable so long as understeer and traction can be managed.

Yep, the front wheels can be spun quite easily in the wet and dry, and not just off the line…

ANCAP awarded the entire Sorento line-up its maximum five-star safety rating under its 2020 standard.

Advanced driver-assist systems in the GT-Line petrol extend to front autonomous emergency braking (with intersection assist and pedestrian and cyclist detection), lane-keep and steering assist, adaptive cruise control, high-beam assist, active blind-spot monitoring (with cameras) and rear cross-traffic alert, remote park assist, rear AEB, surround-view cameras, front and rear parking sensors, 'Rear Occupant Alert' and 'Safe Exit Assist.'

Other standard safety equipment includes seven airbags (dual front, front-side and curtain, plus front-centre), anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist and the usual electronic and traction control systems.

But it's important to call out that the curtain airbags don’t extend to the third row, which is extremely disappointing for a family-focused seven-seater. Buyer beware.

The Hyundai Santa Fe is covered a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. 

Servicing is recommended every 12 months/15,000km and the pricing for the V6 petrol is capped at $399 for each service for five years while the diesel is $459 for the same time.

As with all Kia models, the Sorento GT-Line petrol comes with an industry-leading seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with no strings attached. It also gets seven years of roadside assistance.

And the Sorento GT-Line petrol’s service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

Capped-price servicing is available for the first seven visits, costing $3449 in total, for an average of about $493, which isn’t too bad.