Hyundai Santa Fe vs Mazda Cx-6E

What's the difference?

So I asked at the beginning if the Hyundai Santa Fe FWD petrol offered enough for families looking for a large seven-seat SUV and the answer is: YES!

It's practical, has people-mover space and storage and is downright comfortable to drive. There's so much to like here.

It might be the product of the brand's Chinese partnership, and in fact it might not even be a Mazda under the skin, but it definitely feels more like the Japanese brand than you might be expecting.

Does it feel quite enough like a Mazda? That's going to be up to you. But it certainly looks the part, inside and out.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Note: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number of automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics, and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

It's boxy and bold and you certainly won't mistake it for anything else on the road. That's both good and bad.

The front works beautifully; pairing a chunky and square aesthetic with cool H-shaped LED headlights (a running motif throughout the car). The front and sides look like the chiseled face of a Greek hero or the latest Romantasy crush, but the rear is just awkward. It's essentially just a big blank body panel and the only interesting thing about the back are the H-shaped tail lights.

Head inside and the interior is exactly the same as the base FWD hybrid variant - you get an interesting black and grey tartan fabric upholstery across the seats, and enough soft touchpoints scattered throughout to stop you looking too hard at the heavy use of plastics.

The dashboard shares similar chunky proportions with the exterior and you can see lots of H shapes in the air vents and panelling, so it flows pretty well inside.

The highlight is 100 per cent the large curved panel on the dash that houses the dual 12.3-inch displays. They look high-end and instantly lift the cabin from feeling 'basic'.

Joinery is flush, nothing rattles and there's an overwhelming sense of high-build quality inside. It's a cabin you'll be able to spend a lot of time in.

Mazda's designer is rightly proud of what he's managed to achieve here, and says every panel, and everything you touch inside, is Japanese, not Chinese. 

The brand has inarguably made a very attractive SUV here. It’s sleek and modern feeling, but it has soul and character, too. Oh, and the brand insists the aerodynamic raised air curtain on the bonnet was done by Mazda first, and not the Ferrari Luce.

The black and swept-back roofline lends a sporty feel, too, while both the 19- and 21-inch alloy options suit the vibe.

But there is one view I’m not keen on, and that’s standing (or driving) directly behind it. Stay close to the car and you don’t really notice it, but take a few steps back — or follow behind one — and the rear end looks somehow blobby and out of proportion.

It's the one weak spot in an otherwise very good looking package.

The Mazda treatment has occurred in the cabin, too, and the touchpoints are suitably plush, though it is entirely lacking in tactile buttons or switches.

Pride of place instead is the massive screen, which is a whopping 26.4 inches. Honestly, though, only about half of that is of any real use. The passenger side has super limited functionality – it's limited to stuff like changing the theme of the screen or the radio station – and so it feels wasted and a bit pointless on that side of the cabin.

I've said it before but I'll say it again. The cabin offers similar, if not the same, level of practicality of a people mover with passenger space and storage solutions.

In fact, Hyundai may have shot their other three-row SUV, the Palisade, in the foot here because I'm not sure why you'd now bother forking out an extra $13,800 on the base Elite grade over out test model. Not when each row will be comfortable for an adult and feature decent amenities.

With seats that don't sit too high and a 177mm ground clearance, the Santa Fe is an easy SUV to get in and out of, even for kids.

The front- and middle-row seats are the most comfortable when it comes to padding and under-thigh support. The powered drivers seat also offers adjustable lumbar support on top of the heat functions that both front seats get.

Storage is top-notch with lots of cubbies to choose from up front with dual gloveboxes, one that can fit a manual and one that will hold smaller items like a wallet, wet wipes etc.

The middle console is huge and has a removable shelf but is also shared with the middle row as the bottom pulls out into a storage drawer for them. This means you can cut out the middle man (AKA the parent) and have a handy place to put any roadie snacks.

The centre console features two phone cradles and a large shelf underneath that easily holds a handbag or Saturday night's takeaway.

There are a total of 12 cupholders (2/6/4) and four drink holders (one in each door storage bin) plus a sunglasses holder and map pockets on the back of the front seats. So, definitely spoiled for choice when it comes to individual storage.

The technology is easy to use and high-quality with display screens that feature crisp graphics and a responsive multimedia touchscreen. The system features wireless phone mirroring for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Bluetooth connectivity.

Charging options are good throughout the car with six USB-C ports (2/2/2), and a 12-volt socket and wireless charging pad up front.

Rounding out the cabin is the large boot which offers 642L when the third row is stowed, and up to 1963L when just the front seats are in use.

The loading space is level but you still get a handy under-floor compartment for small items. And the full-size spare tyre and powered tailgate are always practical to have!

At 4850mm long and 1620mm tall, the CX-6e is longer but lower than the CX-5. But I'm 175cm, and I had no problem getting comfortable in the backseat. The leg room is huge, and I didn't find the headroom an issue at all, with clear air above me, even with the swept back roofline.

That's probably the biggest practicality perk here, with the backseat properly cavernous in that way they often are in modern EVs. There are also air vents and temperature controls for backseat riders, as well as cupholders in the middle-seat pulldown divider.

At the boot, you'll find 363 litres of storage space measured to the parcel tray (so more if you stack to the ceiling), and a total 1434 litres should you fold the second row and load all the way to the ceiling.

What you won't find, though, is a spare tyre. If you get stuck, a puncture kit is your only hope.

Discounting temporary drive-away offers, the Mazda CX-6e range opens at $53,990 plus on-road costs for the GT, and then climbs to $56,990 for the flagship Azami. There’s not a huge gap between those numbers, and that’s because both cars share the same battery and engine, and a lot of the same equipment.

As I write, the cheapest Tesla Model Y (the big dog in the electric SUV fight) is $58,900, so you'd have to argue Mazda has the pricing right.

The GT opens with:

• 19-inch alloys
• LED lighting
• Panoramic glass roof
• Black Maztech trim
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• A massive 26.45-inch multimedia screen
• Head-up display
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 21-speaker stereo

Stepping up to the Azami gets you bigger 21-inch alloys and digital wing mirrors — the latter of which I don’t like.

If it was my money, you’d find me in a GT.

Our Santa Fe is the front-wheel-drive base variant, which features an eight-speed dual-clutch auto transmission and a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces up to 206kW of power and 422Nm of torque.

Our model has a braked towing capacity of 2000kg, which is up from its hybrid siblings which can only tow up to 1650kg.

There’s a single motor at the rear axle, making 190kW and 290Nm. Not a huge torque figure, but I like the way that the power is delivered here. It doesn’t feel overly aggressive, but it doesn’t feel underpowered either.

The base petrol Santa Fe has an official combined fuel cycle usage of 9.3L/100km and 67L fuel tank, giving it a theoretical driving range of 740km, which isn’t as good as its hybrid siblings but still sufficient for the odd road trip.

After doing lots of open-roading this week and a good three days of city dwelling, my real-world usage has popped out at 8.7L/100km, which is a solid result for such a large SUV.

Delivering the range is a 78kWh LFP battery, producing a WLTP driving range of up to 484kms. The DC charge rate is capped at 194kW, which should take you from 10-80 per cent charged in 24 minutes. AC charging is up to 11kW, too.

The petrol engine definitely has more pep to it than the hybrid variants I've sampled. The power is responsive and you still feel like there’s heaps leftover when you have to overtake or get up a hill without any annoying engine whines.

The steering isn’t too heavy, despite the size of this car but turning off the lane-keeping aid will keep the on-road experience feeling smooth. Otherwise, you sort of ping-pong in your lane as the aid readjusts strongly.

All Santa Fes feel way more nimble than they have any right to in corners. You do get some roll, but our test model is sure-footed, even in heavy wet weather. 

The eight-speed dual-clutch auto transmission is smooth enough and you don’t get any annoying lags when you accelerate from a full stop, which is unusual for such a unit.

Ride comfort is pretty high as well, with suspension that feels forgiving over the worst of the bumps and a cabin that remains quiet, even at higher speeds. 

You have really great visibility in this model because of how big the windows are and the taller driving position helps as well. None of the pillars hindered my vision either from my driving position.

The Santa Fe well and truly fills out a car space and it was easy to see it in a car park because the butt hangs out a bit, but it’s still easy to park with its very clear 360-degree camera system and parking sensors at the front, side and rear. So while it is big, it doesn't feel big to park.

Overall, the petrol Santa Fe is an simple SUV to drive and will be a forgiving choice for lots of different driving styles.

It's not just outside and in the cabin where Mazda has worked its magic, it has done a whole bunch of stuff under the skin as well, retuning things like the steering, the suspension and the brakes, changing the tyre brand, and tweaking the damping to deliver a car that drives more like a Mazda than what you might of an electric Chinese SUV.

And it does feel more engaged from behind the wheel, but it also feels a little bit like Mazda has done the very best they can do with the package they've been given, rather than start from a clean sheet of paper.

There are some elements of the drive experience I'm not 100 per cent convinced by. One of them is a fairly busy ride, even on relatively smooth and straight roads, where it can feel a bit bouncy through the suspension. And another is the fact that it feels like it's been dialed up to 11 in places – the accelerator, for example, is super responsive, so even breathing on it can get that kind of surging feeling through the cabin, reminding you to be a little bit more gentle with your inputs.

Elsewhere, though, it is a composed and quiet package. We did a lot of driving through the city and then on flowing country roads, and it handled it all well. In fact, Melbourne is beset by potholes at the moment, and I actually targeted a few of them to see how it would handle them, and while the ride can feel busy in places, it does also soak up those really big road imperfections really well.

The two-tonne-plus kerb weight only really lets itself be known in super tight and twisty stuff. Otherwise, the CX-6e is happy just to flow along, a feeling helped by the not-stratospheric power outputs which suit the nature of this electric Mazda, too. 

If you were to blindfold me, I probably wouldn't immediately guess that I was driving a Mazda, but equally, I wouldn't say I was driving some new brand of Chinese SUV either. I think it straddles those two worlds, and it does it pretty well.

There’s no ANCAP rating yet, but Mazda is hopeful of five stars. It is waiting for EuroNCAP testing, but for now the CX-6e launches as an unrated vehicle.

I do like the fact that both models share the same safety package (I don't think you should have to spend more money to be safer), which means things like:

• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Seven airbags
• 360-degree camera and more

Not all of it feels particularly Mazda, though. The driver attention monitor, for example, gets more annoying the more time you spend with it (every time you yawn it will tell you to pull over, for example), and the over-speed warning chirps you every time you stray over the limit by even a kay or two.

The Santa Fe comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which isn’t as good as some of its rivals, especially with Nissan now offering a 10-year warranty on its models, albeit conditional.

The pre-paid servicing plans are competitive, though, and the five-year plan averages just $481 per service.

Servicing intervals could get a bit annoying if you do a lot of kays every year as they're at every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.

The Santa Fe petrol is a simple gal and enjoys 91RON unleaded petrol and is even E10 suitable.

The CX-6e is covered by Mazda’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is a little underwhelming by today’s standards. The battery is covered for eight years or 160,000kms.

Service intervals are 12 months or 20,000kms, and a capped-price servicing program will see you paying a total $1860 over the first five years of ownership.