2018 Hyundai Santa Fe vs Mitsubishi Outlander

What's the difference?

It's no secret that there is a new Santa Fe around the corner (relatively speaking), but even though the current car is more than five years old, it certainly hasn't lost anything in that time. In fact, the Series II car represents good value buying for a family looking for a roomy five-seater with seven-seat flexibility.

It pays to be aware of the limitations of luggage and curtain airbags when thinking about using those rearmost seats, and be mindful of its relatively underdone towing specs if a van is in your driveway.

Overall, it's a practical, good looking, understated rig with a bit of style, and it benefits from Hyundai's latest engineering in terms of its drivetrain and active safety.

The Santa Fe Active diesel AWD is the sweet spot in the range, combining a good box set of add-ons with the efficient oiler/all-paw drivetrain at a value-packed price.

The 2WD Outlander is a tidy package that’s a long way from the most impressive among its peers, but also the one that doesn’t really do anything wrong. It’s good looking without being over the top, has reasonable internal space that’s quite versatile, plus is comfortable to drive in most situations. 

This is certainly not the SUV for long-distance outback adventures (and neither is the AWD version, really), but it’s more than capable of getting out into the real Australia and exploring its back roads and campsites, even with a small family on board. 

What do you think of the 2WD Outlander? Tell us in the comments section below.

The exterior design of the Santa Fe could be best described as inoffensive. The large seven seat, five door SUV was one of the first models to really benefit from the new design era of the Europeans who came in and turned the Korean company upside down when it came to fresh and exciting exteriors, without resorting to side steps or rear spoilers to get achieve a sporty look.

No body kits are in evidence across the line, though the faux side skirts do add visual bulk down low.

The Santa Fe's lines are bluff, yet still soft enough not to give it a too aggressive feel; it's not an overly macho 4x4 off roader. It's said that good design is invisible, and the Santa Fe is certainly testament to that.

Colours include no-cost white as well as pearl white, black, blue, red and silver, but gold isn’t offered.

As for the interior, the Santa Fe was one of the first products to benefit from a new vision from Hyundai, an attempt to give their cars a more affordably premium feel.

While it's inaccurate to say that the interior has aged, it has been left behind by dint of the new era of interiors that the company has offered up in products like the I30 and the Tuscan. Side-by-side interior images show the Santa Fe is just a bit more bulbous and rounded in areas where other products are softer and more subtle. 

It sounds like a criticism, but it's really not; it's still a good place to be, but Hyundai has moved its own game on. In terms of function and in terms of visual appeal, it's still a great interior, though there is evidence of cheaper materials in eyesight that the newer models have tended to avoid.

Like the ASX below it and the proper Pajero above it (not the sort-of ugly looking Pajero Sport), the Outlander is neither good looking, nor bad, but conservatively designed with enough modern flair to fit in at school pick-up without creating any bold statements or setting new trends. 

Although the range is increasingly moving away from its roots as a soft-road 4WD, its maintained that typical SUV body-shape and, for the most part the new-ish front end (which it received in 2015) is one of the best things that’s ever happened to it, and still looks good now. 

Inside, the Outlander has a modest flair thanks to small details like white-on-black stitching, a simple centre-dash layout, and use of carbon-fibre-look infills that’s not overdone.

How many seats does a Hyundai Santa Fe have, you may ask. Well, Hyundai has equipped the Santa Fe as a seven seater with a third row pair of rear seats that fold completely flat into the floor. How many seats do you need? That’s a question only you can answer…

These seats are quite generously sized and the rear section has its own air vents and bottle holders to make passengers a little more comfortable. The second row of seats slides fore and aft, and the backs can be adjusted to give those rear seaters a little bit more room if required. Being able to juggle the second and third row of seats does mean a little bit more leg room can be found when required - as long as the other passengers aren't too tall.

While adults could clamber in and be safely seated in that area, it is definitely still an area better suited to smaller humans.

Second row passengers will need to share a single 12-volt power outlet on their centre console bin, while their air vents are situated in the B pillars. ISOFIX baby seat mounting points are attached to both outside rear seats.

The interior of the Santa Fe is quite spacious, and even with the standard full length sunroof, headroom in front and back is plentiful, while rear leg room in the middle row is excellent. 

Up front the driver and passenger have plenty of room to get comfortable with broad medium/firm seats. They could be perhaps a little bit lower in the car, but it's only by a couple of millimetres.

Visibility around the car is good with extra-large sized door mirrors and a porthole through the rear most pillar. The rear window aperture is quite narrow, but visibility is still okay.

Combined with that slightly too-high seat is a steering wheel that also sits slightly too low perhaps for taller drivers, although it is adjustable for both reach and height. 

There are a lot of controls in the Santa Fe; there's not a lot of consolidation of buttons with a panel to the right of the driver's hand controlling things like drive mode, lane departure control, parking sensors and hill descent mode. 

The centre console is quite crowded as well and the climate controls could be perhaps a little bit clearer to use, but it only takes a couple of minutes to get familiar with them.

The multimedia system's graphics are quite good, especially for an established model, and the addition of a reasonably seamless Apple CarPlay experience certainly adds to the drive experience of the Santa Fe.

There are plenty of power points at the front with a pair of 12 volt (12V) plugs, along with a USB cable input, and a pair of side by side cup holders reside in front of a medium-deep centre console bin that comes standard with a phone tray in the top. 

There's plenty of storage on all four doors for large bottles and it's nice to see that the pockets are partitioned to stop items from rattling around unnecessarily.

At 1615 litres VDA luggage capacity with the seats down, the Santa Fe’s dimensions lag behind both Toyota’s Prado (1833L) and Kluger (1872L) in total area, but it beats the Prado for boot space when only the second-row seats are in place, and is line ball with the Kluger, at 516L.

However, there is almost no room when the third row is up, which again raises the issue of just how impractical seven-seaters are when actually used as seven-seaters. Luckily, roof rack rails allow for additional storage options to be explored.

The Santa Fe will take a full size bicycle without the wheels removed with the 40/20/20 split-fold seats folded flat into the floor. Hyundai offers a clever recess for the cargo cover underneath the floor, but no cargo liner/tonneau cover is included as standard. A barrier can be fitted aftermarket if required.

A full sized spare tyre resides, 4x4 utility-like, behind the rear bumper under the floor of the cargo area.

This isn’t a huge SUV, especially one trying to seat up to seven people, but for all that, the space is used incredibly well. When the second- and third-row seats are folded forward, the floor space is flat from front to back, which makes packing a lot of gear in easy and convenient. What I really like is that the second-row seats can slide forwards, so if you are travelling with a couple of kids and a boot-full of camping gear, you can reduce the amount of leg-room you give them (the only thing kids do with leg-room is drop toys and food crumbs into it, so they don’t need it anyway), to maximise the amount of space you’ve got in the rear load area. And if you’re camping with kids, every skerrick of space counts.

Interestingly, there’s not a lot of benefit in the five-seater when it comes to space. Both it and the seven-seater have the same volume of load-space with all seating rows folded down, while the seven-seater’s only sacrifice to the space is the pair of cup holders for the third-row passengers. However, the seven seater is about 40kg heavier, so those two extra seats do technically affect load capacity. 

As far as value goes, the Outlander is one of the sharpest priced mid-sized SUVs on the block. At just $30,990 it’s cheaper than the equivalent Toyota Rav4, Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-Trail, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Santa Fe, partly because this Outlander’s platform is getting old now, partly because it doesn’t quite have the same safety features in the base models as some of those vehicles mentioned, and partly because Mitsubishi generally keeps its prices sharp.

Still, it is well featured, even on the bottom rung. The ES range offers the choice of two petrol engines, the smaller with a five-speed manual or the bigger with a CVT transmission and the choice of 2WD or AWD drivelines. 

All models come with 18-inch alloy rims, LED daytime running lights and tail lamps, roof-rails. and central locking. The front-seat occupants benefit from dual-zone climate control, cruise control, steering wheel stereo and phone controls, a couple of USB points, and a touch-screen centre display with Apple and Android phone integrations. There’s no built-in mapping, though, so if you’re out of phone service areas regularly, it could be an issue.

There are three engines on offer across the Santa Fe range with differing specifications and ratings, comprising two petrol powertrains and a single diesel.

A direct injection 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine was added to the range in 2017, which makes the most horsepower at 199kW along with 318Nm. The biggest motor in the range drives the front wheels through an automatic; no manual transmission is available in the Santa Fe (you could previously get a diesel manual model but it was deleted for 2018).

It’s complemented by a four-cylinder petrol with an engine size of 2.4 litres, which drives all four wheels. It makes 138kW and 241Nm, and it’s also backed by a six-speed auto gearbox.

A 2.2-litre turbo-diesel with direct injection is also offered in all-wheel-drive only. Its torque specs are the strongest at 440Nm. No rear wheel drive is offered. It’s also worth noting that a diesel particulate filter isn’t fitted to the Santa Fe, but black smoke isn’t an issue.

A diff lock system enables even distribution of torque between front and rear for off road work.

Oil types and capacity varies across the three, while all three eschew a timing belt for a timing chain. If you’re looking for LPG or a plug in hybrid, you’re in the wrong place.

Gross vehicle weight varies between the models, with the lightest variant weighing 1717kg at the kerb and the heaviest at 1984kg. Towing capacity tops out at 2000kg across all variants, while a relatively low 100kg downball weight limit applies to the tow bar. The un-braked towing capacity for all models is 750kg.

Load capacity, of course, reduces in line with the weight of the trailer you’re pulling. The diesel, for example, has a gross vehicle mass of 2600kg, leaving 600kg of load capacity for people and stuff.

There are three engines offered across the Outlander range, although automatic 2WDs are only available with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol. It’s capable of 124kW at 6000 rpm and 220Nm of torque at 4200rpm. The only transmission option with this engine is a CVT.

Diesel fuel economy is rated at 6.4 litres per 100km on the combined fuel economy cycle, while fuel consumption for the V6 is rated at 8.4 litres per 100km. Mileage for the 2.4-litre four, meanwhile, is rated at 7.5L/100km.

All Santa Fes have the same size fuel tank capacity at 64 litres, and all are equipped with a single battery.

Loaded up with camping gear and following the winding and unsealed backroads of the Southern Highlands, the Outlander used 29.2 litres of fuel over 376 kilometres, which is just shy of 7.8L/100km. Mitsubishi claims a combined consumption of 7.2L/100km under more controlled circumstances, so that’s a good figure. The tank can hold 63 litres of fuel, so expect the range to be around 750km to a tank. 

Around town and on country roads, the Santa Fe really is a nice thing to drive. A three-stage drive mode switch offers Eco, Normal and Sport modes, with throttle response and gearbox mapping changed to suit. Sport mode is good around town as well as on the open road, sharpening the shifts from the six-speed automatic that features across the entire line; it can feel laggy when left to its own devices in Eco mode, particularly.

The locally-tuned front MacPherson and rear multi-link suspension is almost perfectly balanced between ride quality and road holding, with the ‘old school’ hydraulic steering adding feel and finesse to the wheel.

Road noise is well surpressed, while its 10.9m turning radius is acceptable for such a big rig. It’s not so much about 0-100 acceleration performance and top speed in the Santa Fe, but its light off road capability adds an extra level of flexibility.

Hyundai doesn’t offer a wading depth figure, but its 185mm ride height is surprisingly less than the Kluger (200mm) and the Mazda CX-9 (222mm).

The front wheel drive (commonly called 4x2) Active X is the least capable off-road, while the on-demand 4x4 with 50/50 front and rear lock mode in the AWD cars gives them more ability when the going gets slippy.

Similar to the Outlander's looks, it’s neither good nor bad. I almost want to call it boring to drive, but it’s not quite that either. Let’s just call it adequate as a daily driver. 

The Outlander is comfortable and quiet on the road. It has no rattles and very little engine or road noise intrudes into the cabin. Under acceleration it’s definitely not sporty, but it’s not slow either. If you need to put the boot in, it’ll respond well enough.

The steering is a little twitchy, especially trying to keep it in a straight line on the highway. That’s likely thanks to the electronic power steering, which isn’t as fluid in its assistance as the older-tech hydraulic systems are. The benefit, of course, is better fuel consumption, but I did find it a little hard to get used to. 

With the reverse camera and small stature, the Outlander behaves like a largeish hatch if it’s used around the shops or to cart kids to and from school. The middle-row seats are easy to move forward to give access to the third row. However, those back seats don’t have a lot of space in them – they’re probably better left for special occasions, or as regular seats for your kids’ friends who you’d rather weren’t their friends.

The Mitsubishi Outlander was awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating on its updated release in 2015. It has dual front, curtain, and driver knee airbags, plus the essential suite of electronic safety aids, including ABS, EBD, ASC, ATC and ESC. Hill start assist is across the range, as is Emergency Stop Signal Function (where the brake lights flash under heavy braking) and a reversing camera. Next models up get reversing sensors, adaptive cruise control, and a forward collision mitigation system and lane departure warning. 

You’ll get a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty with your Santa Fe; not quite as good as Kia’s seven years (and not even as good as Hyundai’s own 10-year warranty in the US), but it’s better than average – and you can always purchase an extended warranty.

A lifetime capped price servicing plan is available if you let Hyundai look after your car – service costs equal around $409 every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first, when maintenance is amortised over five years or 75,000km. Just keep that owner’s manual stamped.

The Santa Fe isn’t the subject of complaints or issues, with its drivetrains garnering an admirable reputation for reliability, durability and avoiding common faults and defects. In fact, Hyundai scored top ratings in the latest J.D. Power Australia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study in 2017.

Transmission problems and issues are almost unheard of, while things like oil pumps, the turbo unit and other parts like suspension hold up well to Australian conditions.

Resale value is reasonable, with a 2014 Elite shedding some $20,000 of its $48,000 initial purchase price. Second hand Santa Fes actually make for pretty good buying in general; the car hasn’t changed much since its introduction in 2012, after all.

The Outlander is covered by Mitsubishi’s capped price servicing scheme. The cost of a service is only $280 for and you’ll only need one every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. That’s a slight increase on the 2017 models, though, which will be serviced for just $230 for the first three years. 

Major pain points will come at 90,000km when the iridium or platinum tipped spark plugs need to be replaced along with all the engine and transmission fluids, but otherwise service intervals are generally long and well-spaced. 

Mitsubishi offers a 5 year/100,000km warranty, plus 5 year Perforation Corrosion Warranty on the Outlander.