2020 Kia Sportage vs Hyundai Santa Fe

What's the difference?

When it comes to value for money, the lower-spec Sportage SX is unbeatable in the range, but a close next-choice would be the SX Plus with its bump in features and improved cabin ambiance.

This will be worth it to many buyers, and it’s nice to see the Sportage is still very worthy of consideration since it now competes in a congested field of new or more recently updated rivals.

Practical and refined, with a huge focus on safety, and a great ownership package, the Hyundai Santa Fe V6, even in entry-level Active trim, is a quality seven-seat, family SUV option. That said, value-for-money lags key competitors, and the big, smooth V6 is thirsty relative to smaller capacity turbo fours more common in the category.

Although almost every single one I see is in this 'Steel Grey' colour (please buy the 'Fiery Red') I think the Sportage has stood the test of time well thanks to its avant garde styling.

This car could have been launched this year and you wouldn’t know any better. The light clusters which sit high on the bonnet, light strip across the rear and bulbous, slightly insectoid styling, really set it apart from the crowd, including its mechanical cousin, the Hyundai Tucson.

Always a subjective call, but I see a Porsche influence which gives it a welcome point of difference.

Mazda’s CX-5 looks a bit more swish and delicate, while Toyota’s RAV4 has a newfound toughness in all its angles. Truly, there’s now a mid-sizer for every taste.

On the inside, the Sportage offers a sportier look than the modern Tucson, but much like the outside, it’s ageing pretty well.

I like the contoured leather bound wheel, traditional quad analog dial instrument cluster, and the nicely integrated dash design.

Some will see the embedded screen as a little older looking than some of its tablet-mounted competition, but it’s bright and functions well. The choice of plastics ranges from great to not-so-impressive as you work your way down the dash.

The seating position is a bit more hatch-like than the glasshouse of the RAV4, Tucson, and Forester. Some will prefer its more engaging feel.

The dash centre might look a little old fashioned with its smattering of buttons, but the shortcuts are a practical alternative to offering most of the car’s functions through a touchscreen.

Hyundai has a massive design card up its sleeve in the shape of Peter Schreyer, the person responsible for development of the look and feel of Hyundai and Kia vehicles.

A car design rock star, Schreyer has built a stellar team that’s managed to catapult the two main Korean car brands into the top tier, giving each a distinctive, confident personality.

At close to 4.8m long, just under 1.9m wide, and a touch less than 1.7m tall, the Santa Fe is big rather than huge, and within a classic SUV profile stands apart thanks to its large, black, egg crate grille, with slim, sweeping upper ‘positioning’ lights defined by LED DRLs either side, and an enormous, angular aperture for the main (bi-xenon) headlights underneath.

A sharp character line running the length of the car’s shoulder, conspicuously raised and chiseled outer edges on the bonnet, and long strakes on the hood itself add visual interest without being too busy.

The standard 17-inch alloys don’t exactly fill the wheelarches (18s and 19s are standard on higher-tier variants), and the rear view is less recognisably Hyundai than the front, with irregular, vaguely boomerang-shaped tail-lights the only element not conforming to a generic family SUV treatment.

Inside, the cabin is neat and tidy without pushing the envelope too far. The dashboard follows a layered approach, accentuated by subtle colour differences between a gently curving top, protruding centre, and lower console area.

Key elements are defined by bright metal-look surrounds, which also serve to highlight the fact there are several different shapes across the fascia, one being the relatively modest 7.0-inch media touchscreen, standing proud of the centre dashtop. 

Overall, the interior is user-friendly, but not as cohesive and unified as some. 

A bit of smart packaging goes a long way, and Kia’s done a great job here. Every bottle holder and storage area is oversized and clad in hard-wearing plastics, leaving loads of room for all sorts of objects around the front of the cabin.

The 8.0-inch multimedia suite is no-nonsense. The base software is easy to navigate, and connected to my iPhone without problems every time I got in the car. There’s no lag, either, and being placed in the dash means it's less susceptible to glare.

In the tray under the air conditioning controls there are two 12-volt power outlets, as well as USB and AUX inputs. There’s also a large (if unadorned) armrest console and a glove box on the passenger side.

Although the Sportage's glasshouse isn't as expansive as some of its rivals, visibility is fantastic, and the reversing camera proved paired with front and rear parking sensors made maneuvering in tight quarters a cinch.

Back seat occupants get fantastic amounts of legroom, providing ample airspace for my knees behind my own (182cm tall) driving position.

Amenities are up-to-spec too with large bottle holders in the doors, netted pockets on the back of the front seats, a set of directional air vents, as well as 12-volt and USB outlets.

The rear seats can be reclined in two steps and the Sportage’s rear door apertures are gigantic, allowing for ease of access or the fitting of child seats.

The boot is where the Sportage loses points. Its capacity is listed as 466-litres (VDA) which is modest compared to most of its mid-size competition, although this compromise is largely to facilitate a full-size matching spare wheel which will be significant for some.

A 2765mm wheelbase is sizeable relative to the Santa Fe’s overall length, the driver and front passenger enjoying plenty of space as well as multiple storage spaces including, a large lidded storage box (doubling as a centre armrest) between the seats, big door pockets (with room for full-size bottles), twin cupholders in the centre console, a small oddments tray ahead of the gearshift, an overhead sunglasses compartment, and a decent glove box.

Connectivity and power options run to a 12-volt (180W) socket, two USB ports (one for media connection, and another for charging only), plus an ‘aux-in’ audio plug.

Moving to the centre row and sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position, I enjoyed more than adequate head and legroom, with enough shoulder room for three adults abreast for short journeys. Kids on a road trip will be fine, and adjustable air vents for rear-seaters is always a plus.

Here, storage includes twin cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest, map pockets in the front seatbacks, an oddments tray below the centre air events, and lengthy door bins, again with space for bottles. There are also two USB  power sockets to keep devices charged and occupants happy.

Getting in an out of the third row seat is reasonably awkward for grown-ups, despite the centre seat folding and sliding forward easily, but a cinch for the pre--teen kids that will inevitably occupy it.

The centre seats slide, so a legroom compromise can be reached between the rear rows, but no matter how far that goes in favour of the ‘way back’ seat, it’s very tight on head and legroom for adults. This is a small person zone.

There’s plenty of storage with a deep tray on the left-hand side, and a pair of cupholders on the right, as well as a 12-volt outlet and rear A/C control with a vent. Nice.

Then the boot offers 547 litres of space with all seats up. Drop the 50/50 split-folding third row (via buttons in the boot space), and that number grows to 625 litres. Lower the 60/40 split centre row, and you have 1625 litres at your disposal, with a completely flat floor. There are six tie-down points, a luggage net, and a small under floor storage area, which is handy for wet swimming gear or muddy boots.

Towing capacity is 2000kg for a braked trailer (interestingly, the same rating as the AWD diesel model), and 750kg unbraked, and the spare is a full-size alloy.

At $43,550, before on-road costs the Active is the entry-point to a three-grade Santa Fe line-up with the Elite and Highlander above it.

It lines up directly with the base-grade Toyota Fortuner GX ($45,965), and Mazda CX-8 Sport ($43,910), sitting a little higher than others like the Honda CR-V VTi-L7 ($38,990), Nissan X-Trail ST-L ($39,300), and VW Tiguan Allspace 110 TSI Comfortline ($40,490).

Once you’re into the $40K bracket it’s fair to expect a solid inventory of standard equipment, and aside from the active and passive safety tech detailed in the Safety section, the Santa Fe Active delivers a decent rather than spectacular basket of fruit.

Highlights include a leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearshift, heated exterior mirrors, a 3.5-inch digital instrument screen (with trip computer and digi speedometer), front and rear fog lights (LED rear), auto headlights, roof rails, 17-inch alloy rims, keyless entry, cruise control, a 7.0-inch media touchscreen managing a six-speaker audio system (including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity), and a rear-view camera.   

But, while air conditioning is standard, it’s a manual system, the seat trim is cloth, and you’ll be adjusting the front seats manually. You’ll also be inserting and twisting the ignition key (no push-button start), there isn’t any nav (but that’s okay if you have a smartphone connected), forget digital radio, and rain-sensing wipers are missing in action.

The Sportage we tested soldiers on with a 2.0-litre, non-turbo petrol engine, producing 114kW/192Nm. It drives the front wheels via a six-speed (torque converter) automatic transmission.

It's also available as a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel all-wheel drive (136kW/400Nm) at a significant price hike ($44,490), although it comes packaged with a newer eight-speed auto.

The Sportage’s powertrain, while not bad for the segment is really the main issue with the value on offer. Newer rivals offer turbo, all-wheel drive, or even hybrid at this price.

The Santa Fe V6 is powered by the Hyundai Group’s ‘Lambda II MPi’ all-alloy, 3.5-litre, naturally aspirated V6 petrol engine.

Featuring direct-injection, variable valve timing (on the exhaust and inlet side) and a timing chain (rather than a belt) it’s claimed to produce 206kW at 6300rpm, and 336Nm at 5000rpm.

The engine is manufactured in Montgomery, Alabama, as are US market Sante Fes, although Australian cars are assembled in Hyundai’s main production plant in Ulsan, South Korea.

Drive goes to the front wheels only via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 2.2-litre turbo-diesel version of the Santa Fe is all-wheel drive, with that engine’s low-down torque delivery making it better suited to towing and off-highway work.

The 2.0-litre engine is a lower-tech solution than many emerging low-capacity turbocharged solutions, and hence has to be pushed a bit harder to move a vehicle of the Sportage’s (1532kg) weight.

Subsequently, fuel consumption could be better. The Sportage wears an official/combined figure of 7.9L/100km, but I scored 10.7L/100km over my week of mostly urban testing.

I recorded similar figures from tests of other petrol variants in the Sportage range, so this isn’t an outlier, either.

Thankfully, you can fill the Sportage with base-grade 91 RON petrol. It has a 62-litre fuel tank.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 10.6L/100km, the V6 emitting 249g/km of CO2 in the process.

Over around 250km of city, suburban and freeway running, we recorded 11.3L/100km, which isn’t exactly miserly, but unusually close to the claim, and equates to a real-word range of just under 630km..

Fuel required is standard 91 RON unleaded, which helps, and you’ll need 71 litres of it to fill the tank.

Despite more recent competitors launching, the Sportage continues to impress with its balanced ride and handling characteristics.

Part of this is down to its Australia-specific suspension tune, but a recent comparison test pitting the Sportage against its Tucson cousin had us preferring the Sportage.

The ride is firm, but not brutally so. When pitched against major rivals, it’s a sportier ride than the Forster or RAV4, yet not as firm as the CX-5 or Tucson. Food for thought when choosing against competitors.

The steering is nice and direct, too, making the Sportage decent to helm around corners.

The Sportage’s weak point is its 2.0-litre petrol engine, as tested here. It’s predictable and works well with the transmission to provide a decent amount of low-down torque for springing off-the-line, but has a tendency to be thrashy and unrefined further up the rev-range.

I recently tested the SsangYong Korando with a 1.5-litre turbo which proved more engaging and powerful.

As mentioned, asking this engine to pull such a heavy SUV pushes up fuel consumption. While many rivals suffer from the same issue, it could be worth considering.

The six-speed auto proved reasonably smooth, and certainly better than CVT-equipped rivals.

When you attach a turbo, or turbos, to a car engine, the result will be pulling power, and typically plenty of it, with the peak output arriving low in the rev range.

Well, there’s not a single turbo to be found under this Santa Fe’s bonnet, and despite its relatively large, 3.5-litre capacity, the V6 sitting in there coughs up it’s maximum 336Nm of torque way up at 5000rpm. 

To put that in context, the turbo-diesel Toyota Fortuner pumps out 450Nm from just 1600rpm, right in the sweet spot for around town driving.

But, that’s not to say the V6 feels puny, far from it. The upside of a naturally aspirated engine is smooth, linear throttle response, and flicking the Santa Fe into the ‘Sport’ setting (‘Comfort’, ‘Eco’, and ‘Smart’ are also available) puts the polished eight-speed auto in a more energetic mode, keeping the 1720kg seven-seater on the boil.

The suspension layout is strut front, multi-link rear, and Hyundai Australia scores many brownie points for tuning its cars for local conditions. 

Once again, ride quality is great, helped in no small part by the Active’s comfy 235/65 Hankook Ventus Prime 3X rubber sitting on the standard 17-inch alloy rims.

Unlike many of its competitors, the Santa Fe relies on hydraulic (rather than electric) assistance for its rack and pinion steering, and the result is swift response and good road feel.

The driver’s seating position is excellent, and ergonomically the Santa Fe keeps things, clear, clean and simple. It’s a relaxed drive, but the Sante Fe will respond well if mum or dad gets a rush of blood and decides to hurry through a few of their favourite corners.

With that, and this car’s 2.0-tonne towing capacity in mind, braking performance becomes even more important. And with ventilated 320mm discs at the front and solid 305mm rotors at the rear, stopping power is strong with nicely progressive pedal feel.

It’s also worth calling out the ‘Hyundai Auto Link’ app, which connects the car to your smartphone, tracking your driving style and fuel efficiency, monitoring the car’s condition and registering any faults. Yes, it’s Big Brother, but one that cares.

Under the heading of ‘Any Other Business’, we like the extendable front sun visors that help keep sun coming in from the side, out of your eyes. The chunky cloth seat trim looks a bit stuffy, but feels great. And the steering wheel controls for phone, audio, cruise and other functions are super easy to use. 

The Santa Fe received a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment in July, 2018.

Standard active safety tech includes the usual suspects like ESC, ABS, and EBD, as well as traction and stability control systems.

But more advanced features include ‘Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist’ (Hyundai-speak for AEB) city/urban/interurban to 65km/h (incorporating pedestrian and cyclist detection via camera and radar), ‘Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist – rear’, ‘Driver Attention Warning’, auto high-beam, lane-keeping assist, and ‘Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist.’

Plus, there’s active cruise control (with stop and go), ‘Emergency Stop Signal’, rear parking distance warning (four sensors, with guidance display), a rear view camera (with dynamic guidelines), a speed limiter, and tyre pressure monitoring.

If all that isn’t enough to prevent an impact, there are six airbags, but two of them could be better. There are head and side (thorax) bags for the driver and front passenger, but the side curtain airbags only cover the first and second row seats.

The ‘Hyundai Auto Link’ app provides an emergency assist function that allows you to send alert messages to Hyundai customer care or family and friends, ‘Accident Assist’ which keeps a log of data during a crash, and an automatic roadside assistance alert in the event of a breakdown. 

There are also three top tether points across the centre row seat for securing child seats/baby capsules with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions.

Kia continues to offer its seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty; still one of the best in the business, although Kia has fellow Korean challenger SsangYong biting at its heels with an identical promise on its new Korando.

Kia also backs the Sportage with seven years of capped price servicing, although averaging out to 391.71 per year it’s not as cheap as something like the RAV4.

Hyundai offers a five-year/unlimited km warranty, with 24/7 roadside assistance included for up to 10 years when the car is serviced at an authorised dealer.

Service is scheduled every 12 months/15,000km, with a pre-paid service plan available as follows - three years (up to 45,000km) $1050 / four years (up to 60,000km) $1440 / five years (up to 75,000km) $1770, the latter working out to $354 per year..