Xpeng G6 vs Hyundai Santa Fe

What's the difference?

I can’t say this was the verdict I was expecting going into the XPeng G6 with no major expectations, but I really like this car. It's not only a fantastic EV with future-proof tech, but it’s practical, stylish and a great car to drive.

Mainstream carmakers should be worried if we’re seeing cars this good from brands that have only been building vehicles for a few years.

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.

Don’t dismiss the XPeng G6 as just another generic “jelly-bean” shaped EV. Yes, there’s a roundness to the G6’s body that’s very much the trending look but the details in the design are quite special. 

JuanMa Lopez is XPeng’s VP of design, having been in charge of exterior design for Ferrari and there are sportscar touches to the G6’s styling that point to his involvement.

Look at the G6 from that rear three-quarter angle. The way the roofline curves into the tailgate is superb and very Porsche-like.

I also like the G6’s frameless side windows, the expansive windscreen and wide bonnet, the alloy wheels (and not plastic aero hubcaps) and LED strip lighting.

Actually the LED daytime running light strip that runs the width of the bonnet is new for this update and so is the sleeker tail-light design, too.

The G6’s cabin is modern and minimalist but unlike other new EV brands it’s also refined and that goes for the look and the feel of the materials and styling.

The soft Nappa leather seats lift the cabin’s look and feel to a luxurious level.

However, the white interior of our car is not the most family friendly option and we had a strict no-eating-in-this-car policy with our five- and 11-year-old. That wasn't very fun for anybody so if this was our car we’d be choosing the Dark Grey upholstery and eating hot chips without stressing.

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.

The G6’s cabin is spacious to the point of cavernous, despite its not-so enormous exterior dimensions. t’s 4758mm long which is considered medium sized and almost identical to the length of the Model Y and BYD Sealion 7. 

So space up front is good even for giants like me and second-row space is outstanding with excellent leg-, head-, and elbow room.

Parents beware though, the window sills in the G6 are oddly high and children may struggle to see out, but to me that feels safer than the opposite.

Storage is decent, too, with oversized door pockets along with cupholders, front and back, and there’s a storage bay under the floating centre console.

A standout feature is the proximity unlocking which picks up the key from about five metres away and unlocks the car, popping the door handles out. The safety and convenience of this can’t be exaggerated and the auto locking feature when you walk away is great for when you have armfuls of grocery bags or kids… or both.

We could have done without the giant glass roof, though. During the warm Australian spring days the cabin heated up fast under than huge sheet of glass even with the climate control trying its hardest to keep us cool. Yes, it is tinted but I felt like I needed to wear a hat when the sun was directly overhead and there’s no shade or screen.

A 517-litre boot (measured to the parcel shelf) is bang on the cargo capacity offered by rivals such as the BYD Sealion 7, but unlike that competitor, the G6 doesn't have a front boot.

The G6 doesn’t have a spare wheel, just a puncture repair kit.

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!

The Hyundai Santa Fe is offered in three grades, with the base- and mid-spec options now having the option of having a turbo-petrol engine or a self-charging hybrid powertrain.

Our test model is the front-wheel-drive base-petrol grade, which is priced from $53,000 before on-road costs. That makes it the most affordable variant in the Santa Fe line-up, being $2500 more affordable than the base FWD hybrid model.

This positions it in between its three-row large SUV rivals, the Kia Sorento S ($50,680) and even larger Nissan Pathfinder ST-L ($60,220). But the Sorento is still offered with a choice between V6 petrol engine and a four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which will entice some.

Our test model is incredibly well-equipped for a base variant and includes features like heated front seats, a powered driver's seat (with adjustable lumbar support), rear privacy glass and LED external lights.

There are great practical items like a full-size spare wheel, a powered tailgate, keyless entry/start, a 360-degree camera system, dual-zone climate control and tyre pressure monitoring.

Technology is also a standout with dual 12.3-inch displays taking centre stage, FM/AM and digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto, Hyundai 'Bluelink' app, over-the-air updates, Bluetooth connectivity, a wireless charging pad, six USB-C ports and two 12-volt sockets.

Bluelink connected car services brings features like ‘Automatic Collision Notification’ an emergency call (SOS) function, geo-fencing, valet, speed and time alerts and more.

The Rear Wheel Drive Long Range features a single motor making 218kW and 440Nm driving the rear wheels with the largest battery. To me that’s the ideal setup because you don't really need all-wheel drive which will drain power and reduce range for the sake of better traction and quicker acceleration.

Besides, the 0-100km/h time of the RWD Long Range is 6.7 seconds and that’s plenty. By the way, the 1984 Holden VK SS Commodore with a V8 had exactly the same sprint time and it had less power and torque than the XPeng G6. What I’m saying is, you’ll be fine with the grunt.

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.

The G6 Rear Wheel Drive Long Range has an 80.8kWh battery and XPeng says this gives it a driving range of up to 525km. After a week of our regular driving (approximately 215km) we had 58 per cent of our battery charge left.

Energy usage was excellent, with our trip computer reporting 13.8kWh/100km, which is better than XPeng’s official claim of 17.9kWh/100km.

The big news for the update is the change of battery from Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) which reduces range but lowers production costs.

 LFP batteries also have less thermal runaway and are therefore safer.

The other big news is an update in electrical architecture from 400V to 800V and this means much faster charging. The G6 RWD Long Range can now charge from 10-80 per cent in 12 minutes flat at a DC rate of 451kW.

That of course requires a 450kW charger of which there are none. The fastest publicly available in Australia is 400kW and there’s fewer than a handful of them in the country.

But this means the G6 is future-proofed and that’s much better than having an out-of-date car in a couple of years.

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.

The XPeng G6 RWD Long Range is one of the few new EV brands that's both a great tech package and a great car to drive. Many new EV brands can’t master the combination, or specifically the driving side, which established brands have refined over decades.

The G6 RWD Long Range has a soft ride, but good dynamics. I tried to unsettle it in some of the quicker corners on my regular test route and it refused to even hint at coming unstuck. That’s great for engaging driving but more so for safety where this car feels planted and stable even under pressure.

Steering is light and direct, and the cabin is tranquil even at higher speeds where road and wind noise is also remarkably low.

Honestly I’m quite amazed. I thought the G6 would just be a sophisticated tech device. But it's also a good car to drive.

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.

All hybrid Hyundai Santa Fe variants are covered by a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2024, but the petrol variants are not, so our test model is currently unrated. It does feature 10 airbags, though, which is excellent for a family SUV and the curtain airbags extend to the third row.

The standard safety equipment includes blind-spot monitoring, LED daytime running lights, driver attention alert, leading vehicle departure alert, safe exit assist, rear occupant alert (first two rows only), rear collision warning, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert and a lane-keeping aid.

There's also lane following assist, traffic sign recognition, an intelligent seatbelt warning (first two rows only), adaptive cruise control (with start/stop), the 360-degree camera system and front, side, and rear parking sensors.

It's also nice to see the blind-spot monitor on the base model, which is a system that pops a video feed of your blind spot onto your dashboard.

However, some of the safety features, like the driver attention monitor and traffic sign recognition, can be intrusive to daily driving. If you could permanently disable the sound alert, it would be a lot more enjoyable to drive long term.

The XPeng G6 is covered by a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and servicing is recommended every 20,000km or 12 months. While there’s no capped-price servicing you can expect to pay about $2000 over five years.

The battery is covered by an eight-year/160,000km warranty which is the industry standard.

There’s good news for owners as well regarding XPeng’s presence in Australia. Xpeng took back distribution of its vehicles from a third party and is selling its car directly with an expansion of the dealer network to 66 locations around Australia.

New owners will also benefit from complimentary roadside assistance and an improved parts supply chain.

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.