2022 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2021 Ford Bronco Sport

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport was a highly anticipated addition to the Ford lineup, designed as a smaller sibling to the rugged Bronco. It featured a modern retro aesthetic reminiscent of the Land Rover, with short front and rear overhangs for better off-road capability. The vehicle's tall fender wells and tucked-in body sides were crafted for trail driving, minimizing the risk of catching on obstructions. The Bronco Sport's front end echoed the larger Bronco, with bold white "BRONCO" lettering on the grille and tailgate, and a modest Ford blue oval badge on the tailgate.

The Bronco Sport's wheels varied by trim, starting with 17-inch Sparkle Silver wheels on the Base model and progressing to 18-inch machined-face aluminum Ebony Black-painted wheels on the Outer Banks model. The interior was rugged yet tasteful, featuring an uncluttered design with a unique shape for the HVAC vents and an 8-inch infotainment screen. Interior trim levels ranged from cloth seats to leather-trimmed, heated sport-contour bucket seats, with the First Edition model offering Navy Pier Leather power front seats. The cargo area was designed with active buyers in mind, capable of holding two 27.5-inch-wheel mountain bikes and offering a variety of factory and aftermarket accessories.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT, on the other hand, was less impressive with its new XRT treatment, which lacked a suspension lift and more aggressive tires. The XRT trim was priced higher than the SE and SEL trims but lower than the turbocharged Limited and Calligraphy trims. It included all the equipment from the Santa Fe SEL and its Convenience Package, with options for front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). The test vehicle, dressed in Portofino Gray paint with a black cloth interior, offered little visual contrast and felt like viewing an old black-and-white image.

Despite its lackluster exterior, the Santa Fe XRT's interior was thoughtfully designed and of high quality for its price point. The cabin featured dual-zone automatic climate control with a Clean Air ionizer, rear air conditioning vents, and an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with heated front seats. The rear seats offered ample space for a family of four, with generous legroom and foot room, rear side-window shades, and USB charging ports. The cargo area included Hyundai’s hands-free power-opening "Smart Tailgate," which could sense when you were standing with the key fob and automatically open the liftgate.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport offered two engine choices tied to trim levels. The Base, Big Bend, and Outer Banks trims were equipped with a 1.5-liter EcoBoost turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. The Badlands and First Edition models featured a more powerful 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 245 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. All models came with an eight-speed automatic transmission and AWD, along with a terrain management system with up to seven G.O.A.T. modes (Go Over Any Type of Terrain).

The Bronco Sport excelled off-road, thanks to its short wheelbase, four-wheel independent suspension, generous suspension travel, and decent ground clearance. On-road, the crossover had good manners, with the 2.0-liter engine in the Badlands and First Edition trims better suited to the vehicle's character. The 1.5-liter engine, while adequate, could sound strained when pressed hard.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT was equipped with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. While not particularly powerful, the engine was adequate for getting the Santa Fe up to freeway speeds and cruising comfortably. For more power, the Limited and Calligraphy trims offered a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine with 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque.

The Santa Fe XRT featured an eight-speed automatic transmission with pushbutton controls and multiple driving modes, including Comfort, Smart, Sport, and Snow. The default Smart mode was best suited for low-demand driving situations, while Sport mode helped with more aggressive driving. The test vehicle averaged 22.3 mpg, with an official EPA rating of 24 mpg. The ride quality was good, with excellent suspension isolation and a quiet cabin, though occasional bounciness or stiffness could be detected on rougher pavement.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport was designed with active buyers in mind, offering clever features beyond the usual compact crossover mold. The cargo space was engineered to hold two 27.5-inch-wheel mountain bikes, and Ford offered a catalog of over 100 factory and aftermarket accessories for transporting various outdoor gear. The roof could hold up to 150 pounds (100 with moonroof), and the 2.0-liter engine could tow up to 2,200 pounds, while the 1.5-liter engine could tow 2,000 pounds.

The cargo hold featured a flip-up rear glass, an optional cargo management package with a slide-out work table, a 400-watt inverter, and liftgate floodlamps. The front cabin had ample storage compartments, including big door pockets, multiple cubbies, and covered storage. However, taller drivers might find it challenging to see past the roof overhang to spot traffic lights, and the bulges in the hood could obscure the view of the trail ahead when off-road.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT included a dual-zone automatic climate control system with a Clean Air ionizer and rear air conditioning vents. The eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat was comfortable for long distances, though the front passenger’s seat lacked height adjustment. The rear seats offered plenty of room for a family of four, with generous legroom and foot room, rear side-window shades, and USB charging ports.

Storage space in the Santa Fe XRT was adequate, with nooks and crannies throughout the cabin, including a tray underneath the control "bridge" and a wireless device charging slot. The cargo area featured Hyundai’s hands-free power-opening "Smart Tailgate," which could sense when you were standing with the key fob and automatically open the liftgate. The Santa Fe offered 36.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the back seat and 72.1 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks folded down.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport featured an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen with SYNC 3, compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also had available Ford+Alexa and SiriusXM capability, with FordConnect providing a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. The base audio system was an AM/FM stereo with six speakers, while a Bang & Olufsen sound system was available on higher trims. The terrain management system offered up to seven G.O.A.T. modes, and trail control technology provided a cruise-control-like feature for off-roading.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT had a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel paired with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard, along with Bluetooth, satellite radio, and Bluelink connected services. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with large power/volume and tuning knobs, clean on-screen graphics, and logical menu structures. The Santa Fe XRT also featured Hyundai’s digital key technology, allowing an Android-based smartphone to be used as the vehicle’s key.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport came standard with the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of safety features, including pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, dynamic brake support, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist, auto high-beam headlamps, and a reversing camera. The Co-Pilot360 Assist+ package added adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, a voice-activated touchscreen navigation system, and road-sign recognition. AWD and a terrain management system with G.O.A.T. modes were standard on all models.

The 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe XRT was equipped with Hyundai SmartSense, which included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, and adaptive cruise control. The Santa Fe XRT also featured Junction Turning Detection, Safe Exit Assist, and an ultrasonic rear occupant alert system. Bluelink provided additional safety features, including automatic emergency assistance and a panic notification function. The Santa Fe earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS and five-star ratings from the NHTSA.