2023 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2022 Honda Odyssey

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was a prime example of how minivans had evolved to offer both practicality and a semblance of style. Over the years, minivans like the Odyssey were highly recommended for families due to practical reasons, primarily the sliding side doors, a comfortable third-row seat, and exceptional cargo space. These aspects made the Odyssey particularly appealing to families with young children. The sliding side doors saved parents' backs when dealing with hefty toddlers, and the third-row seat offered comfort for passengers of all ages, ensuring everyone fit comfortably without hassle. The deep well behind the third row provided ample storage without causing gear to spill onto the pavement upon opening the liftgate.

The Odyssey adhered to the classic minivan design ethos but added a touch of style with its kinked sliding doors and dramatic hockey-stick character lines. The Elite trim featured dark gray 19-inch aluminum wheels, adding to its aesthetic appeal. Ranging from the base LX to the top-tier Elite trim, the Odyssey's price spanned from $33,040 to $48,770. The test model, an Odyssey Elite, had no additional options, pricing it at $49,995.

The Odyssey's interior mirrored its thoughtful design, featuring leather upholstery from the EX-L trim upwards and an open-concept design. The low console between the front seats and ample storage spaces highlighted its practical nature. The center stack, though cluttered with switchgear, provided easy access to commonly used functions. The expansive windshield and front quarter windows offered significant visibility, enhancing the driving experience.

In contrast, the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe's styling was conservative compared to some of Hyundai's recent designs. While not stand-out, it maintained an attractive SUV appearance, with a focus on restrained design elements that would likely change in future redesigns. The Santa Fe offered five trim levels: SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy, with FWD standard and AWD optional. The test vehicle, a Calligraphy AWD trim in Stormy Sea paint with a black-on-black interior, had a base price of $42,600. AWD added $1,700, and carpeted floor mats accounted for another $210, bringing the total MSRP to $45,845.

The Santa Fe's exterior featured distinctive wide upper and lower grilles and thin LED headlights, contributing to its familial look. Inside, while high-quality, the black interior could feel dark and monotone, with lighter options available in other trims for contrast. The Nappa leather seats in the Calligraphy trim were comfortable and attractive, with standard heated and cooled front seats and heated second-row seats, elevating the comfort levels.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey came equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine that delivered 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. This FWD minivan employed a 10-speed automatic transmission with pushbutton controls on the dashboard. Unlike competitors like the Chrysler Pacifica and Toyota Sienna, which offered AWD and hybrid options, the Odyssey focused on a traditional gasoline engine, producing an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 22 mpg in combined driving. During a test drive in Southern California, the Odyssey averaged 22.6 mpg. However, repeated braking on downhill drives led to brake pedal vibration and noise, indicating potential issues when the vehicle was fully loaded.

Despite this, the Odyssey proved quick in merging onto freeways, responsive on corners, and composed on mountain roads. These driving characteristics made it enjoyable to drive, but the brakes needed to be more resistant to heating up during intense use.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe offered a choice between a naturally aspirated and a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine. The naturally aspirated engine, available in SE, SEL, and XRT trims, produced 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Limited and Calligraphy trims featured a turbocharged engine, boosting output to 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet, with an eight-speed "wet" dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Both versions provided smooth handling, with no notable engine noise from the turbo variants. Notably, the turbocharged engine delivered immediate acceleration, making merging and passing effortless, particularly in Sport mode. The turbo Santa Fe could tow up to 3,500 pounds, while the non-turbo versions could tow up to 2,000 pounds, underscoring its versatility.

While the Santa Fe wasn't pushed to its limits off-road, the available AWD-lock function suggested off-road capabilities suited for more adventurous trims like the XRT.

Entering the 2022 Honda Odyssey was effortlessly due to its wide-opening doors and lower ground clearance compared to most SUVs. Inside, the Odyssey Elite trim featured quality leather, supportive front seats with power adjustment, heating, ventilation, and a tri-zone automatic climate control system. The onboard vacuum cleaner in the Elite trim was a practical touch for keeping the minivan clean.

Storage was abundant, with numerous compartments strategically placed throughout the cabin. The second-row seats offered impressive legroom and versatility, thanks to the Magic Slide seats, which provided various configurations for ease of use and safety. The third-row seats comfortably accommodated adults, making it a standout among three-row vehicles.

Cargo space was large, with 32.8 cubic feet behind the third-row seat, expandable to 88.8 cubic feet with the seats folded. With the second-row seats removed, the Odyssey offered a massive 144.9 cubic feet of cargo space, comparable to larger SUVs.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, void of a third row, maximized its two rows for spaciousness and comfort. Rear-seat legroom was a generous 41.7 inches, making it one of the class leaders. The cargo area offered 36.4 cubic feet behind the second row, expanding to 72.1 cubic feet with the seats folded. Additional underfloor storage space added to its practicality.

The Santa Fe's interior comfort was enhanced by features like heated and ventilated front seats, power adjustments, and rear side-window sunshades. Technological highlights like a head-up display and panoramic sunroof further elevated the cabin experience. However, the high driver's seat position and wide center console could slightly compromise comfort for some drivers.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey Elite was packed with technology, though its infotainment system felt increasingly outdated. Starting with the EX trim, the Odyssey offered an 8-inch touchscreen, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Higher trims added navigation, HondaLink connected services, WiFi hotspot access, and rear-seat entertainment systems like CabinWatch and CabinTalk.

The rear-seat entertainment system included a 10.2-inch display for media playback, but its simplicity lagged behind modern competitors. The Elite trim added an 11-speaker premium audio system and a wireless charging pad. Despite its features, the Odyssey's infotainment system lacked the sophistication and user-friendliness of rivals, with small touchscreen sizes and a lack of a tuning knob.

Conversely, the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe excelled in in-vehicle technology. From a driver's perspective, the base trims featured a 4.2-inch color LCD multi-information display, while higher trims boasted a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The infotainment system in the base SE trim was basic but functional, while higher trims offered a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite radio, and a Harman Kardon premium audio system.

The Santa Fe's infotainment system was intuitive, with clearly marked home screen icons and deep customizability within the settings. While the voice-recognition system showed promise, it required precise terminology for certain commands. Overall, it provided a versatile and robust technology package.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was well-equipped for safety, with Honda Sensing as standard across all trims. This suite included adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-centering assist. Additional features like automatic high-beam headlights and a rear-seat reminder added to its safety credentials.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe mirrored the Odyssey's commitment to safety, offering a comprehensive suite of ADAS. Standard features included forward-collision warning, pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, driver monitoring, a safe-exit system, and a rear-seat reminder. Higher trims added Highway Driving Assist, which combined adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability.