2022 Land Rover Defender vs 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 2022 Land Rover Defender retained its distinctive exterior styling, with a boxy profile, tailgate-mounted spare tire, and flat hood that visually tied it to the original version and classic Series Land Rovers. Despite these retro callbacks, the design was thoroughly modern, featuring rounded corners for better aerodynamics and recessed LED headlights that gave the Defender a unique personality. The modern Defender was also significantly larger than its predecessor, offering more interior space and improved ergonomics. The interior design emphasized rugged character with bare metal and exposed screws, mixed with leather and suede upholstery, making it both stylish and practical for off-road adventures.

In contrast, the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe had a more conservative exterior design compared to some of Hyundai's recent models. The five-passenger SUV was available in five trim levels: SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy, with front-wheel drive standard and all-wheel drive optional. Our test vehicle, a top-of-the-line Calligraphy AWD trim, featured a Stormy Sea paint job and a black-on-black interior. The Santa Fe's exterior was marked by its wide upper and lower grilles and thin LED headlights, but otherwise, it had a more normalized appearance. Inside, the black leather seats and high-quality materials provided a comfortable but somewhat monotone cabin experience.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender offered three powertrain options. The base model featured a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The mid-level option was a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six mild-hybrid powertrain rated at 395 hp and 406 lb-ft. The new-for-2022 V8 engine produced 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque, allowing the Defender 90 to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 149 mph. All models used a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case. The V8 model also featured an electronic active rear differential, Dynamic drive mode, and unique transmission and suspension tuning for sportier handling. Despite its off-road capabilities, the Defender was impressively comfortable on pavement, with a suspension that absorbed bumps well and minimized noise from the 22-inch tires.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe came with a 2.5-liter engine, available in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions. The SE, SEL, and XRT trims featured the naturally aspirated engine, producing 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, paired with a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission. The Limited and Calligraphy trims had a turbocharged engine, boosting output to 281 hp and 311 pound-feet, working with an eight-speed "wet" dual-clutch automatic transmission. The turbocharged Santa Fe offered a significant performance boost, with immediate acceleration and passing power, especially in Sport mode. The ride was smooth, with minimal body lean during cornering, and the dual-clutch transmission operated seamlessly. The Santa Fe's towing capacity was 2,000 pounds for non-turbo models and 3,500 pounds for turbo versions, provided trailer brakes were used.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender offered versatile seating and cargo options. The two-door Defender 90 had 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats, which were comfortable but challenging to access and limited in cargo space. The four-door Defender 110 was available in two-row, five-seat, and three-row, seven-seat configurations. Three-row models had 11.4 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats in place, 35.4 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 70.4 cubic feet with the second row folded. Two-row versions offered 18.1 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 51.7 cubic feet with the seats folded. The interior design emphasized functionality, with a large caged storage space below the dashboard and a spacious center-console storage bin that could be equipped with refrigeration.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, designed as a two-row SUV, offered ample rear-seat legroom at 41.7 inches and competitive cargo space. With the second row of seats up, it provided 36.4 cubic feet of cargo space, expanding to 72.1 cubic feet with the seats folded. The Santa Fe's interior featured comfortable seating, with SEL and higher trims offering an eight-way power driver's seat and heated front seats. Higher trims also included dual-zone climate control, a hands-free smart liftgate, and various convenience features like a head-up display and ambient lighting. The extended panoramic sunroof and underfloor storage compartment added to the vehicle's practicality and comfort.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender came standard with the Pivi Pro infotainment system, featuring a 10-inch central touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster was standard on all trims except the base model, with an 11.4-inch touchscreen newly available for 2022. Optional features included a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, head-up display, and a surround-view camera system, which was particularly useful for off-roading.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe excelled in in-vehicle technology, offering a standard 4.2-inch color LCD multi-information display in lower trims and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in higher trims. The base SE trim had an 8-inch display audio system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while higher trims featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite radio, and more. The Limited and Calligraphy trims came with a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with clearly marked icons and extensive customization options. However, the voice-recognition system had mixed results, particularly with music requests and climate control adjustments.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender included standard driver-assist features such as lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, and traffic-sign recognition with speed-limit adaptation. Optional features included blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control. The Defender had not been rated by the IIHS or NHTSA, which was not unusual for luxury vehicles.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe came with a comprehensive suite of standard safety-related ADAS, including forward-collision warning with pedestrian, cyclist, and junction-turning 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 system. Highway Driving Assist was standard on SEL and above. The Santa Fe received a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and a "Top Safety Pick+" rating from the IIHS for the 2022 calendar year, with high marks in all crashworthiness tests.