2023 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe had a conservative exterior design compared to some of Hyundai's more recent models. While it was an attractive SUV, it didn't stand out as much as other vehicles in the brand's lineup. The 2023 model continued with the same look and feel as the 2022 version, available in five trim levels: SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy. Our test vehicle was the top-tier Calligraphy AWD trim, featuring Stormy Sea paint and a black-on-black interior, with a total MSRP of $45,845.

The Santa Fe's exterior was marked by its wide upper and lower grilles and thin LED headlights, giving it a distinctive front look. Inside, the Calligraphy trim had a high-quality, albeit dark and monotone, interior. The Nappa leather seats were comfortable and attractive, with heated and cooled front seats standard. The second row also featured seat heaters, which we found useful during varying spring weather conditions.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E, introduced in 2021, retained its distinctive and sharp styling for the 2024 model year. It featured an aggressive front fascia, a sloping profile, and the iconic tri-bar tail lights. The new Rally trim replaced the GT as the top-of-the-line model, with unique styling cues like LED fog lamps, a black roof, and Oxford White 19-inch wheels. The GT trim offered 20-inch wheels with various finishes, including a new Bronze Appearance Package.

Inside, the Mach-E's minimalist dash featured a large touchscreen and Ford Performance front seats with heavy bolstering. The Rally trim's seats had Oxford White plastic trim, adding a futuristic touch. The interior space was generous, with ample headroom and legroom, especially with the panoramic glass roof. The cargo space was practical, with a drainable frunk and foldable rear seats expanding the in-cabin storage.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe offered two engine options: a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged version delivering 281 hp and 311 pound-feet. The naturally aspirated engine was paired with a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission, while the turbocharged engine used an eight-speed "wet" dual-clutch automatic transmission. FWD was standard, with AWD available as an option on all trims.

The turbocharged Santa Fe provided a significant performance boost, with immediate acceleration and no discernible turbo lag. The handling was smooth, with minimal body lean during cornering. The turbocharged version could tow up to 3,500 pounds, while the non-turbo version had a towing capacity of 2,000 pounds. The drive-mode selector offered four customizable modes: Comfort, Sport, Snow, and Smart.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E had a firmer ride, even on lower trims, with the GT trim featuring the MagneRide damping system for more adjustment by drive mode. The GT Performance Upgrade package increased torque output to 700 lb-ft, resulting in a zero-to-60-mph time of 3.3 seconds. The GT and Rally trims came with Ford Performance features like Brembo front brake calipers and a unique suspension tuning for off-road driving.

The Mach-E's range varied by trim and battery configuration. The base model with the standard-range battery and RWD had an EPA-estimated range of 250 miles, while the Premium trim with the extended-range battery and RWD offered up to 320 miles. The GT and Rally trims, with AWD, had ranges of 280 and 265 miles, respectively. The DC fast-charging experience was improved, reducing the time to go from 10 to 80% charge by about 20%.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe's two-row configuration provided ample rear-seat legroom (41.7 inches) and competitive cargo space (36.4 cubic feet behind the second row, expandable to 72.1 cubic feet). The SEL and higher trims featured an eight-way power driver's seat and heated front seats, with additional comfort and convenience features like dual-zone climate control and a hands-free smart liftgate.

The Calligraphy trim included premium features like a head-up display, ambient lighting, and a panoramic sunroof. However, the wide center console limited driver leg and hip space, and raising the driver's seat to its maximum height pushed the driver closer to the steering wheel.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E's crossover body style offered 34.1 cubic feet of cargo space, with 29.7 cubic feet behind the rear seats and a drainable frunk. Folding the rear seats expanded the in-cabin cargo space to 59.7 cubic feet. The driver and front passenger enjoyed 38.9 inches of headroom, increasing to 40.4 inches with the panoramic glass roof. Legroom measured 43.3 inches in the front and 38.1 inches in the rear.

The driver's seat was power-adjustable in every 2024 Mach-E, with eight-way adjustability for the base trim and 10-way for the others. The front passenger seat was eight-way power-adjustable starting on the Premium trim. ActiveX seating surfaces were standard, with Miko inserts and performance-inspired perforation on the top trims. Heated front seats were available on the base trim and standard on the others.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe excelled in in-vehicle technology, with a standard 4.2-inch color LCD multi-information display in SE, SEL, and XRT trims, and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in Limited and Calligraphy trims. The base SE trim featured an 8-inch display audio system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while higher trims had a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system.

The infotainment system's home screen icons were clearly marked and logically arranged, with many customizable settings. The voice-recognition system handled address and point-of-interest commands efficiently but struggled with music requests and temperature changes.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E came standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, operating through a 15.5-inch, portrait-oriented touchscreen with the latest SYNC 4A software. Climate and temperature controls were anchored near the bottom of the screen, with a physical wheel for stereo volume and power. The Intelligent Range system provided real-time range updates based on route input, temperature, terrain, traffic, and driving history.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe came with a comprehensive suite of standard safety-related ADAS, including forward-collision warning, 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.

The 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E featured BlueCruise 1.3, Ford's hands-free highway-driving assist software, available on every trim with a 90-day trial. The Mach-E also came with a 360-degree camera and the Ford CoPilot 360 suite of ADAS, including blind-spot information, pre-collision assist, evasive steering assist, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. The Mach-E earned a Top Safety Pick Award from the IIHS and five-star ratings in side crash and rollover testing from the NHTSA.