2024 Toyota RAV4 vs 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

In the past year, the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe maintained its existing design, echoing the more conservative aesthetic of its 2022 predecessor. It featured a subdued yet sophisticated look highlighted by its wide upper and lower grilles and slim LED headlights, which align with Hyundai's design language. The exterior, particularly in the Stormy Sea color of our top-tier Calligraphy AWD trim, stood in stark contrast to the uniformly dark, high-quality leather interior, though options for lighter interior colors were available for those seeking less monotony.

On the other hand, the 2024 Toyota RAV4 presented a rugged, almost aggressive demeanor, largely through aesthetic choices such as a lower gray body cladding and mock skid plates, particularly on the TRD Off-Road model tested. The RAV4, too, came in an array of colors and trim levels, although our Army Green test vehicle adopted a more utilitarian interior featuring durable materials and robust design elements ideal for an active lifestyle.

The Santa Fe's performance notably varied across its different trims. Equipped with a 2.5-liter engine, the lower trims produced a solid 191 horsepower, while the turbocharged variants in the Limited and Calligraphy trims escalated output to a formidable 281 horsepower. This boost translated into noticeably brisk acceleration and responsive handling, particularly impressive in the high-end Calligraphy trim.

Conversely, the RAV4's 203 horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine felt strained under heavy acceleration despite its reasonable power output for the compact SUV class. The TRD Off-Road trim included enhancements like a specific off-road suspension and all-terrain tires which, although maximizing utility, couldn’t mask the vehicle’s older engine design which occasionally felt underpowered and loudly unrefined during aggressive driving contests.

Interior space in the Santa Fe was optimized by eschewing the third-row seat, which allowed for generous rear-seat legroom of 41.7 inches and an impressive cargo capacity of 36.4 cubic feet behind the second row. The cabin's thoughtful features and luxurious touches, particularly in higher trims, catered excellently to family comfort and convenience.

The RAV4 also capitalized on practicality, with its utilitarian layout providing 37.6 cubic feet of cargo space, slightly more than the Santa Fe when rear seats were in use. However, it expanded to 69.8 cubic feet with seats folded, slightly less than the Santa Fe. The expected comforts were present, but without the Santa Fe’s emphasis on luxury, focusing more on durability and functionality suited to active use.

Hyundai's Santa Fe boasted sophisticated technology, especially in upper trims. It featured a sizeable 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen in most trims, loaded with connectivity and navigation capabilities along with a premium audio system by Harman Kardon in the Calligraphy trim. Voice recognition software and digital displays added to a thoroughly modern driving experience, albeit with some usability quirks.

Toyota's RAV4, while equipped with the latest iteration of Toyota's infotainment system including a large touchscreen and numerous connected services, still struggled with user interface issues such as non-intuitive controls and a complicated exit process for Apple CarPlay. While functional, it demonstrated the challenges of aging vehicle design struggling to adapt to newer technological expectations.

The Santa Fe shined in safety, featuring a comprehensive suite of advanced driver assistance systems across all trims and earning top marks in crash tests from both NHTSA and the IIHS. Its array of safety features not only performed well but also provided significant peace of mind.

The RAV4, equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 2.5, offered robust safety features, but the exclusion of blind-spot monitoring in base trims and less-than-perfect crash test results from IIHS reflected the limitations of its older design.