2023 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2023 Subaru Outback

The 2023 Subaru Outback underwent a significant facelift, giving it a fresh and aggressive appearance. The front end saw redesigned LED headlights, a restyled grille, and a revised bumper with dark gray vertical cladding, creating an illusion of large air intakes at each corner. Additional features such as a jutting simulated skid plate, fog lights set in oversized housings, and asymmetrical wheel arch trim reminiscent of the Wilderness model contributed to this bolder look. Whether these changes made the Outback more appealing was subjective. Dark paint colors could hide design excesses, while the Onyx Edition’s black wheels and trim complemented the audacious cladding, making it more accessible with a new non-turbo powertrain starting at $33,495.

The Onyx Edition was one of six trim levels for the 2023 Outback, which included the Base, Premium, Onyx Edition, Limited, and Touring trims, with prices beginning at $28,395 to $39,845, plus a $1,225 destination charge. The turbocharged XT models began at $38,445 and went up to $42,295.

The test vehicle featured the standard powertrain and Touring trim in Cosmic Blue, combined with Java Brown premium Nappa leather upholstery. The interior of the Touring trim stood out with its pleasing contrast of Java Brown leather against a mainly black interior with light gray contrast stitching. Despite the use of hard plastic in some areas, the interior didn’t feel cheap, thanks to thoughtful design touches like flat, textured door sills.

In stark contrast, the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe's styling was relatively conservative compared to some recent Hyundai designs. It retained the look of the 2022 model year, characterized by its distinctive wide upper and lower grilles and thin LED headlights. The five-passenger Santa Fe was available in SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy trims. FWD was standard, with AWD optional on all trims.

The test vehicle was the top-of-the-line Calligraphy AWD trim in a deep Stormy Sea blue paint, boasting a black-on-black interior. Its base price was $42,600, with additional costs for AWD and carpeted floor mats, pushing the total MSRP to $45,845. Inside, the black leather seats and dark monotone cabin exuded quality but could benefit from the beige or gray interior options for added visual contrast.

The Calligraphy trim featured appealing elements such as Nappa leather seats, heated and cooled front seats, and heated rear seats. A few quirks, like head space concerns at maximum seat height and a wide center console that encroached on driver legroom, were noted but generally agreed to be minor issues.

The 2023 Subaru Outback came with two engine choices: a standard naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder boxer engine (182 hp at 5,800 rpm and 176 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm) and a turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four in the XT models (260 hp at 5,600 rpm and 277 lb-ft between 2,000 and 4,800 rpm). The naturally aspirated engine felt underpowered, especially during highway passing and climbing, impacting its towing capacity and fuel efficiency, achieving only 25.6 mpg compared to the EPA’s anticipated 28 mpg.

Conversely, the turbocharged engine significantly improved acceleration and responsiveness, though at the cost of fuel efficiency, rated at 25 mpg combined (23 mpg for Wilderness trim). Both engines paired with a CVT that mimicked a traditional automatic transmission with paddle shifters. The AWD system and X-Mode traction system enhanced off-road capability, offering 8.7 inches of ground clearance (9.5 inches for Wilderness).

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe also offered a choice between natural aspiration (191 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque) and a turbocharged engine (281 hp and 311 lb-ft). The non-turbo engine was paired with a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission, while the turbo used an eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic. Turbocharged models showed marked performance improvement, with nimble acceleration and immediate power delivery in Sport mode, maintaining smooth, quiet operation without the harshness usually associated with dual-clutch transmissions.

AWD was optional across all trims, and driving modes like Comfort, Sport, Snow, and Smart provided adaptability. Despite not engaging the Santa Fe off-road or testing its towing capacity (2,000 lbs for non-turbo and 3,500 lbs with turbo), its on-road performance was commendable for the price range.

Both the 2023 Subaru Outback and Hyundai Santa Fe excelled in interior space and utility. The Outback’s focus was on practicality, with its robust roof rack, flat door sill trim, and dashboard storage shelf. The Touring model featured a 12-way power-adjustable driver's seat, 8-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, and Java Brown premium Nappa leather, enhancing comfort with heated and ventilated seats and a heated steering wheel. Ease of entry and exit, along with generous legroom, contributed to passenger comfort during extended trips.

Cargo space in the Outback offered 32.6 cubic feet behind the back seat and expanded to 75.6 cubic feet with the seats folded down. Practical elements like the dual-height cargo cover and useful roof rack underscored its utility, although more practical storage space within the cabin would be welcome.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe benefited from not having a cramped third-row seat, translating to 41.7 inches of rear-seat legroom and a competitive 36.4 cubic feet of cargo space, expanding to 72.1 cubic feet with the second row folded down. The underfloor storage compartment added another layer of practicality. The top trims like the Calligraphy maintained seat comfort, high-quality materials, and advanced convenience features such as a panoramic sunroof and Remote Smart Parking Assist.

Despite some minor design quirks impacting seating height and center console space, the Santa Fe was equipped with extensive options for seat adjustment, climate control, and even a head-up display in the upper trims.

In the 2023 Subaru Outback, every trim except the Base came with an 11.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, integrating essential controls like dual-zone climate control temperature buttons and seat heating and ventilation into the screen. The Base trim included a basic 7-inch system, both featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (wireless on higher trims), Bluetooth, and SiriusXM satellite radio. Despite improvements, the Starlink system’s usability remained somewhat flawed, with subpar voice recognition capabilities.

Additionally, the Outback offered a camera-based digital rearview mirror and a 180-degree front-view camera. However, a surround-view camera was notably absent.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe was robust in technology, particularly with its infotainment and ADAS. The base SE trim had an 8-inch display audio system, while higher trims featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation and integrated services. Notably, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were wired on these larger systems. The Limited and Calligraphy trims included a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

Home screen icons were logically arranged, and deep customization options were available despite the system’s basic graphics. Voice-recognition testing was mixed, performing well with navigation commands but struggling with music and temperature adjustments. The large 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster on higher trims provided added versatility and clear graphics.

Subaru’s commitment to safety manifested in the newly refined EyeSight system, incorporating advanced cameras and an electronic brake booster to enhance pedestrian, cyclist, and automatic steering functions. The Outback received top safety ratings from IIHS, including the new, stringent side-impact crash test. Standard EyeSight features included adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-centering assist. Optional features added blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and automatic emergency steering.

Instances like an automatic braking event in Koreatown illustrated the effectiveness of the safety tech, though adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist could feel unnatural. Rear automatic braking issues in driveways highlighted areas for potential improvement.

The Santa Fe also offered a wealth of standard safety ADAS, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Highway Driving Assist was standard from the SEL trim upwards, integrating adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability to ease driving tasks.

With a five-star overall rating from NHTSA and IIHS’s highest rating of “Top Safety Pick+,” the Santa Fe proved its safety credentials, particularly highlighting the superior projector-type headlights in higher trims.