2024 Nissan Rogue vs 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 2024 Nissan Rogue received its first major styling update since its launch for the 2021 model year. The trim levels continued to include the S, SV, SL, and Platinum models. A new, larger grille seamlessly blended with the Rogue’s distinctive stack headlights and daytime running lights. While Nissan claimed updates to the rear fascia, the changes were mostly limited to the redesigned inner taillight elements. New satin-finish exterior badging, a fresh 18-inch wheel design for the Rogue SV, and a new 19-inch wheel design for the Rogue Platinum marked the main exterior changes. The top-tier Platinum model also gained additional black exterior trim and an optional black roof.

Inside, Nissan revamped the dashboard to integrate a new 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, giving the Rogue a more high-end feel. The Rogue SV models received new materials on almost every interior surface, and dual-zone automatic climate control became standard on most models. The upscale design of the Rogue Platinum—complete with leather seats featuring new Chestnut brown color and quilted stitching—added to its appeal. Unlike some competitors, the Rogue’s leather upholstery wasn’t synthetic, taxi-grade material, enhancing the overall premium feel of the vehicle.

In contrast, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe presented a radical departure from the brand’s past aesthetic norms, characterized by a boxy yet upscale appearance. This new design embraced the notion that “a box is an optimal shape for storage capacity,” as stated by Hyundai’s design chief. This approach seemingly contradicted the brand’s technological and efficiency-forward Ioniq designs but aimed to blend elegance with practicality.

The Santa Fe’s updated look emphasized sophistication with a range of exterior colors, including matte options, and newly introduced anodized-finish badging. The XRT trim combined dark chrome and black cladding and trim. Standard features included 18-inch alloy wheels, with higher-end Limited and Hybrid Calligraphy trims getting 20-inch and 21-inch wheels, respectively.

Inside, the Santa Fe offered premium materials even in the base models. The higher trims boasted luxurious features such as a soothing fabric headliner and soft-touch materials, making it feel anything but utilitarian. In our test drives, both the XRT and Calligraphy trims impressed with thoughtful design and decadent touches, though some out-of-the-way surfaces were tougher and less inviting.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue housed a curious yet advanced powertrain: a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine from Nissan’s VC-Turbo family, capable of varying its compression ratio to optimize either power or fuel economy as needed. This engine produced an impressive 201 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque, outstripping the competition's equivalent engines, including the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V.

Despite the powerful engine, the Rogue suffered from a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT), which was slow to convert engine power into wheel motion. Standard front-wheel drive (FWD) was available, with all-wheel drive (AWD) as an option. The Rogue’s suspension was firm, particularly noticeable in the Platinum test car, which resulted in reduced ride quality without significant handling benefits. Furthermore, while the engine’s performance was commendable, the exhaust note was disappointingly droning.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, on the other hand, featured a robust 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, producing 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. The base model offered FWD standard, with AWD optional across the lineup except for the off-road-focused XRT trim, which came with AWD standard.

Standard driving modes included Normal, Sport, and Snow, with the XRT adding off-road modes. The Santa Fe also planned to introduce a hybrid variant later in the model year, equipped with a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid engine rated at 231 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque.

Fuel economy for the FWD base model was projected at 20 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined. These ratings slightly decreased for AWD and the XRT model, which swapped efficiency for extra ground clearance and 30-inch all-terrain tires. Maximum towing capacity reached 3,500 pounds for most Santa Fe models, with the XRT capable of towing up to 4,500 pounds due to better cooling systems.

Overall, the Santa Fe delivered smooth driving dynamics characterized by stable acceleration, responsive throttle, and few mishaps during gear shifts or turns. Notable body roll was the only minor downside, but passengers’ comfort remained largely unaffected.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue and its competitors, like the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Subaru Forester, and Toyota RAV4, provided similar passenger space. Legroom differences were minute, with the Forester offering slightly more in the first row and the Tucson more in the second row.

In terms of cargo space, the Rogue offered 36.5 cubic feet behind the rear seats, extending to 74.1 cubic feet with the seats folded—placing it between the CR-V, Tucson, and Forester in terms of storage. The Rogue’s optional Divide-N-Hide system allowed for either a flat cargo floor with hidden storage or a lower floor for increased height.

On the other hand, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe focused extensively on cargo space, inspired by the “chabak” design ethos. The model featured a wheelbase about two inches longer, a body two inches taller, and overall extra space compared to its predecessor. Most of this additional space was dedicated to the cargo area, which Hyundai aimed to make inviting and clutter-free.

For passenger comfort, the first and second rows of the Santa Fe provided ample space. However, the third row, available due to the size of the vehicle, was more suited for occasional use—or younger passengers—than regular adult seating. Depending on trim, seat materials ranged from stain-resistant cloth to plush quilted Nappa leather. The cargo area offered 14.6 cubic feet, extending to 40.5 and 79.6 cubic feet with the third and second rows folded, respectively.

The Hyundai Santa Fe's interior showcased thoughtful touches such as UV sanitization compartments for small items, storage pockets, bottle holders across all rows, and a robust 220-pound capacity roof rail system.

In the 2024 Nissan Rogue, the S and SV models featured an 8-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The SL and Platinum models upped the ante with a new 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, Amazon Alexa, and Google built-in apps.

Nissan’s integration of Google built-in allowed direct use of Google Maps, Assistant, and Play Store apps without a connected smartphone, provided at no cost for five years. The advantage was seamless functionality for Google users, though less appealing for non-Google users.

The dual 12.3-inch screen setup offered contemporary graphics and straightforward navigation, albeit with some lag possibly attributable to the pre-production nature of the test car. Nissan also included multiple USB-C ports, with SV and higher trims gaining extra rear ports and wireless charging on SL and Platinum models.

For 2024, Nissan also expanded its Nissan Connect Services trial from six months to three years, offering features like remote door lock/unlock, engine start/stop, vehicle health reports, and emergency calling through a smartphone app.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe showcased a curved panoramic display that integrated elegantly above the center console in XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy trims. The display included a touchscreen with intuitive controls, crisp graphics, and swift response times for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The infotainment system came with a 12-speaker Bose stereo, dynamic voice recognition, and a Wi-Fi hot spot supporting music streaming services.

The simpler 12.3-inch touchscreen in SE and SEL trims, although not tested, was still expected to be functional and feature-rich. Wireless charging and plenty of USB ports were available across higher trims, with wireless charging even extending to both Calligraphy trim center consoles.

The Hyundai BlueLink system provided seamless vehicle access and control, now upgraded in SEL and above trims to work without a physical key fob. Hyundai Pay allowed for secure, cashless transactions at partnered vendors, and a new biometric fingerprint scanner in higher trims controlled valet mode.

The 2024 Nissan Rogue garnered excellent safety scores. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded it top ratings in many crash tests, though the updated side-impact test returned an “Acceptable” rating, and the headlights received a “Good” rating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) granted a five-star overall safety rating.

The Rogue featured a range of standard driver assist features, including automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, and rear automatic emergency braking. Adaptive cruise control was optional on higher trims, with ProPilot Assist offered on SV, SL, and Platinum trims for enhanced highway driving assistance.

As for the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, it had not yet been crash-tested by the IIHS or NHTSA, but Hyundai’s vehicles typically performed well in such evaluations. Standard safety features across the lineup included adaptive cruise control, forward collision-avoidance assist, pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keep/assist systems, among others.

The SEL trim enhanced safety with additional alerts and mirror turn signals, while the XRT trim added Hyundai’s highway limited hands-free driving system. Limited and Calligraphy trims introduced further advancements such as a 360-degree camera system, remote automatic parking, and sanitizing glovebox compartments. Moreover, the 2024 Santa Fe was the first Hyundai vehicle to include a comprehensive driver monitoring system, combining infrared camera and steering wheel sensors to ensure driver attentiveness.