Hyundai Santa Fe vs Toyota Highlander

The 2022 Toyota Highlander had a modern, somewhat aggressive front-end design. Its flared fender arches and the third-row window's upward kick made the spacious Highlander appear smaller to the eye. However, once inside, the cabin offered ample space and clever storage solutions for items like iPads and juice boxes. The XSE trim, in particular, stood out with its bold red leather interior, unique exterior styling, ambient interior lighting, and sport-tuned suspension. The Highlander came in various trims, each adding more features and luxury, culminating in the Platinum trim with adaptive headlights, a panoramic sunroof, and a 360-degree parking camera.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, in contrast, had a more conservative exterior design compared to some of Hyundai's other models. The five-passenger SUV was available in five trims: SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy. Our test vehicle, the top-of-the-line Calligraphy AWD, featured a Stormy Sea paint job and a black-on-black interior. The Santa Fe's wide upper and lower grilles and thin LED headlights gave it a distinctive look. Inside, the Calligraphy trim offered Nappa leather seats, heated and cooled front seats, and a high-quality, albeit dark, cabin. The Santa Fe's design was functional and comfortable, with a focus on practicality and user-friendly features.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander came equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque. This power was routed through an eight-speed automatic transmission to either standard front-wheel drive (FWD) or available all-wheel drive (AWD). The transmission featured a tap-shift function and, on certain trims, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The Highlander also offered drive modes like Sport, Normal, and Eco, along with AWD modes for Mud/Sand, Rock, and Normal. The V6 engine provided good pickup, especially at highway speeds, and the sport-tuned suspension on the XSE trim reduced body roll while maintaining a comfortable ride. The Highlander could tow up to 5,000 pounds and had a max payload of 1,685 pounds in the FWD L and LE trims.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe offered a choice between a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine and a turbocharged version. The non-turbo engine, available in SE, SEL, and XRT trims, produced 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, paired with a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission. The turbocharged engine, available in Limited and Calligraphy trims, delivered 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed "wet" dual-clutch automatic transmission. The turbocharged Santa Fe provided immediate acceleration with no discernible turbo lag, making it a joy to drive. The Santa Fe also featured a drive-mode selector with Comfort, Sport, Snow, and Smart modes. The turbocharged version could tow up to 3,500 pounds, while the non-turbo version could tow 2,000 pounds.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander offered up to 84.3 cubic feet of cargo space with the second- and third-row seats folded. With the second-row seats in use, there was 48.4 cubic feet of cargo space, and with all seats deployed, 16 cubic feet behind the third row. The Highlander featured quick-release latches for easy seat folding and pull-straps for lifting the third-row seats. The base L trim included an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and deep cargo pockets in the front doors. The XSE trim had second-row captain’s chairs, providing a center aisle to the third row, which was spacious enough for adults in the second row but only tolerable for short trips in the third row.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, designed as a two-row SUV, offered 41.7 inches of rear-seat legroom, among the best in its class. Cargo space behind the second row was 36.4 cubic feet, expanding to 72.1 cubic feet with the seats folded. The Santa Fe also featured an underfloor storage compartment in the cargo area. The SEL and higher trims included an eight-way power driver’s seat and heated front seats. The Limited trim added ventilated front seats, a power driver seat cushion extension, and heated rear seats. The Calligraphy trim featured a head-up display, premium door and seat accent trim, and ambient lighting. The panoramic sunroof and head-up display were standout features, though the wide center console slightly reduced driver leg and hip space.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander came standard with a WiFi hotspot, five USB ports, and an 8-inch touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with hard buttons on either side of the screen. The XSE trim featured a wireless charging pad and a combination of USB and USB-C ports. A larger 12.3-inch touchscreen and an 11-speaker JBL premium stereo system were available options.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe excelled in in-vehicle technology. The SE, SEL, and XRT trims featured a 4.2-inch color LCD multi-information display, while the Limited and Calligraphy trims had a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The base SE trim had an 8-inch display audio system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other trims featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite radio, voice recognition, wireless device charging, and Bluelink connected services. The Limited and Calligraphy trims also included a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system. The infotainment system was highly customizable, though the voice-recognition capabilities had mixed results.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander came standard with the Toyota Safety Sense suite, including forward collision avoidance, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, and automatic high beams. Higher trims added blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a surround-view parking monitor, a head-up display, and adaptive headlights. The lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist systems were very active, sometimes overly so.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe featured 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.