Santa Fe or Sorento? Which one wins our SUV showdown. Sister cars fight it out in this month’s SUV grudge match. Can the Hyundai Santa Fe beat the Kia Sorento?
FAMILY RIVALRY Close cousins square up for a fight in this head-to-head between related, but rival SUVs. Both hail from South Korea, but which one woos British buyers more effectively? We check them out.
Here’s a real needle match. The opponents in this month’s twin test come from two sides of the same family. Hyundai and Kia are sibling Korean manufacturers with shared parentage, so they have much in common. Both the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Kia Sorento are built on home territory in South Korea, although in different factories. Both are five-door, seven-seaters, with the availability of four-wheel-drive. Both have the same base under-structure and identical 2.2- litre diesel engines, as well as the latest Hyundai-Kia-designed eight-speed automatic transmission. So, are there differences in the way that they perform, or is the choice between them mostly dictated by aesthetics? Let’s put them under close scrutiny and get driving to find out more.
The driving experience is very similar with both these two. The Santa Fe is very slightly the lighter of the pair, with an all-up weight that shaves 54kgs off the Sorento’s turn on the scales, but there’s very little to choose between them for calibre behind the wheel. It’s odd that with identical engines, both with 197bhp power output and 325lb ft of torque, the slightly lighter Hyundai has a fractionally slower 0-62mph acceleration time, although only by a third of a second. So realistically you wouldn’t notice much difference on a spurt away from the lights, and their top speeds are identical. The Hyundai has average fuel consumption 1.5mpg less economical than its Kia rival, and a CO2 output that is 3g/km higher. A more significant difference is that with a smaller fuel tank, holding seven litres less, the Hyundai has a driving range almost 100 miles less than its more tankedup rival, so that could be an important consideration for some.
With either car, the driving experience is slickly civilised, with few sporty pretensions, but with an assured solidity. Both cars are enjoyable to drive, perform strongly, zip to 62mph in under ten seconds, and ride comfortably with a decent blend of surface cushioning and cornering prowess. There is little to choose between them on driving calibre alone, the big Kia, like its Hyundai stablemate, feels engineered for family comfort and driver satisfaction, but neither has the sporty edge that elevates cars like these from the mainstream. You can drive long distances without feeling undue strain, but the experience is not memorable. The Sorento is the heavier of the two, though only modestly, and both cars have identical towing capability at two tonnes. Either would make a decent job of hauling a large caravan or trailer.
INTERIOR AND COMFORT
Here’s where you can notice a bit more difference between them. Hyundai’s interior designers seem to have tried just a bit harder to elevate the Santa Fe’s cabin to a higher calibre. From both a visual and tactile viewpoint, this one steps up a level from its relative and rival. The nicely shaped and generously supportive seats are elegantly clad in high quality quilted and perforated fabric. They are very comfortable, look good and have commendable lateral support. The decor is smart with a quality feel, and the light-coloured roof lining gives the cabin an airy ambience. A nice touch is lights for the vanity mirrors that are set into the roofline above the visors. Connectivity is easily accessed just ahead of the automatic gear selector.
Kia has done a decent job of kitting out the Sorento’s interior with the facelift earlier this year, although the perceived quality is not quite as high as the plusher-looking Sante Fe’s. If you had to choose between these two on interior appearance alone, you would probably swing in favour of the Hyundai. Kia’s dashboard controls have a similar user-friendly clarity, and the controls are well placed for easy reach. There is an exuberance of piano black surfaces in the Sorento’s cabin, which both perks it up and has the disadvantage of a glossy reflection in bright light. A particularly nice touch is the little pull-out extenders on the sun visors, which are especially helpful at this time of year when low sun can be a bit of a problem at certain times of day.
SPACE, PRACTICALITY AND VERSATILITY
These two differ in their packaging. If you regularly want to carry adults or leggy teenagers in the second seat row, then the Santa Fe has an advantage. It is better for rear passenger legroom, and more stretch-out space behind the front seats than there is in the Hyundai Santa Fe Kia Sorento Sorento. The downside though comes in the Hyundai’s smaller standard boot space when the car is configured as a five seater. Its luggage capacity is 58 litres smaller than the Kia’s, and 37 litres difficient with rows two and three folded down, which is enough to make it just a bit less practical. With all seven seats in use, the small remaining amount of boot space is similar in both cars.
There seems to be slightly more headroom in the Sorento, at least in the front two rows that will inevitably be the most commonly occupied. There is less in the rearmost pair of seats, where a steepish downward slope of the roofline somewhat compromises head space. But as there is only room for children or very dinky adults in those back row seats, which have very minimal kneeroom for anyone larger, that may not matter too much. Anyway, it’s on a par with the equally squeezed third seat row in the Santa Fe. Both cars are practical five-seaters, and can realistically be used as seven-seaters over not too extended a distance, and by rearmost passengers who don’t suffer from claustrophobia.
RUNNING COSTS
Because both of these cars burst through the £40k barrier, vehicle excise duty is on the expensive side at £450 per year from years two to six and £140 thereafter. In year one, the first year’s tax is integrated into the list price, but works out at a hefty £830. Opting for a model lower down the range, and under the £40k threshold will see annual vehicle excise duty drop to £140, a worthwhile difference.
With just 3g/km of CO2 between this pairing, in favour of the Kia, business users will see that both the Santa Fe and Sorento sit in the same Benefit-in- Kind banding for company car tax at 37 per cent. That’s the highest category possible under the current scheme. The Hyundai manages 44.8mpg on the combined cycle, whereas the Sorento is a touch more frugal at 46.3mpg. In reality, drivers will see little difference between the two at the fuel pumps, though the larger fuel tank of the Kia will mean that you’ll have to fill up less often.
Insurance costs are marginally more manageable on the Kia, with the Sorento falling into group 25, compared to 27 for the Santa Fe. And when it comes to servicing, each car requires maintenance every 20,000 miles. Hyundai provides a generous five-year, unlimited mileage warranty as standard, while Kia’s is in force for two years more than that, but is limited to the first 100,000 miles.
“The Santa Fe has an edge on cabin quality.””
EQUIPMENT AND PRICE
We tested each of these cars in their most expensive guises, with the Hyundai Santa Fe Premium SE 2.2 CRDi automatic priced at £43,595, compared to £42,925 for the Kia Sorento GT-Line S 2.2 CRDi automatic. So £670 separates this pairing, that unsurprisingly includes a similar level of equipment.
Each car features leather upholstery, heated seats front and rear, a heated steering wheel, automatic headlights and wipers, electric front seats with memory functionality, as well as dual-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, an electrically opening panoramic glass roof, rear privacy glass, powered tailgate and ventilated front seats. Parking sensors are fitted front and rear, together with a 360-degree camera system and there’s the benefit of self-levelling rear suspension and roof rails that add a chunkier appearance. LED headlights deliver superb visibility, together with distinctive daytime running light signatures, and there’s 19-inch alloy wheels with a space saver spare wheel on both cars.
Each car features an eight-inch colour touchscreen with navigation, ten speakers, DAB radio, an uprated audio system, USB sockets and steering wheel controls, as well as Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth connectivity for smartphones. There’s wireless charging, too, removing the need for trailing wires across the cabin.
On the safety front, autonomous emergency braking is standard, as are six airbags and Isofix child safety seat fasteners for the front passenger seat and outer chairs on the middle row. There’s also adaptive cruise control, blind spot recognition, driver drowsiness detection, a lane departure warning and lane keeping assistant, a trailer stability assistant when towing and rear cross traffic alert for when reversing out of concealed parking areas.
The Santa Fe features a head-up display, whereas the Sorento doesn’t, and it also benefits from cornering functionality on the front fog lights and rear occupancy alert to highlight if there’s an unwanted intruder in the car. Kia has equipped the Sorento with an automated parking system and front wiper de-icer, as well as stainless steel pedals and exterior side steps.
Our researchers found both cars available at a considerable discount off the new price, with the Santa Fe available at £34,977, an £8,618 saving off the new price, and representing a discount of almost 20 per cent at online car brokers UK Car Discount (www.uk-car-discount.co.uk). And the Sorento was found with a similar discount, and £8,386 off the list price. The deal at Broker4cars (www. Broker4cars.co.uk) brought the cost down to £34,539, and preserving the Sorento’s price lead.
VERDICT
It’s a neck-and-neck run to the finish line for these two, and for obvious reasons. They share the same chassis, engine and transmission, so the differences between them are more in the detail than any major divergence of structure or propulsion. The Santa Fe is dearer, but that’s a narrow margin between two cars priced at upwards of £40k each. Their equipment levels are largely parallel. There is nothing to choose between them on driving calibre, and just a slight advantage to the Hyundai on cabin quality. The Santa Fe has more middle row legroom, but the Sorento has more boot space. The Kia also has a miniscule performance edge, is just a touch more economical and slightly cheaper to insure, as well as having a longer-range fuel tank. So which one wins? This one goes right to the wire, and it could easily be either, but our vote goes to the Santa Fe by a whisker.
“The Sorento is both fractionally quicker off the mark and slightly more economical.”
ALSO CONSIDER
MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV
It’s the only model that doesn’t have seven seats, but it does have the benefit of a plug-in hybrid and petrol drivetrain, and CO2 emissions of just 46g/km. And while the government grants may have gone, there’s still other tax advantages to benefit from.
SKODA KODIAQ
One of the newest seven-seaters in the sector, the Skoda Kodiaq has jumped to the top of the class. A wide range of diesel engines and a choice of five- or seven-seat arrangements, as well as a wide array of models means there’s a Kodiaq suitable for all.
SSANGYONG REXTON
When the new Rexton made its debut earlier this year, it was immediately obvious that it’s a much more accomplished car than its predecessor and is no longer embarrassed by any of the opposition. It’s also pricier than before, with a longer list of standard kit.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT Kia Sorento
19-inch alloy wheels with 235/55/R19 tyres with space-saver spare wheel
40/20/40 split/fold/reclining second row seats
50/50 split/fold third row seats
360-degree camera system
Adaptive cruise control Alarm system
Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and
Bluetooth smartphone compatibility
Anti-lock brakes with brake assist
Auto-dimming rear view mirror
Automated parking system
Automatic headlights
Autonomous emergency braking system with pedestrian detection
Blind spot recognition
DAB radio with 10-speakers, 8-inch colour touchscreen, uprated audio system, USB sockets and steering wheel controls
Drive mode selector
Driver, passenger, side and head airbags with passenger side de-activation
Driver drowsiness detection
Dual-zone climate control
Electric and heated mirrors with power folding
Electric front seats with memory functionality
Electric panoramic glass roof
Electric park brake with auto hold
Electric tailgate
Electric windows front and rear
Electronic stability control
Front wiper de-icer
Heated seats front and rear
Heated steering wheel Hill start assist
ISOFIX child safety seat fasteners for front passenger and rear outer seats
Keyless entry and start
Lane departure warning system
Lane keeping assistant
Leather steering wheel and gear knob
Leather upholstery
LED daytime running lights
LED front fog lights
LED headlights with high beam assist
Navigation system
Parking sensors front and rear
Rain sensor
Rear cross traffic alert
Rear privacy glass
Roof rails Self-levelling suspension
Smartphone wireless charging
Stainless steel pedals
Stainless steel side steps Traction control
Trailer stability assist
Tyre pressure monitors
Ventilated front seats Voice control
What’s Hot Lower list price. Well kitted out. Cheaper to insure. Bigger boot.
Lower CO2 emissions and better fuel economy. Faster acceleration to 62mph.
More generous warranty at seven years.
More Kia dealers in the UK. Can tow 2,000kgs. Comfort levels high. Controls are clearly labelled.
What’s Not No two-wheel-drive option. Interior doesn’t feel quite as upmarket as the Santa Fe. The third row of seats are quite tight.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT Hyundai Santa Fe
19-inch alloy wheels with 235/55/R19 tyres with space-saver spare wheel
50/50 split/fold third row seats
60/40 split/fold/sliding/reclining second row seats
360-degree camera system
Adaptive cruise control Alarm system Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and
Bluetooth smartphone compatibility
Anti-lock brakes with brake assist
Auto-dimming rear view mirror
Automatic headlights
Autonomous emergency braking system with pedestrian detection
Blind spot recognition
DAB radio with 10-speakers, 8-inch colour touchscreen, uprated audio system, USB sockets and steering wheel controls
Drive mode selector
Driver, passenger, side and head airbags with passenger side de-activation
Driver drowsiness detection
Dual-zone climate control
Electric and heated mirrors with power folding
Electric front seats with memory functionality
Electric panoramic glass roof
Electric park brake with auto hold
Electric tailgate
Electric windows front and rear
Electronic stability control
Head-up display
Heated seats front and rear
Heated steering wheel Hill start assist
ISOFIX child safety seat fasteners for front passenger and rear outer seats
Keyless entry and start
Lane departure warning system
Lane keeping assistant
Leather steering wheel and gear knob
Leather upholstery
LED daytime running lights
LED front fog lights with cornering functionality
LED headlights with smart auto beam
Navigation system
Parking sensors front and rear
Rain sensor Rear cross traffic alert
Rear occupancy alert Rear privacy glass
Roof rails Self-levelling suspension
Smartphone wireless charging
Traction control Trailer stability assist
Tyre pressure monitors
Ventilated front seats Voice control
What’s Hot Five year, unlimited warranty better than the norm.
Imposing and muscular styling.
Well-equipped. Plush interior, with neat cabin detailing. Two-tonne towing capacity. Comfortable driving experience.
What’s Not Higher list price. More expensive to insure. Boot space not as roomy. Higher CO2 emissions and marginally worse fuel economy. Acceleration to 62mph takes 0.3 of a second longer than the Sorento. The Sorento has a longer warranty. Smaller fuel tank, so you’ll need to refuel more often than the Kia. The sixth and seventh seat is short on space.
HYUNDAI SANTA FE PREMIUM SE 2.2 CRDi AUTOMATIC KIA SORENTO GT-LINE S 2.2 CRDi AUTOMATIC
Price £43,595 / £42,925
Made in Asan, South Korea / Hwasung, South Korea
Body style 5-door SUV, 7-seats / 5-door SUV, 7-seats
Layout Four-wheel-drive
Engine 2,199cc, 4-cylinder, 16-valve, turbo diesel
Transmission 8-speed automatic Yes Start-stop Yes
SCR Yes / Yes
Max power 197bhp @ 3,800rpm
Max torque 325lb ft @ 1,750-2,750rpm
Top speed 127mph / 128mph
0-62mph 9.4secs / 9.1secs
CO2 emissions 164g/km (Euro-6d Temp) / 161g/km (Euro-6d Temp)
Economy 30.7/50.4/44.8mpg (Urban/Extra Urban/Combined) 38.7/52.3/46.3mpg
Fuel tank size 64 litres / 71 litres
Range 631 miles / 723 miles
Insurance group 27 / 25
BIK rate 37% / 37%
Size 4,770/1,890mm (Length/width without mirrors) 4,800/1,890mm
Boot space tba/547/1,625 litres / 142/605/1,662 litres
Kerb weight 1,895kg / 1,949kg
Max towing weight 2,000kg / 2,000kg
Euro NCAP rating Not yet tested / (pre-facelift) 5/5
