Highlander Hybrid vs Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid
Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, which is the better SUV to buy.
If you wanna buy a spacious, practical three row SUV, that happens to be a hybrid.
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid are two of the topics.
The Highlander in particular has long been a very popular option that’s built a solid reputation for its strong reliability, excellent value for money, and also very good resale value.
But the recently redesigned Santa Fe has been drawing a lot of attention thanks to its striking, looks impressive technology and pretty attractive overall package.
Hybrid Engines: Efficiency and Performance
Now in the case of both of these SUVs, the first choice you need to make is whether to go with the regular gas engine or the hybrid engine, and I think in the case of both, the hybrid option is the one that makes a lot more sense for a number of reasons.
What’s great about both of these is that the hybrid engine doesn’t cost a whole lot more than the irregular engine and it’s around 30 to 40% more fuel efficient, which is going to save you a lot of money in gas in the long run.
You also don’t need to sacrifice much in terms of performance and power and the hybrid option is just a lot more desirable and should hold its value well in the long run.
So it really is the no brainer and it makes sense why so many consumers are really attracted to hybrids these days.
The regular gas engine in the Santa Fe does make a lot of power 277 horsepower from a 2.5 turbo engine, but it’s also a gas guzzler.
It uses a lot of gas and it comes with a somewhat problematic eight speed dual clutch transmission, which has had a lot of complaints.
The hybrid engine by comparison is a safer choice.
Hyundai has been using this hybrid system in a number of its vehicles for a few years now.
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It’s a 1.6 turbocharge four solar engine that comes with a normal conventional six speed automatic transmission, so it’s not only a lot more fuel efficient but also safer in terms of reliability as well.
And it’s a similar story with the Highlander as well. The regular gas engine is perfectly fine.
It’s a 2.4 liter turbocharged four cylinder engine with a conventional eight speed automatic transmission, but it’s nothing really exceptional in terms of performance or efficiency and the hybrid just has a lot more going for it.
Again, it’s around 30 to 40% more fuel efficient. You don’t sacrifice much in terms of power and you have a more well proven reputation for quality and reliability, making it a much more attractive option.
In some ways these hybrid engines are quite similar. Both SUVs are able to achieve roughly around 35 miles per gallon or seven liters per 100 kilometers, which is
Impressive fuel economy for a large three row SUV. They’re also similar in terms of power.
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The Santa Fe makes around 232 horsepower and the Highlander makes around 243 horsepower.
Both are able to accelerate to highway speeds in around seven and a half seconds, which is perfectly acceptable.
I will say though that the Santa Fe does feel a little bit more eager.
It does feel like it has more power and more toric perhaps because of that turbocharge engine and also because of that conventional six speed automatic transmission, which does give it a very nice feel when you accelerate.
Toyota’s industry-leading hybrid reliability
The Highlander On the other hand, because of its naturally aspirate engine and ECVT transmission doesn’t have quite as much torque and it feels a little bit more gravelly and droney as you accelerate.
Not quite as satisfying as the Santa Fe, but it is worth mentioning that both hybrid systems are very smooth and very refined in that way.
Hyundai’s evolving hybrid technology and safety
Both companies do a very good job with their hybrids, but there is one major advantage of course that you get with the Highlander and that’s a more well proven reputation when it comes to reliability.
Although Hyundai has been making hybrids for quite some time now. Toyota has been doing it for well over two decades and they are the industry leaders in that area and not only does the Highlander have that proven reputation, but it’s also a more straightforward hybrid system.
It has a simple naturally aspirate engine with no turbos. The planetary gear set, ECVT is absolutely bulletproof and rock solid, reliable.
It’s a hybrid system that’s a lot more straightforward and easier to service and should hold up a lot better over time.
Long-term ownership and maintenance
If you are a long-term buyer that keeps their vehicle as long as possible, and even though Hyundai does give you a longer comprehensive warranty and powertrain warranty,
Toyota gives you a longer hybrid battery warranty, which is a nice bonus and because Toyota hybrids are so popular, it’s a lot easier to get a low cost battery replacement option when the vehicle is much older, say 12 to 15 years old.
Driving Experience: Smooth Rides, But Which Feels Better?
These are both excellent SUVs to drive. They’re very smooth, very comfortable, they have a really nice quiet ride and they both have great handling for what they are.
Either one of these would be a fantastic family SUV that would be really nice and enjoyable to drive for a long time.
Interior Comfort and Technology
Where these two have a lot more differences though is when it comes to the interiors, the Highlands interior is perfectly fine.
It’s well equipped and comes with all the necessary technology and features that you would expect to see, but it’s the Santa Fe’s interior that really impresses a lot more with a snazzier looking design and sharper better performing technology with a nicer infotainment system that has better looking graphics, better responsiveness, and just a more functional user interface.
That said, although I am more impressed with the interior design and technology of these Santa Fe, I think in the long run, both of these are going to be fantastic interiors that are ultimately very functional and well designed.
Both of these SUVs have a straightforward control setup, lots of storage space and interior space, and they both have very good overall build quality.
They’re also extremely well equipped when it comes to safety features and safety technologies. So in that area, both are fantastic SUVs.
Space and Practicality: Which SUV Is More Spacious?
Now, when it comes to passenger space and cargo space, what’s important to understand about these two is that neither one is the most spacious SUV in its class.
If you’re ultimately looking for a large SUV that can carry up to seven or eight passengers on a regular basis plus a good amount of cargo, you would be better off buying a larger SUV.
Like say for example, the Toyota Grand Highlander, the Hyundai Palisade or the Honda Pilot, something like that.
The Santa Fe and Highlander are better for a family of safe four to five that need to use a third row of seats on an occasional basis, but most of the time they’re just going to keep them folded flat to maximize the cargo space for that purpose or for someone that just prefers to have a slightly smaller SUV, both of them are absolutely ideal.
With that said, though, the Highlander does have a noticeable amount of more room when compared to the Santa Fe.
It just has more space for passengers in the second and third row of seats and a slightly larger cargo area, especially with the back seats folded flat.
Pricing: Affordability vs. Value for Money
Now, how do these two SUVs compare in terms of pricing? Well, the Highlander is the more pricer one between the two.
It’s priced from roughly 43 to 53,000 US or around 52 to 62,000 Canadian.
The Santa Fe on the other hand, is priced from around 39 to 50,000 US, or 43 to 47,000 Canadian.
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So it is roughly three to 4,000 US or eight to 10,000 Canadian, less expensive than the Highlander.
And not only that, but the hybrid option on the Santa Fe is a much smaller price premium over the Highlander.
In the case of the Highlander, you have to spend two to 3000 more to get the hybrid option.
But on the Santa Fe, the hybrid option is only around $500 more in the US and it’s actually the less expensive engine option in Canada.
But even though the Santa Fe is significantly less expensive to purchase than the Highlander, I always say there’s a lot more to value than the purchase price alone.
Even though the Highlander is more expensive to purchase, it does have a lower cost of ownership in the long run thanks to its superior reputation for reliability and low cost of service.
Resale Value: Which SUV Holds Its Value Better?
And that superior reputation for reliability also means that the Highlander has much higher resale value in the long run.
Highlanders hold their value incredibly well over time.
They really don’t depreciate much over the first few years. And when these vehicles are, say around 10 years old where the Santa Fe is not going to be worth very much,
the Highlander is still going to command a huge price premium by comparison, and that makes a massive difference and explains why the Highlander is ultimately the much better value.
Availability and Supply Issues
With all that said, though, the Highlander does have a massive problem that does hold it back quite a bit, and that problem is unfortunately availability.
Unlike the Santa Fe, which is now relatively straightforward and easy to buy,
Toyota struggles lengthy waiting periods
Toyota is still suffering from a major supply issue, especially with its hybrid vehicles.
And the result is that the Highlander hybrid still has a very long waiting period in many areas, in some cases over a year long.
And that also results in some dealerships still trying to price gouge buyers.
So as fantastic as the Highlander hybrid is, it’s just not a realistic option for a lot of buyers to purchase right away, at least not at this time, not until Toyota really solves its major supply issues.
So where does that ultimately leave these two? Well, there’s no question. The Santa Fe is a very attractive SUV to buy.
It has a striking design that a lot of buyers really gravitate towards. It’s a great driving and performing SUV.
It has fantastic features and technology and it’s just very impressive overall.
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But ultimately, I think a lot of the qualities that make the Santa Fe such an attractive SUV are not necessarily the most important for most consumers, at least not in the long run.
What most consumers really want is a well-made vehicle that’s going to last a long time, not cost a lot of money, offers good value and good reliability, and in those areas, that’s where the Highlander really excels.
The design or the tech might not be as impressive as what you get with the Santa Fe, but ultimately for a buyer that just wants a well-made vehicle that’s going to last as long as possible.
It’s the more sensible choice to go with that is assuming you can actually get your hands on one, which as mentioned might not be realistic for most buyers depending on where you’re located.
Which Hybrid SUV Should You Buy?
And if you’re faced with a crazy long waiting period and you can’t get your hands on a Highlander hybrid, the Santa Fe hybrid is really not a bad alternative.
It’s a really nice well designed SUV. It’s efficient, it performs well.
It has great technology and it does offer very good value in terms of its pricing.
I mean, the fact that you can get a spacious,
Well-designed three row SUV that happens to be a hybrid for around 40,000 US or 45,000 Canadian is really not that bad.
There’s no question. Hyundai really did an excellent job with this vehicle.
So if you needed to buy a three row hybrid SUV, which of these two would be your choice? Let me know in the comments.