2023 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2023 Genesis GV70

The 2023 Genesis GV70 was a striking compact luxury SUV, drawing design inspiration from its sedan sibling, the G70. Its exterior featured split-bar headlights and a distinctive chrome line that elegantly curved from behind the rear window, giving it a coupe-like appearance without sacrificing versatility. Inside, the GV70's cabin was a testament to luxury, with high-quality materials and impeccable fit and finish. The design was both modern and timeless, with climate controls integrated into a curving bezel and a touchscreen that seamlessly emerged from the dashboard. The GV70's interior was equipped with a full touchscreen, a rotary dial, and button controls, offering a user-friendly experience. The physical rollers on the centre console and steering wheel were a nod to practicality, providing a tactile alternative to touch capacitive controls.

In contrast, the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe had a more conservative exterior design, lacking the standout looks of some of Hyundai's other models. However, it remained an attractive SUV, with distinctive wide upper and lower grilles and thin LED headlights. The Santa Fe's interior, particularly in the Ultimate Calligraphy trim, featured a high-quality look and feel, though it was somewhat dark and monotone. The Nappa leather seats were comfortable and attractive, with heated and cooled front seats as standard. The Santa Fe's cabin offered a range of comfort and convenience features, including dual-zone climate control, rear window sunshades, and a hands-free smart liftgate. The extended panoramic sunroof and head-up display were notable highlights, though the latter required navigating vehicle-settings menus for adjustments.

The 2023 Genesis GV70 offered two powertrains: a turbocharged 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine producing 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, and a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 engine delivering 375 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of torque. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The GV70's turbo-four provided ample power for most driving situations, while the V6 catered to performance enthusiasts with its extra grunt and throaty engine note. The GV70 excelled in blending comfort and sharp handling, offering a refined driving experience. The Electrified GV70 featured a 77.4-kWh battery pack, dual electric motors, and a combined output of 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. It offered a smooth acceleration experience, with a Boost Mode increasing output to 483 horsepower for short bursts. The electric GV70 had a range of 383 kilometres and supported fast charging, replenishing the battery from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe came with a 2.5-litre engine, available in naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions. The naturally aspirated engine produced 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, while the turbocharged version delivered 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. The turbocharged engine was paired with an eight-speed "wet" dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Santa Fe featured a drive-mode selector with four customizable modes: Comfort, Sport, Snow, and Smart. The turbocharged Santa Fe offered a significant performance boost, with immediate acceleration and passing power, especially in Sport mode. The Santa Fe's handling was smooth, with minimal body lean during cornering. The turbo version could tow up to 1,587 kilograms, while the non-turbo version had a towing capacity of 907 kilograms.

The 2023 Genesis GV70 provided 1,611 litres of cargo space with the rear seats folded and 818 litres with the seats in use, making it competitive in the compact luxury SUV segment. The GV70 featured a hands-free power liftgate, large cupholders in the centre console, and a retractable tray. While front-seat comfort was commendable, rear-seat legroom was tighter, requiring front-row occupants to adjust their seats for rear passenger comfort. The rear bench offered a reclining feature for added comfort.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, with its two-row configuration, offered generous rear-seat legroom of 1,060 millimetres and a competitive cargo space of 1,032 litres behind the second row. Folding the second row expanded the cargo capacity to 2,041 litres, with additional underfloor storage. The Santa Fe's seat comfort was a highlight, with an eight-way power driver's seat and heated front seats as standard. The top trims featured a hands-free smart liftgate, ventilated front seats, and heated rear seats. The Ultimate Calligraphy trim included Remote Smart Parking Assist, a head-up display, and ambient lighting. However, the wide centre console slightly compromised driver leg and hip space.

The 2023 Genesis GV70 featured a 14.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The system was user-friendly, with large icons and logical menu navigation. The GV70 also included four USB ports, wireless device charging, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and a nine-speaker stereo system. Available features included ambient lighting, a digital instrument panel, a Lexicon 18-speaker audio system, and the Genesis digital key. However, the proximity of the rotary dial to the vehicle's rotary shifter could lead to confusion.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe excelled in in-vehicle technology, offering a 4.2-inch colour LCD multi-information display in lower trims and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in higher trims. All trims featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, and BlueLink connected services. Wireless device charging and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system were exclusive to the top trims. The infotainment system was customizable, though voice-recognition capabilities were mixed, with some difficulty in recognizing certain commands.

The 2023 Genesis GV70 came equipped with a comprehensive suite of safety features, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, driver attention monitoring, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and highway driving assist with lane-keeping assist. The 2.5T Advance Plus added a blind-spot camera system and a 360-degree parking camera system, while reverse automatic emergency braking was part of the Prestige grade. The Electrified GV70 included much of this equipment as standard. The GV70 received a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe offered a wide range of standard safety-related ADAS, including forward-collision avoidance with pedestrian, cyclist, and junction-turning detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centring assist, driver monitoring, a safe-exit assist system, and a rear-seat reminder system. Highway Driving Assist was standard on the Ultimate Calligraphy trim. The Santa Fe received a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.