2023 Kia Sportage vs 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 2023 Kia Sportage emerged with a completely redesigned look that was both exciting and exotic, reminiscent of French automotive styling. Its distinctive features, such as the boomerang-shaped daytime running lights and textured metal trim on the D Pillar, added a touch of class to this compact crossover. The interior offered a mix of synthetic leather and cloth seats, with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob in higher trims. The dashboard was dominated by a large display, although some interior elements, like the hard plastic plate near the door handle, were less appealing. The dual-zone climate control was a standard feature from the EX trim, but the touch-sensitive HVAC controls were a bit frustrating to use.

In contrast, the 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe maintained a more conservative exterior design, continuing the look from the previous model year. Its wide grilles and thin LED headlights were the most distinctive elements. The interior of the Ultimate Calligraphy trim featured black Nappa leather seats, which were both comfortable and attractive. The cabin was equipped with heated and cooled front seats, and the second row also had seat heaters. The Santa Fe's interior was dark and monotone, but the beige or grey options provided some visual contrast. The panoramic sunroof and head-up display were appreciated features, although adjusting the display height required navigating through menus.

The 2023 Kia Sportage offered a 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder engine producing 187 horsepower and 178 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This engine was available with front-wheel drive on the LX trim, with all-wheel drive optional on LX and standard on other trims. The Sportage's fuel economy was slightly improved over the previous model, with figures of 9.3 L/100 km city, 7.4 highway, and 8.4 combined for FWD, and 10.4 city, 8.5 highway, and 9.5 combined for AWD. While the Sportage was more powerful than the 2022 model, it lacked the turbocharged engine option from the previous generation, which had offered 240 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The X-Line trim added rugged visual cues but no additional off-road capabilities. The Sportage's AWD models provided 21 centimetres of ground clearance, making it capable for most off-pavement adventures.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe came with a choice between a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre engine producing 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged version delivering 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet. The turbocharged engine was paired with an eight-speed "wet" dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Santa Fe featured a drive-mode selector with Comfort, Sport, Snow, and Smart modes, and steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters added a sporty touch. The turbocharged Santa Fe offered a significant performance boost, with immediate acceleration and passing power, especially in Sport mode. The turbo version could tow up to 1,587 kg, while the non-turbo could tow 907 kg. The Santa Fe's handling was smooth, with minimal body lean during cornering, and the dual-clutch transmission operated without clunkiness.

The 2023 Kia Sportage, as a compact crossover, offered increased interior space compared to its predecessor. It was 180 mm longer with an 86 mm longer wheelbase, providing more rear-seat legroom at 1,050 mm and 966 mm of rear headroom. The trunk offered 1,121 litres of cargo space, expanding to 2,098 litres with the rear seats folded. The front seats had decent storage, including a cubby, cupholders, and a centre console bin. However, the touch-sensitive HVAC controls were frustrating, as they switched functions between climate control and navigation, complicating basic operations.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe, a midsize SUV, wisely avoided a cramped third row, resulting in more rear-seat legroom at 1,060 mm and competitive cargo space of 1,032 litres behind the second row. Folding the second row expanded storage 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 standard. Higher trims included features like a hands-free smart liftgate, ventilated front seats, and a power driver seat cushion extension. The panoramic sunroof and head-up display were appreciated, though the latter required menu navigation for adjustments. The wide centre console provided storage but limited driver leg and hip space.

The 2023 Kia Sportage featured a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system on EX-and-up trims, paired with a digital instrument cluster on the X-Line Limited. However, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were wired, even on the top interface, which was counterintuitive given the wireless charger. The base LX trim had an 8-inch screen with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. The Sportage included Bluetooth, keyless entry, and rear USB-C charging ports, with a Harman Kardon audio system on the X-Line Limited. The icons on the screen were similar in appearance, making it challenging to find the right button while driving.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe excelled in technology, with a 4.2-inch colour LCD display on lower trims and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster on higher trims. All trims had a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM, and BlueLink services. Wireless charging was available on higher trims, and the Ultimate Calligraphy featured a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. The infotainment system was logically arranged, though navigating sub-menus was necessary for customization. Voice recognition worked well for navigation but struggled with music and temperature commands, requiring specific terminology.

The 2023 Kia Sportage offered a comprehensive suite of standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, lane-following assist, lane-departure warning, and a backup camera. Higher trims added blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and safe exit warning. Adaptive cruise control was available from the EX trim, while the X-Line Limited included a blind-view monitor, highway driving assist, front and rear parking sensors, projection LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and a surround-view camera. However, the 2023 Sportage had not yet been crash-tested by NHTSA or IIHS.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe came with an extensive array of standard safety features, 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, safe-exit assist, and a rear-seat reminder. Highway Driving Assist was standard on the Ultimate Calligraphy. The Santa Fe received a five-star overall rating from NHTSA and a "Top Safety Pick+" from IIHS, with top ratings in all crashworthiness tests.