2025 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2024 Land Rover Defender

The 2024 Land Rover Defender presented a unique blend of classic and contemporary design elements. Its boxy silhouette was reminiscent of traditional Land Rover models, yet it incorporated modern touches like angular headlights that aligned it with the brand's current lineup. Inside, the Defender distinguished itself with a rugged, adventure-ready feel, more akin to a Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco, but with the added luxury of soft-touch materials. The interior was designed for durability, featuring practical elements such as grip handles and rubberized floors, making it suitable for both urban and off-road environments.

In contrast, the 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe maintained a chunky, boxy appearance with a long wheelbase and flat hood, aligning with Hyundai's design language seen in models like the Ioniq 5. The pixelated H-shaped LED headlamps and taillights added a modern touch, although the rear design suffered from mismatched proportions. The Santa Fe offered a variety of vibrant colours, breaking away from the typical greyscale of many SUVs. Inside, the Santa Fe provided ample space, especially in the third row, and featured adjustable second-row seats. However, some interior squeaks and rattles were noted, and the fan speed controls were less intuitive.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender offered a range of powertrains, starting with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the P300, delivering 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Our test model, the P400, featured a mild-hybrid turbocharged 3.0-litre inline-six engine, producing 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. For those seeking more power, two supercharged 5.0-litre V8 options were available, with the P500 generating 493 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, and the P525 offering 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque. All engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time active 4WD. The Defender excelled in off-road capabilities, particularly with the Defender X trim, which included an adaptive air suspension and Terrain Response 2 system. The most powerful V8 could accelerate from zero to 96 km/h in 5.1 seconds, while the P400 provided ample power for highway driving, despite some lurching at low speeds.

The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe came standard with a 2.5-litre turbocharged engine, producing 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. AWD was standard across the lineup in Canada. The Santa Fe Hybrid, a separate model, combined a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with an electric motor, delivering 231 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque. The Santa Fe offered stable handling and responsive steering, though turbo lag and occasional transmission delays were noted. The XRT trim featured 30-inch all-terrain tires and increased ground clearance, enhancing its off-road capabilities, though it was not designed for rugged terrain.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender balanced luxury and practicality, featuring soft-touch materials alongside functional elements like grip handles and rubberized floors. Seating capacity varied from five to eight passengers, depending on the configuration. The Defender 110 offered an optional third row, best suited for children, while the Defender 130 provided more space but still limited adult-friendly seating. Cargo capacity varied by model, with the Defender 130 offering up to 2,155 litres with all rear seats folded. The Defender 110 provided up to 2,231 litres in its two-row configuration, while the Defender 90 offered up to 1,650 litres. The cargo area featured hard plastic surfaces, making it easy to clean.

The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe excelled in interior space, offering the most third-row legroom in its class. The second-row seats featured adjustable cushion angles, and both the second and third rows could be folded with the press of a button, providing up to 2,267 litres of cargo space. With all seats occupied, the Santa Fe still offered 413 litres of space. The rear opening was widened to 127.5 cm, facilitating the loading of large items. Most trims could tow up to 1,587 kilograms, with the XRT trim capable of towing 2,040 kilograms.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender featured a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and an 11.4-inch touchscreen, which, while smaller than some competitors, suited its utilitarian design. The system included navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, satellite radio, HD radio, and a 10-speaker Meridian stereo system. The straightforward setup and home buttons made navigation easy, appealing to those overwhelmed by larger touchscreens.

The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe offered a 12.3-inch touchscreen and digital gauge cluster, with navigation available on the Luxury and Ultimate Calligraphy trims. Standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were included. Multiple USB-C ports and a wireless charging pad were available, with the Ultimate Calligraphy trim accommodating two phones. The digital key feature allowed unlocking and starting the car via a smartphone or Apple Watch. The Ultimate Calligraphy trim offered a digital rearview mirror and head-up display. Bluelink app connectivity was standard, providing remote access to vehicle features and over-the-air updates.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender came equipped with a comprehensive suite of standard driver assistance features, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Additional features included traffic sign recognition, automatic high beams, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a 360-degree parking camera system. However, the lane-departure and lane-keeping assist systems were overly sensitive, potentially causing interference during normal driving. As of the review, the Defender had not been crash-tested by the IIHS or NHTSA.

The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe offered a robust array of standard safety features, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and forward collision avoidance assist. Additional features included lane keeping and lane following assist, a driver attention monitor, and safe exit assist. Higher trims offered rear parking collision avoidance assist, side park distance warning, and Highway Drive Assist. The NHTSA awarded the Santa Fe a four-out-of-five-star overall safety rating, while the IIHS rated it "Good" in most categories, with "Acceptable" ratings for headlights and LATCH.