Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid vs Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid was reminiscent of a pair of "dad jeans"—practical and offering great value, yet lacking modern flair. Despite a refresh in 2021, its design appeared outdated compared to newer crossovers like the Hyundai Palisade or Kia Sorento. The Santa Fe's exterior featured a squared grille and flush-mounted headlights, but its silhouette seemed too soft for a contemporary SUV. With a length of 4,785 millimetres and a wheelbase of 2,765 millimetres, it was too large for compact crossover proportions and too short for a three-row SUV. Inside, the Santa Fe Hybrid prioritized function over style, with a centre console filled with physical buttons and knobs, making it easy to use but not particularly stylish.

In contrast, the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid adopted a conservative design, drawing inspiration from the popular RAV4. This approach resulted in a vehicle that resembled a larger RAV4, offering seating for up to eight and ample cargo space. The interior emphasized function, with a layer of luxury in the Platinum trim. While the material quality was decent, the use of glossy hard plastics and unlined storage surfaces detracted from the overall experience. The climate system was straightforward, but the infotainment interface had its quirks, such as a small volume knob and the absence of a tuning knob.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid delivered a balanced performance with its 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine paired with a 44.2-kW electric motor, producing a total of 226 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. It offered impressive fuel economy, with estimates of 7.1 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 7.9 on the highway, and 7.4 combined. The six-speed automatic transmission and HTRAC AWD system provided flexibility, allowing power distribution between the front and rear wheels. The Santa Fe Hybrid excelled in noise insulation and ride quality, offering a quiet and composed driving experience, though it wasn't particularly quick or agile.

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max focused on performance, boasting a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine and electronic full-time AWD with two electric motors, generating 362 horsepower. This setup allowed the Grand Highlander to accelerate swiftly, with the traditional six-speed automatic transmission avoiding the droning typical of CVTs. While the Hybrid Max sacrificed some fuel efficiency, it offered a towing capacity of up to 2,268 kilograms. During testing, it achieved fuel economy figures of 9.1 L/100 km on a balanced city and highway route and 10.1 L/100 km on a mountainous loop. The Grand Highlander provided a soft, isolating ride, though its handling was secure only up to a modest point.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid featured a shift-by-wire, push-button transmission, freeing up space below the centre stack. However, the stack itself was massive, with limited storage space. Rear passengers enjoyed a panoramic sunroof, manual sunshades, and 1,035 millimetres of legroom. The Santa Fe Hybrid offered 1,032 litres of cargo space behind the second row, expanding to 2,041 litres with the seats folded. Up front, it came equipped with heated and ventilated front seats, leatherette upholstery, and an eight-way power driver's seat.

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid provided comfortable seating across all three rows, with more than 2,700 litres of maximum cargo space. The Platinum trim featured a Portobello interior with leather and artificial suede upholstery. The second-row captain's chairs allowed for easy access to the third row, which offered reasonable comfort for adults and tall teens. Behind the third-row seat, the Grand Highlander offered 586 litres of cargo space, expanding to 1,640 litres with the third row folded and 2,761 litres with the second row down.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid came standard with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering Bluetooth, OTA map updates, and dynamic voice recognition. It supported Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, though both required a wired connection. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster provided a clear view of essential driving information. However, the 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system was not available in Canada.

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid featured a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system across all trims, with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and SiriusXM satellite radio. The system included Toyota Connected Services, offering features like automatic collision notification and a digital voice assistant. The Platinum trim added a colour head-up display, a digital rear-view mirror, and a surround-view camera system. While the infotainment system was easy to use, it had limitations, such as the inability to display multiple main-menu screens simultaneously.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid prioritized safety, earning a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ designation from the IIHS. Standard safety features included adaptive cruise control, forward collision avoidance, lane keep assist, blind-spot collision avoidance, and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance. However, the surround-view monitor and blind-spot view monitor were not available in Canada.

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid was equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, offering a comprehensive suite of safety features. While it earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, it fell short of the Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS due to "Acceptable" ratings for headlight performance and small overlap frontal-impact protection. The Proactive Driving Assist system was found to be irritating and was often turned off during testing.