Hyundai Santa Fe v Kia Sorento 2018 Comparison

Two peas in a pod?

Hyundai owns Kia, so it's no surprise that their respective seven-seat SUVs - the Sorento and the Santa Fe - share a lot of the same DNA.

In fact, if you were to carry out a comparison exercise on paper, you'd be hard pressed to find too many differences. But after back-to-back drives and a side-by-side comparison, we've concluded that these two SUVs are most definitely not identical twins.

Both the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento ranges currently feature petrol and diesel engine options, and both ranges are similarly priced. The Santa Fe starts at $41,850 and tops out at $64,250 for the SR, while the Sorento is priced from $42,990 - $58,990.

The recent winner of our most recent seven-seat SUV comparison, the Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander, is priced from $57,090 (plus ORCs).

Here, we are comparing two models featuring the same 2.2-litre R Series turbo-diesel engines. In the Kia Sorento Si the unit is paired with a new eight-speed automatic transmission, while in the soon-to-be-replaced Hyundai Santa Fe Elite gearing is managed through a six-speed auto.

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Why are we comparing them?

Seven-seat SUVs are growing in popularity thanks to the flexibility that they offer to Australian family buyers. Add the strong value proposition, industry-leading warranties and servicing deals from the Korean sibling brands, and a sub $50,000 family wagon makes an awful lot of sense.

Both the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento are quite well known. However, it's the Sorento which was updated most recently, and therefore the newest model on test.

There's a new Santa Fe coming in July, but for now, we're interested to see how the two current models perform against one other.

Specification levels of the vehicles on test vary a little - it's the Sorento Si entry model ($46,490) versus the mid-spec Hyundai Santa Fe Elite ($51,990). But we're more interested in how they perform as daily family wagons than a spec-for-spec comparison. You'll choose the specification level that best meets your needs and budget.

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Who will they appeal to?

These two family SUVs are likely to appeal to buyers with large families who have plenty of children to cart around to sporting events and appointments.

Each offers good cabin space for a large brood and with the third row of seating folded flat, there's plenty of usable luggage space. While the two vehicles appear close in size, the Sorento is in fact 100mm longer than the Santa Fe, delivering slightly larger total luggage capacity (1662 litres versus 1616).

Each third row is spacious enough for tweens, teens and the occasional adult. But the difference in size between the two models delivers more space in the Sorento.

Headroom is dramatically different, too. Sitting in the third row of the Santa Fe my head was all but touching the roof lining at the boot hinge, but in a comparative seat in the Sorento there was appreciably more room.

There's cup-holders in both sides at the back of the Sorento too, and only one in the Santa Fe. There's also more adjustment available for the air-conditioning - a must for all seven-seat vehicles in Australia.

Rear side windows in the Santa Fe are smaller than in the Sorento, meaning passengers in the Kia are afforded a more agreeable outlook - that's important if your brood is prone to travel sickness.

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How much do they cost?

The Kia Sorento Si costs $46,490 (plus ORCs) for the diesel powertrain while the equivalent spec Santa Fe Active model would cost $44,850. Prestige paint adds $595 to the Kia and $695 to the Hyundai.

As the range entry model you're getting a cloth interior, 17-inch alloy wheels and a keyed ignition. You also get some useful safety technology including a reversing camera.

Importantly there's also Autonomous Emergency Braking, lane keeping assist and cruise control across all Sorento models. It's a similar story in the Santa Fe, but Hyundai also includes blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert across its entire range.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available in both vehicles, but the Santa Fe Active's colour touchscreen is s 7.0-inch unit instead of the 8.0-inch screen found in the Sorento Si. There's more functionality from the Sorento's satellite navigation system too, with 10 years of live traffic updates included.

Start to compare these vehicles in their mid-spec guise, Kia Sorento SLi ($50,490) versus Hyundai Santa Fe Elite ($51,990) and you're adding features like leather upholstery, larger alloy wheels, keyless entry and a powered tailgate from both manufacturers.

Affordable motoring is the key with each manufacturer. Kia offers an industry-leading seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty while Hyundai offers a five-years/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Capped-price servicing deals are available from both manufacturers with 15,000km/12-month service intervals. Kia offers up-front pricing for the first ten years/100,000km while Hyundai helps you plan ahead for the first 510,000km.

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What do they do well?

The Hyundai Santa Fe is definitely the most enjoyable to drive of the pair. Under the bonnet the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine is tuned for performance and it is quicker off the mark than the same unit in the Sorento.

The Santa Fe has a significant weight advantage over the Sorento too, which obviously helps things. Tipping the scale at 1984kg (kerb) against a porkier 2042kg, the Santa Fe also benefits from lighter steering which makes it easier to pilot, particularly in city driving.

The trade-off in performance seems to be fuel economy. On our back-to-back loop the Santa Fe used approximately 2.0L/100km more than the Sorento.

While we thought the Santa Fe well-suited for the city, we preferred the Kia Sorento's feel on country roads. As a heavier vehicle it lends itself to more leisurely-paced driving, and its suspension tune and slightly wider tyre seem more forgiving on choppy roads, riding bumps assuredly.

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What could they do better?

Both cars could do with some refinement of their adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems.

They seem overly conservative, causing the cars to slow early as they approach vehicles from behind, even on the shortest possible distance setting.

The speed control is obtrusive when on declines, too. In order to hold a prescribed speed, the system performs multiple tiny braking procedures similar to frequent tiny dabs on the brake pedal.

We also thought the eight-speed automatic transmission in the Sorento could be smoother. It has a tendency to hesitate before selecting a ratio, a trait which is particularly noticeable when the car is on an incline with the cruise control engaged.

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Which wins, and why?

Giving healthy consideration to how these vehicles will be employed in the wild, we've opted to give the Kia Sorento the nod on this occasion.

Even though we preferred the lighter touch of the Santa Fe, and its spirited drive, we couldn't go past the extra room that's afforded to third-row passengers in the Sorento.

For families who will be regularly making use of this space, we reckon that is the most important factor when settling on a good value seven-seater.

Add to that the fuel economy we extracted from the Sorento, and the peace of mind that is offered by Kia's industry-leading warranty, and we reckon the Kia is tough to beat.

All of that said Hyundai might have some aces up its sleeve with the upcoming fourth-generation Santa Fe; so the tables could very well be turned in our next head-to-head comparison.

2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Elite pricing and specifications:
Price: $51,685 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.2litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 147kW/440Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 205g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

2018 Kia Sorento Si pricing and specifications:
Price: $47,085 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.2litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 147kW/441Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 190g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP