(Video from https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/hyundai-santa-fe-v-kia-sorento-2021-comparison-129225/)
Rival cousins… can the Hyundai Santa Fe strip the Kia Sorento of its title of Carsales Car of The Year?
With the same 2.2 litre turbo-diesel engine and loads more similarities, find out how these two rivals compare…?
The Kia Sorento is fresh from its 2020, Carsales, car of the Year victory, but already, a new challenger has emerged and it comes in the form of a relative. This is the 2021, Hyundai Santa Fe and here, we are testing the two top spec, diesel, all-wheel drive versions of these Korean seven seaters. Let’s see which one is best.
The Sorento was a fitting victor in our biggest annual prize, but that doesn’t make it immune to challengers, and in this case, we present a vehicle with the same basic platform, same diesel driveline, and much of the same in-cabin tech, including a digital instrument display, multi-zone climate control system and matching 10.25 inch centre screen, with Apple Car Play and Android Auto. The Sorento GT line is the slightly more affordable option of these two, undercutting the Santa Fe Highlander, by about $2,000.
So how do you pick the differences? Well, it’s quite difficult because the Sorento and the Santa Fe have the same platform. They have a very similar length, width, height and wheelbase, and they have an identical 2.2 litre, turbo diesel, four-cylinder engine, matched to an 8-speed dual clutch automatic transmission.
And as you can see, the technology on either, is really quite impressive. But as similar as these two are, there are actually quite a few differences, beginning with what’s on the inside.
Now, you can argue that the Kia Sorento is the shinier, more tech-savvy of these two. There’s lots of nice piano black finishes, more USB points, five in the Hyundai, eight in the Kia, a superior 12-speaker stereo, and more of a design focus, from the metallic highlights, the more cohesive centre fascia, even down to the styling of the air vents, which look really cool. Now, like the Hyundai, you can adjust the positioning of the passenger seat from the driver’s seat, and you’re also able to talk to the rear-most passengers, via the speakers.
The Sorento benefits from its slightly longer wheel base, by offering about 20 millimetres more second row leg room, the installation of secondary cup-holders in each rear door, is another bonus for little ones, and it also boasts a slightly larger walkthrough space into the third row. Oddly though, the Sorento’s 60-40 rear-seat split is on the wrong side for Aussie roads. Another gripe affecting both these vehicles, is their curtain air bags don’t fully cover the third row.
Things are a bit different over in the Santa Fe’s corner. Hyundai has employed a new bridge design centre console that forgoes some of the incidental storage found in the Kia, but liberates a huge space underneath, for odds and ends. There’s also a huge vertical wireless phone charger that keeps your phone out of harms way. For me, the dashboard isn’t quite as well integrated as the Sorento’s. Instead of having hard-wired buttons around the screen, they’re a little bit further down in the centre fascia, meaning you kinda have to lift your eyes up and down on the move.
The Santa Fe’s seats feel slightly more supportive than the Kia’s flatter pews, and its suede headliner in Highlander trim is also a fitting finish. We reckon the Santa Fe’s gear selector buttons aren’t as user-friendly as the Sorento’s rotary dial.
In safety terms, the Santa Fe does without the centre air bags fitted to the Sorento. While it’s five-star safety rating is awarded under less stringent, 2018 guidelines. While the Kia’s five-star score follows 2020 protocols.
It’s a little bit easier splitting these two, in terms of third-row space. The Kia offers slightly more real estate with either the third row stowed or in place, and it also trumps the Hyundai, with the installation of child anchorage points on those sixth and seventh pews. Now, both these vehicles are probably best described as occasional seven seaters, even though they do offer rear air vents, USB access and full-size spare wheels underneath.
Doing duty in both vehicles, is a 2.2 litre, turbo diesel, four-cylinder engine, that shuffles drive to all four wheels, via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Sorento and Santa Fe share a claimed fuel consumption average of 6.1 litres per 100 Ks, which we went close to achieving on test. While the Santa Fe offers a heavier official braked towing capacity, but with the same 200 kilogram, down-ball rating.
Despite all the similarities underneath, there are some telling differences between these two, in ride and handling.
The Sorento benefits from its own Australian tune, while the 2021 Santa Fe runs a global suspension tune, that included some input from local engineers. Now, you’d happily argue, the Sorento is more of a driver’s pick, in terms of on-road finish. There’s a little bit more immediacy to the steering, there’s more feel and feedback through the wheel as well, and you also sit a little bit lower in the cockpit, which all conspires to deliver a really satisfying and rewarding driver’s experience.
The 2.2 litre, turbo diesel engine is smooth and silky. Admittedly, it’ll hardly throw you into the back of your seat, at full blast, but it works well, and it means that the cabin of the Sorento, is quiet and serene at all times, with the exception of a few rattles inside our test vehicle. All in all, I feel as though the Sorento is the slightly more cohesive on-road package, ably juggling comfort and performance duties. It reminds you exactly why this car has just taken out our prestigious Car of the Year award. That’s not to say, the Santa Fe isn’t impressive on the road, because it too does a remarkable job, cosseting occupants from what’s happening underneath, while also delivering an enjoyable driver’s experience.
The diesel engine, again, is a peach, it’s smooth and refined, and it also happily facilitates open road driving, sitting on just 1500 RPM, doing 100 K’s an hour. If anything, the Santa Fe simply misses out on the final layer of dynamic polish applied to the Sorento. Its initial bump compliance feels a little bit harsher, and that is to say, you’ll notice smaller amplitude imperfections, niggling or tremoring their way through the cabin, a little bit more prominently. The steering is also a little bit heavier and doesn’t quite have the same immediacy feel and feedback as the Sorento. But otherwise, on the roads we’ve been driving today, it feels controlled over bumps, it’s refined inside the cabin, and there’s no porpoising or wallowing whatsoever, over bigger wash-outs underneath.
It’s hardly night and day, but those small differences are enough to give the Sorento an edge.
From an ownership perspective, the Kia has it buy a nose as well, a seven-year warranty, outshining the Hyundai’s five, as well as a more generous and consistent road side assist scheme. Not surprisingly, given all those similarities, it’s a tight contest, but in the end, those superior after-sales provisions, driving characteristics and more practical interior, are enough to hand the Kia Sorento the win, reaffirming its place as our Carsales Car of the Year.
Full Review: https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/hyundai-santa-fe-v-kia-sorento-2021-comparison-129225/.
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