Hyundai Santa Fe Elite vs Kia Sorento Sport+ Review: We Compare the Popular Hyundai & Kia 7 Seater Diesel AWDs

There’s less than $1000 separating these two SUVs when it comes to the list price of each model tested. For this comparison review, we decided to go with the diesel all-wheel drive versions of each of these three-row family SUVs, though you can get petrol front-wheel drive models for less money.

Each of these models represents the second-from-the-top model in each respective variant line-up. 

The Hyundai Santa Fe Elite diesel AWD is the more affordable option of the two - yes, Kias are now more expensive than their siblings! - with this version costing $55,100 (MSRP/list price/before on-road costs) at the time of writing.

The Kia Sorento Sport+ diesel AWD has a cost of $55,850 (MSRP), so you need to be able to justify the extra 1.3 per cent asking price… right? 

Well let’s take a look at what you get for your money and how these two are separated from each other on specification. Here’s a rundown, starting with a look at the media systems. 

Some noticeable differentiators, including the Hyundai’s 10-speaker Harman Kardon stereo system, which is a significantly better sound system than the six-speaker unit in the Kia. But the Kia counters with eight USB ports, despite missing out on Qi wireless charging (you get that in the Hyundai, and it’s one of the cleverest designs we’ve seen for a charge pad - you slot your phone in near the cupholders: watch the video to see!).

They’ve both got big media screens but the usability of the Kia’s unit is better thanks to its edged control buttons and knobs. The Hyundai’s control buttons are down well below, and it means you have to look further away from the screen to see which button you’re hitting. Plus the pop-out tablet style of the Hyundai screen makes it look small, where the Kia’s integrated finish is bold and big.

Next, let’s look at some other interior trim elements.

So if you live in a cooler climate, or just appreciate a toasty tooshy, the Kia will likely appeal more to you here. But the electric adjustment for the passenger front seat in the Hyundai has a near driver’s seat trigger as well, so you can move the seat forward if you’re ferrying rear-seat occupants around - great for kids who like to kick the seat in front!

You might want to check out the interior pictures to see which of these two models you like the look of most, but next we’ll look at exterior differentiators.

The 20-inch rims on the Hyundai look enormous, while the Kia’s 19s are big but fit the car well. Which one is the best looking? We’ll leave that decision up to you, but we’re going over some of the design highlights and differences in the next section.

And when it comes to safety specs and technology, these two are also closely matched. See the safety section below to see what we mean. 

While there’s a slight price advantage to the Hyundai on the price list, we can’t split these two on value. Both are exceptionally well equipped.

Hyundai Santa Fe Elite - 9

Kia Sorento Sport+ - 9

There are very different vibes to the cabins of the two vehicles in this test. 

The Santa Fe is more conservative, more oriented towards a buyer who is after the luxury elements you might expect from a European brand. The materials are supple, there’s a traditional slew of buttons below a floating screen, and it has a delicate and purposeful overall look.

The Sorento also has some European influences, but in a more technical way - it has the big-screen wow factor, the angular idealism that a lot of customers are drawn to. There’s a lot of piano black, a flat panel screen look, and some of the most jumbo-sized door handles we’ve seen. It’s more playful and youthful, that’s for sure.

The design is one thing, but the usability of the cabin is what really counts. The Kia’s broader screen with high-mounted controls for the media system meant it was easier to learn, while the Hyundai’s floating unit and lower-mounted buttons required a bit more thought at times. 

Both have excellent operating systems, with mostly very simple interfaces to each multimedia system. The Kia’s stereo is no match for the Hyundai’s, but both have the requisite smartphone mirroring technology fitted (not wireless mirroring, though). 

The Santa Fe’s really smart wireless phone charger in the cupholder section is genius - it means your phone faces away from you if you’re driving, meaning fewer distractions from notifications. The Sorento doesn’t have wireless charging in this spec.

The Sorento does have more USB ports - eight as opposed to five in the Santa Fe (image: Sorento).

But the Sorento does have more USB ports - eight as opposed to five in the Santa Fe. That’s a lot of USBs, and we love that they’re cleverly located up in the front seat backs for second-row occupants.

Those rear row seats offer good space for adults - the third row is certainly more amenable than in a Mitsubishi Outlander, Honda CR-V or Nissan X-Trail three-rower. But the back isn’t at Kia Carnival levels of space, and a Nissan Pathfinder and Hyundai Palisade both better these two for third-row SUV room.

That said, our rear-seat tester Mitch reckoned the second row was more comfortable in the Hyundai thanks to its more sculpted seats, while the third row was ever-so-slightly roomier in the Kia.

Like to stay hydrated? The Kia is the car for you. It has eight cup holders and four bottle holders, including clever ones mounted at the armrests of the rear doors. The Hyundai has five cup holders and four bottle holders.

The Kia has an outright advantage when it comes to child seat capacity.

The Sorento has a staggering number of attachment points for baby seats, including three top-tether points in the second-row (plus two ISOFIX), and two top-tether attachments in the third-row as well (plus a further two ISOFIX). That makes a total five top tether and four ISOFIX points.

By comparison, the Santa Fe doesn’t have any child-seat anchorages in the back row, therefore limiting its ability to a degree. It has three top-tether points in the second row and two ISOFIX. So it might not fit your family as well as the Sorento.

But the Santa Fe arguably has a comfort and convenience advantage, in that it has the smaller section of the second row - the “40” portion of the 60:40 split - on the kerbside of the car. That’s a smarter approach than what is used in the Kia (larger portion on the gutter side of the car) because it means there’s less interruption if you need to access the back seats, especially if you have child-seats mounted in the car full-time.

And the Hyundai also gets nicer rear seats in terms of comfort, plus there is quilted leather trim on the tops of the second-row seats to continue the luxury theme from up front. 

Parents will also love the rear seat retractable blinds in the Santa Fe, which are excellent for younger children and mean you don’t have to ruin the look of your new car with a set of sock-style or suction cup shades.

And further, if your children appreciate a hushed environment on the road, there’s a Quiet Mode in this spec of the Hyundai that mutes the rear speakers and limits the volume up front, too. Plus you can project your voice without having to yell, with a rear speaker mode (Passenger Talk) for the front. Those are two things the Sorento doesn’t have at this price point (standard in GT-Line) that could make your life - and your drives - more pleasant.

So while the Kia offers a more aesthetically pleasing interior with a few additional USBs and cup holders, we think it’s actually the Santa Fe that will be marginally more family-friendly for long-term use.

And while there is a difference between these SUVs for boot capacity, the reality of the boot space situation is closer than you’d think.

We put our CarsGuide suitcases (124L, 95L and 36L) as well as a pram in the back. Both managed to fit it all with room to spare with the second row folded down - no surprise there, with the Kia claiming 616L of five-seats-up boot space, while the Hyundai offers 571L in that configuration.

Using all seven seats? The room is limited in both SUVs, with Kia again claiming a slightly higher figure of 187L compared to the Hyundai’s 130L. It didn’t look that big of a gap in practice, as both struggled to fit a large case or the pram with the two rearmost seats in use.

You might think it’s weird that we’re awarding this part of the test to the Hyundai, given its smaller (on paper) boot space and child seat fitment, but if you’re really only using this as a 5+2 SUV - which we reckon is either SUVs best use case - then the larger kerbside seat and lack of window blinds help push the Hyundai’s case.

Hyundai Santa Fe Elite - 9

Kia Sorento Sport+ - 8

Both models here have the same powertrains and weigh about the same, so it’s no surprise they have identical fuel consumption claims - that’s the official combined cycle fuel use figure that the manufacturer says you should be able to achieve across a mix of driving.

How did they stack up in our real world testing, which comprised highway, back road, urban and country driving? See below - we were surprised at the difference, too!

A litre of extra fuel per 100 kays might not seem like much, but that’s why we’ve included the other breakdowns - like the theoretical range based on our real-world driving, not to mention the monetary advantage over a year of driving.

As such we’re giving the Kia an extra point here. And we’ll explore why we think the Hyundai used additional fuel in the driving section below.

Hyundai Santa Fe Elite - 8 

Kia Sorento Sport+ - 9
 

When it comes to advanced safety technology both of these SUVs come comprehensively loaded with safety equipment as standard. They are both excellent in that regard - and the Kia Sorento range has been awarded the maximum five-star ANCAP crash test rating against the most stringent 2020 criteria, while the Santa Fe update has retained its 2018 five-star score.

However, for both of these models there are still some safety considerations you should keep in mind. Neither of these SUVs has third-row airbag protection for rear-row occupants, whereas if you buy a Toyota Kluger or Mazda CX-9, you get what we’d call ‘proper’ third-row occupant airbag protection.

Also, the Santa Fe misses out on the extra front-centre airbag you get in the new-generation Sorento model. As such, the Kia has an airbag count of eight (dual front, front side, dual front centre, curtain airbags for first and second rows), while the Hyundai has a six-airbag count (dual front, front side, and side-curtain airbags for 1st and 2nd rows).

Note: the below safety details are for the specifications tested. Both the Santa Fe and Sorento model ranges still reserve some safety technology for the highest grades (Highlander and Platinum, respectively), including surround view camera systems, rear autonomous braking and blind-spot camera systems. If that stuff matters to you, you’ll need to spend the extra money to get it.

Here’s a rundown of the spec fitted to the Elite and Sport+ variants:

There are other standard fit items like Safe Exit Assist, to ensure that rear occupants don’t open their doors into traffic, as well as Driver Attention Warning that monitors your inputs and can chime to tell you to take a break, and Rear Occupant Alert, which sounds an alarm if you try to lock the car with someone sitting in the back. 

Given both are very well equipped (excluding third-row airbag coverage) they’re close on scores here. But the Kia just edges ahead with its additional front centre airbag.

Hyundai Santa Fe Elite - 8

Kia Sorento Sport+ - 9

We totally get why you might choose the Hyundai Santa Fe Elite over the Kia Sorento Sport+. It could come down to your preferences for a different exterior look, interior finishes and design, or maybe you just want to save a little money.

But in this test, we think it’s the Kia that stands out as the better optional overall, with excellent value, ownership, design and technology. It’s ever so slightly more enjoyable to drive, too. You can't discount the Santa Fe's excellent child-seat capabilities, and it has that smarter second-row setup that could be the deciding factor. Either way, you're getting a quality SUV that promises to offer plenty for your money.

Another reminder that if you’re considering either of these as ‘full-time’ seven-seaters, those missing curtain airbags remain a caveat. But if that doesn’t factor into your considerations, then you could do a lot worse than either the Santa Fe or the Sorento.

So, which would you choose, and why? Our scoring table below sets out how these SUVs scored against all of our criteria, and that should help you sort out what matters most to you. Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.