2019 Honda CR-V vs Hyundai Santa Fe

What's the difference?

The CR-V VTi-E7 is super practical, comfortable and great value from its standard features to the cost of ownership. That said, the lack of advanced safety equipment can't be excused, but it's something Honda Australia is acutely aware of and we have no doubt that the company is doing everything to rectify the situation. We'll keep you up to date at CarsGuide if and when that situation changes.

It's all so easy in the Santa Fe. Easy to get in and out of, easy to own, easy to drive, easy to like. I really liked the old car, for all its flaws, thinking it good value for money, nice enough to drive and a good looker.

The new Santa Fe has raised the bar a long way and brought it into the same league as Mazda's excellent CX-9. To my mind, that means it's a significantly better overall proposition than the Toyota Kluger and Kia Sorento. And it's done all of that without pushing the price through the roof.

The new-generation Honda CR-V arrived in mid-2017 looking bigger, more muscular and more attractive than the previous one. Yes, it seems all mid-sized SUVs look the same, but a closer inspection of the CR-V will reveal an excellent fit and finish to the exterior and interior.

The VTi-E7 looks almost identical to the grades above it in the CR-V range with its 18-inch wheels, roof rails and twin exhaust. Higher grades do have privacy glass and a sun roof, however.

The cabin of the VTi-E7 is also similar to the grades above it with a black leather interior, leather-wrapped steering wheel, power adjustable driver's seat and 7.0-inch screen which isn't as big as the frame around might make it seem.

Take a look at the interior images – this is a luxurious-looking cabin, and it feels it with padded touch points which make for a comfortable place to spend time.

What are the dimensions of the Honda CR-V VTi-E7? End-to-end it's 4596mm long, while its width is 1855mm and height is 2660mm.

As with the previous generation, the Santa Fe is bold, but this one is properly out there. Whereas the old car took conventional design and played with it, the nose on the fourth-gen Santa Fe is quite something. Sleek LED driving lights at the top where you might expect the headlights, a chunky grille and stacked headlights remind me of the Kona's arrangement, but on steroids. I wasn't sure at first, but the more I see them, the more I like it. It's as adventurous as a Citroen, which is really saying something.

It's also nice to see that there isn't much in the way of model differentiation from the outside, apart from the 17-inch alloys, which the Active just about gets away with.

The Santa Fe's cabin is just as fanastic, if more skewed towards usability than avant-garde attractiveness. Hyundai interiors are pretty good these days and this one is no exception. The previous generation cars were a bit brash but this one is classy and sophisticated. M'colleague Richard Berry wasn't so keen on the Active's cloth interior but I quite like it and won't be swayed.

Honda cabins are generally known for their clever use of space and the CR-V is no different with excellent and adaptable storage and smart, folding seats.

Up front is spacious for the driver and co-pilot, between them there's enormous and configurable centre console storage area, two cupholders and the doors have giant pockets, too.

You'll find two USB ports up there, too (one for media and the other for charging, and two 12-volt power outlets.

The second row is also roomy. I'm 191cm tall and can sit with plenty of room behind my driving position, and because this grade doesn't have a sun roof headroom is good, too.

Second rowers also have two cupholders and large door pockets. There are directional vents and two USB charging ports there, too.

Third row access is easy thanks to moulded hand grips and a second row which folds and tumbles forward. Back there both third row passengers have a drink holder and storage pocket each. There are also directional air vents with a fan speed controller back there, too.

Remarkably I can sit in the third row without my head touching the roof and while legroom is tight I could probably handle a short trip back there. Yup, like all mid-sized seven-seaters, the third row really is for kids.

Talking of tiny humans one of the interesting practical features of the VTi-E7 was pointed out straight away by my four-year-old son as he climbed in – the floor is completely flat in the second row.

I used the CR-V to drop him at daycare, do the shopping and a weekend trip away and we all found the space to be practical for getting him in and out, and the boot's low load lip was great for putting bags in without hoisting them high.

Boot size of the CR-V VTi-E7 with all seats in place is 150 litres (VDA) and with that third row down the cargo capacity is 472 litres.

Making life even easier is the proximity key which will lock the car automatically as you walk away from it. Parents with full hands will know how amazing this is.

The spare is full-size, and for those keen on towing the braked trailer capacity is 1000kg.

Despite the Santa Fe growing in all directions as well as scoring a longer wheelbase, it's not much bigger inside. That's okay, it was already pretty big. With seven seats, though, you've got a ton of people-hauling capability and the six cupholders and four bottle holders to keep everyone refreshed.

The centre console has a huge bin with USB ports in it, while the rear armrest has a handy storage tray for losable items that shouldn't go to the beach. There's also a Qi charging mat under the dash. Rear-seat passengers score fast-charging USB-C ports.

The generous boot starts at 547 litres, expanding to a whopping 1625 litres (VDA) with all the rear seats folded away. There is also space under the boot floor to hide things.

Access to the third row is resaonably straightforward, with a lever tipping the sliding middle row seatback forward and releasing the seat to slide forward. The rear row is reasonably spacious for a small person but a small-ish adult could survive there for a short trip.

The Active is the entry-level model in the Santa Fe range, kicking off at $43,000 for the 2.4-litre petrol and $46,000 for the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel, which was my steed for the week.

Fresh off the boat from South Korea, you get 17-inch alloy wheels, a six-speaker stereo, air conditioning, keyless entry, excellent safety package, active cruise control, auto headlights and wipers, leather wheel and shifter, rear parking sensors, heated and folding rear vision mirrors and a proper, full-size spare.

The 7.0-inch touchscreen hosts the perfectly fine Hyundai multimedia system but also the rather better-than-fine Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Annoyingly, it doesn't have sat nav, though, so you'd better be happy with what your phone can dish up.

The CR-V VTi-E7 has the same engine as every grade above it in the range: a 1.5-litre 140kW/240Nm turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with a CVT auto.

While that's adequate grunt, the CVT is a let down from a driving perspective lacking the responsive nature of a traditional automatic. Acceleration is also on the lacklustre side of things thanks to the CVT.

While the top two grades of the CR-V are all-wheel drive, the VTi-E7 is front-wheel drive.

Hyundai makes all its major componentry, including engines and transmissions. Here in the Active diesel you have a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo engine, serving up 147kW and 440Nm, both pretty decent figures for this type of engine.

Power goes to all four wheels via Hyundai's own eight-speed automatic. The all-wheel-drive system is what Hyundai calls "active on-demand", with 50/50 front and rear lock mode for when things get slippery.

It's worth pointing out that the diesel produces both more power (9kW) and a heck of a lot more torque (219Nm) than the petrol, which also makes do with a six-speed automatic. That might also explain the lack of petrol engines in the Elite and Highlander models.

The extra power and torque more than offsets the weight penalty of 125kg.

Both can tow 2000kg braked and 750kg unbraked with a towball weight of up to 100kg (150kg with an optional assist kit).

As much as I'm not a fan of CVT automatics they sure are fuel efficient and Honda says that after a combination of open and urban roads the CR-V VTi-E7 should use 7.3L/100km.

After mainly city and suburban testing my test car was reporting 9.4L/100km which is only 0.2L/100km above the official claim for urban-only driving.

Hyundai claims a combined cycle figure of 7.5L/100km. Hyundai numbers, in my experience, are usually fairly close to real world and, as it turns out, I got 8.4L/100km over the week I had the big bruiser. With a 71-litre fuel tank, that means a pretty good real-world range of 845km.

The CR-V does feels big to drive, especially if you're piloting it through tight car parks and narrow streets, but visibility is excellent front and rear, while steering is light and has a great feel.

Sure, that CVT auto makes this SUV feel sluggish at times, but there is a Sport mode which does seem to improve acceleration.

The VTi-E7 comes with active noise cancelling which emits a frequency through the stereo speakers that cancels out any resonating road noise in the cabin. You're unlikely to notice it working, but the result is a quieter and more serene environment inside.

So, while the CR-V may not be superb dynamically and as fun to drive as some rivals it does have a composed ride, comfortable seating and a high-driving position buyers will like.

If you've read a review of a Hyundai from the last five years, you'll be aware that there is a local suspension team that works very hard on making the car more appealing to Australian tastes.

And, pretty much without fail, it has worked. From the Tucson to the i30 to the Kona and now the Santa Fe, they've done an impressive job putting together a balance between ride and handling (and modest off-road ability). I was expecting a solid experience from the Santa Fe - it's a big fella, so you don't really have a great deal of hope it's going to be anything more than comfortable and competent.

The big Hyundai's body control coped with a winding, undulating road with unexpected aplomb. Obviously it wasn't like chucking a Mini down the same stretch, but it stayed reasonably flat and changed direction without the lurching histrionics of, say, a Kluger.

The diesel is a smooth, torquey engine and it's well-matched to the eight-speed automatic. Together they sweep the car along with a verve the petrol engine couldn't hope to manage. Once up to speed, the torque of the diesel means you'll find seventh or eighth gear pretty quickly and it settles to a distant growl.

Either in town or out on the highway, the car is very comfortable and quiet, regardless of whether you're on your own or you're full up. Well, the quiet thing is entirely dependent on your passengers, of course. The tyres on the Active are higher profile and a bit quieter than I expected but also hold on a bit more grimly than I would have predicted.

I was pleasantly surprised, even though recent history told me the Santa Fe was going to impress.

The Active has six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, high and low-speed AEB, forward-collision warning, blind-spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, lane-keeping assistance and reverse cross traffic alert.

There are also three top-tether car seat restraints and two ISOFIX points. The third row has neither.

The Santa Fe scored five ANCAP stars in December 2018.

The CR-V VTi-E7 is covered by Honda's five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended ever 12 months/10,000km and is capped for 10 years at $295 per service.

Hyundai offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with a year of roadside assist. If you stick with servicing your Santa Fe with Hyundai, you get another year of roadside up to 10 years, which is pretty good.

You're expected to bring your Santa Fe in for a service every 12 months or 15,000km and the company offers a lifetime servicing plan. Each service costs around $400 with a few jumping up to $500 or $600 as the car gets older. You can also choose to pre-pay your servicing.