2025 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2025 Toyota Highlander
When buyers from Smyrna, College Park, and Austell visit ALM Hyundai West to explore their options for a compact SUV, they often find they are excited to get on the road to test drive the Hyundai Santa Fe. This very popular SUV offers a new, modern appearance and fantastic capability at a very reasonable price. While the test drive answers many questions for these customers, some still have remaining concerns about how the Hyundai Santa Fe stacks up to the also popular Toyota Highlander.
While our staff rarely has a used Highlander in our inventory to allow for a fast test drive comparison, they have reviewed all the vital categories and completed an in-depth comparison of the Santa Fe and the Highlander to help our customers make the right choice when investing in their next SUV. This is what the team at ALM Hyundai West has discovered:
 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe |
 2025 Toyota Highlander |
MSRP |
|
| $34,300 | $40,320 |
City/Highway MPG |
|
| 20 / 29 | 22 / 29 |
Engine |
|
| 2.5 L 4-cylinder | 2.4 L 4-cylinder |
Transmission |
|
| 8-speed automatic | 8-Speed automatic |
Horsepower |
|
| 277 hp | 265 hp |
Some Basic Numbers And Capabilities
The power in a new Santa Fe comes from a 2.5L I4 Turbo that delivers 277 horsepower. By contrast, the Highlander uses a smaller 2.4L I4 Turbo to generate 265 horsepower. With these similar engines, the fuel economy should be considered all but equal and not a valid reason to choose one SUV over the other. However, you should be aware of the significant variation in the warranty offered by these two manufacturers. Hyundai backs the Santa Fe with a standard warranty of five years or 60,000 miles. Toyota is only willing to warranty the Highlander for three years or 36,000 miles. In addition, the drivetrain warranty from Toyota is five years or 60K miles, while Hyundai backs the Santa Fe drivetrain for ten years or 100,000 miles. Finally, the rust warranty on the Hyundai is two years longer than the Toyota, and the roadside warranty provided by Toyota is three years less than the same coverage offered by Hyundai.
Comparing Passenger Seating Areas
When comparing three-row SUVs, several measurements are used to evaluate the space afforded to passengers in each seating area. They include the headroom, shoulder room, hip room, and legroom in each of the respective seats. In this series of measurements, the Hyundai Santa Fe offers more space in 8 of the 12 areas of interest. The information drawn from these measurements is that the designers at Hyundai invested the time and effort to innovatively increase the seating area for passengers while working within the confines of a vehicle that is nearly identical in size to the overall measurements of the exterior of the Toyota SUV.
Comparing the Biggest Number Of Them All
When shopping for a new vehicle, you may have decided on a specific size car or SUV, or you might be flexible and simply want to see what will best meet your needs. However, for most buyers, when they car shop, they have a specific budget in mind that is not extremely flexible. So, the cost of the vehicle will have a significant impact on your decision to make a purchase. When you compare the starting MSPR of the Santa Fe and the Highlander, you are in for a shock. The Santa Fe is under $36,500 while the Highlander starts at over $46,700. Getting down to what the average person pays for one of these SUVs after rebates and special pricing, the Hyundai comes in at just over $35K, while the Toyota is at more than $ 46,000, resulting in a difference of $ 11,000 or nearly a third of the cost of the Hyundai Santa Fe.
When you are ready to take a test drive or two and see why the Santa Fe is the SUV of choice of many across the state, please visit ALM Hyundai West. Our team will be happy to show you how much you get for your money when you purchase a Hyundai Santa Fe from our full-service dealership.
