2025 Kia Sportage vs. Hyundai Santa Fe

When choosing a family SUV, you want to find one with a good balance of space, style, and performance.  The 2025 Kia Sportage and Hyundai SANTA FE are strong contenders in this category. However, the 2025 Kia Sportage stands out for its affordability and practical features. This budget-friendly SUV has room for up to five passengers, a range of standard amenities, and a 187-horsepower four-cylinder engine that’s ideal for daily driving.

The Hyundai SANTA FE, on the other hand, packs a punch with its turbocharged 277-horsepower engine and offers more space with its three-row, seven-passenger seating. While it’s good for bigger families, the extra power and room come at a higher price. To better understand the differences between these two models, let’s take a closer look at how these two stack up.

Interior and Cargo Space

When it comes to interior design and cargo space, the 2025 Kia Sportage and Hyundai SANTA FE each offer their own set of perks tailored to different needs.

The Kia Sportage greets you with a sleek, modern design inside, featuring a massive digital display that stretches across the dashboard. Optional two-tone color schemes give a nice touch, but if you prefer a more understated style, an all-black interior is also available.

Practicality is not lost in the design — a rotary shift knob and well-placed controls are neatly integrated into the glossy piano-black trim. Rear passengers won’t feel cramped either thanks to generous legroom. There’s also 39.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, with a handy dual-level cargo floor for added storage flexibility.

The Hyundai SANTA FE focuses on maximizing storage options throughout the cabin. The front row offers a host of places to stash your belongings, including space for the available dual wireless phone charger in the center console, plus a wide pass-through area perfect for a purse or bag.

With its three-row seating, the SANTA FE provides extra space for families, and while the third row is a little cramped for adults, it folds flat along with the second row for added cargo capacity. However, you’ll only get 14.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row to keep smaller loads.

Technology

Both SUVs bring a lot to the table in terms of technology.

In the Kia Sportage, you get all the essentials right off the bat — Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, displayed on an 8-inch screen. There’s also a digital gauge cluster in every model. If you want a more immersive experience, you can upgrade to a larger 12.3-inch display, which offers crisper graphics and better connectivity. One of the neat features is the touch-sensitive controls below the screen, which can switch between climate settings and audio control, keeping the design clean and functional.

Also, if you’re big on sound quality, a Harman Kardon sound system comes standard on higher trims, plus a wireless phone charger and a Wi-Fi hotspot for those who need to stay connected on the go.

The Hyundai SANTA FE takes a slightly different approach, with two massive 12.3-inch screens dominating the dashboard — one for your gauges and one for infotainment. Despite all the screen space, Hyundai smartly kept physical knobs for things such as climate control and volume, so you’re not stuck fumbling through menus while driving.

It also comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can easily connect your phone. An optional dual wireless charging pad lets you power up two devices at once, and there’s even a cool UV-C sterilization compartment in the glovebox for sanitizing your phone, wallet, or other small items.

Fuel Economy

The Kia Sportage offers better fuel economy than the Hyundai SANTA FE.

When equipped with front-wheel drive (FWD), the Kia offers an impressive 25 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. If you opt for all-wheel drive (AWD), those numbers dip slightly to 23 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

The Hyundai SANTA FE, being a bit larger and more powerful, doesn’t quite match those figures. FWD models are rated for 20 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. With AWD, the highway mileage goes down to 28 mpg, but city efficiency stays the same. If you go for the more rugged XRT trim, fuel economy drops further to 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway.

Safety Features

The 2025 Kia Sportage and Hyundai SANTA FE both come packed with a strong lineup of driver-assistance features designed to keep you and your passengers safe.

The Kia Sportage comes with standard forward collision warning, automated emergency braking, lane departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. Certain trims offer features such as a blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, and a remote parking system for added protection. It also includes navigation-based adaptive cruise control, which adjusts your speed based on upcoming curves or traffic for smoother driving.

The Hyundai SANTA FE also comes with a solid list of standard safety features. Like the Sportage, it includes forward collision warning and automated emergency braking, along with lane departure warning and lane-keeping assist to help you maintain control. Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go technology is also standard.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, the 2025 Kia Sportage is the more budget-friendly option, starting at $27,190. This makes it an attractive choice if you’re looking to get a versatile, feature-packed SUV without breaking the bank.

The 2025 Hyundai SANTA FE starts at $34,200. While it’s more expensive, the SANTA FE caters to those who need extra space and a bit more power under the hood.

Test-Drive the 2025 Kia Sportage at Tom Kadlec Kia

The 2025 Kia Sportage gives great value with a starting price of $27,190, combining affordability with excellent fuel efficiency and safety features. While the Hyundai SANTA FE provides more space and power, its higher price tag is quite a leap compared to the Sportage. Curious to see the new Kia Sportage in person? Visit our dealership in Rochester, Minnesota, to explore this model. You can also check out our latest inventory online.