hyundai santa fe competitors

From the April 2019 outcome of Automobile and Driver.

Just when you thought there was no room left on the crossover carving station, here come two new two-row SUVs looking for infinite alongside our three assembled slabs of prime beef. We chose just three established middle grounders as foils for the Chevy Blazer and the Honda Passport considering, come up on—where practice you finish? If we'd gathered the whole grade, nosotros'd need an extra magazine's worth of pages to cover them all. Then we'd have to rename ourselves Tranquilizer and Apnea.

So each vehicle here is either all new—though, yes, both the Blazer and the Passport share their platforms with existing models—or recently updated. Despite subtle feints toward luxury in one item crossover's interior, these are normal SUVs for normal people, the kind that line your block. All are all-bicycle drive, and their prices range from about $twoscore,000 to $51,000. Certainly in that location were others considered: Dodge's Journey and Toyota's 4Runner are the correct size, just the former is former enough to brand a CD changer await new and the latter prefers rock itch to mall hauling. And Kia'southward Sorento is exclusively a 3-row ute this year, much like the Toyota Highlander, which gave up its five-seat configuration back when crossovers began crossing over.

Chevy is slipping the newly reimagined Blazer between its existing utes, the Equinox and Traverse, because, as deputy editor Daniel Pund puts information technology, "You lot can't have besides many of these things." Built on the same platform as the Cadillac XT5 and GMC Acadia, it starts just under $30,000. But with a 308-hp 3.half-dozen-liter V-vi, a torque-biasing rear differential, and almost every luxury and tech option available, our RS-trim example came in at $fifty,765.

Ford's Border was the subject field of a recent mid-bike refresh, which updated its styling, gave every trim a new eight-speed transmission, and added a handful of commuter-assist features. The new Edge ST, with its twin-turbo 5-vi and its $43,450 starting price, only didn't fit our pragmatic-family-mover mold quite too as the turbocharged 2.0-liter version. Starting at $41,850, our selection-laden Titanium trim totaled $48,085.

After a long hiatus and a segment change, the Honda Passport is dorsum. Information technology looks like a downsized Pilot considering that's essentially what it is, sharing the larger vehicle's 3.5-liter V-vi, its torque-biasing rear differential, and most of its platform. Even the cost tag recalls a slightly smaller Pilot's. Our superlative-of-the-line Elite trim is a $45,695 proffer.

Hyundai's all-new Santa Fe joins this buffet after adding ii.vi inches to its wheelbase for 2019. Don't confuse information technology with the longer, three-row Santa Fe Xl or the older Santa Fe Sport from which it evolved. Instead, relish the Ultimate trim's long list of features and modest $39,980 as-tested price. Under its hood resides the exam'southward 2nd turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Nissan's Murano gets a facelift for 2019 with a new grille and bumper. Top-trim models, like our $46,420 Platinum, get semi-aniline-leather seats with diamond-quilted inserts plus a slew of active-prophylactic features, such as standard automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, bullheaded-spot monitoring, rear-cross-traffic warning, lane-difference warning, and more. Nissan'due south 3.5-liter V-6 and continuously variable transmission carry over unchanged from last year.

We took these SUVs to California's southern and fundamental valleys, driving faster than necessary and mulling over their strengths, weaknesses, and disturbing sameness. Just in time, their differences emerged, congealed, and became impressions stiff enough to argue almost. And after three days and 550 miles, we made the hard choices. Here they are:

5th Place:
2019 Nissan Murano

Highs: Cushy front seats, all-time ride in the grouping.
Lows: Raucous engine, F-trunk space efficiency, CVT.
Verdict: Perfect if all you lot always practice is coast short distances downhill with a unmarried passenger.

Truth is, depending on your priorities, you could buy any of these elevated wagons and probably be happy. None are stinkers. None are unmarried-task specialists. And none are going to break any dorsum-road records, specially the 3rd-generation Murano. It is a curious thing that marches to the beat of its own Franco-Japanese drummer, prioritizing amenity over pace and space. Its ride was past far the most compliant and relaxed in this fivesome. Like many Nissans, the Murano features soft seats that volition cradle your backside comfortably for days on end, and it pillows over expansion joints more gracefully than anything else here. Should you want those things, information technology's an piece of cake choice.

But know that this ease is packaged with the space efficiency of a 1985 IROC-Z. Despite being the longest vehicle in this test, the Murano ties the Blazer for the least cargo infinite behind its second row and claims just a single cubic-foot advantage in passenger space over the tightest-in-test Chevy. Visibility isn't nifty, either. "The White Business firm has thinner pillars," read the logbook. Simply that'due south hardly all.

A CVT is never a good fashion to start a relationship with C/D editors, but the Murano'south is particularly troublesome since it's paired with a not particularly smooth V-half-dozen that reaches 4400 rpm before achieving pinnacle torque, an experience that apace torpedoed whatever charitable thoughts we had almost the Nissan's luxury pretensions. The Murano finds itself, quilted seats and all, in 5th place by virtue of its last-place finishes in the transmission and the fun-to-drive scoring. Tying the Santa Atomic number 26 for the laziest zip-to-lx fourth dimension (7.v seconds) and turning the slowest quarter-mile were just garnish on the gristle.

fourth Identify:
2019 Ford Edge

Highs: Seriously silent, low-stress engine, good grip.
Lows: Tall hoodline, bizarre control relationships, overweight, underdamped.
Verdict: It'southward equally awkward in daily use as it is on a mountain road.

Say what you will well-nigh the Ford Border, at least information technology'southward quiet. And we don't just hateful a piddling less noisy than the others. At wide-open throttle, it's a full four decibels more muted than the side by side-quietest competitor. Ford's turbo ii.0-liter is nigh imperceptible in daily functioning, which gives the Edge a peacefulness defective elsewhere in this test. The Ford too boasts the 2nd-largest back seat, all-around 3 adults with relative ease.

With 275 pound-feet of torque at 3000 rpm, the Edge offers ample oomph. Simply even its midpack zilch-to-60-mph and quarter-mile times (6.8 and 15.three seconds, respectively) overshoot its chassis. On the road, information technology is critically underdamped, resulting in hilarious, if terrifying, antics when pushed. Steady-land cornering is ameliorate. At 0.83 thou, it produced the second-best lateral dispatch. Its route-burdensome 4357 pounds, however, made it the heaviest vehicle here. Pair that weight with the weakest brakes in the test and information technology was the beginning to turn its pads to smoke. Ford's SUV was spookier in the mountains than even the soft-boiled Murano, which couldn't go quick enough to hurt itself.

But the Edge'southward defining traits, the ones that sequestered it to the back of the pack, were its tall, awkward proportions and loftier driving position. Every editor commented on its loftier hood, long dash, and bungled command placement. The bizarre relationship betwixt the Border'south steering wheel, shifter, and pedals yields a driving position that seems to hark dorsum to a time before man stood cock.

third Identify:
2019 Chevrolet Blazer

Highs: Rewarding control experience and response, quick.
Lows: Pricey, harshest ride, recalcitrant downshifts.
Verdict: An SUV for blazing down back roads and burning through your savings.

Here's the function of this comparison examination where you telephone call us hypocrites for not awarding the best-handling SUV the win like we accept multiple times with Mazdas. You'd be right virtually the handling. The Blazer's 70-to-zippo-mph braking, its slalom speed, and its lateral grip all elevation the lath. More chiefly, its precise steering and immediate brake-pedal response speak our linguistic communication, and the Chevy has the best body command here. At speed, it comfortably corners every bit if information technology was tuned by engineers who care almost chassis dynamics. In the mountains, it was our most rewarding driving partner and it dominated our chassis scores, even though its 21-inch wheels were the biggest in the group and contributed to the busiest ride. At 6.iii seconds, the Blazer was the 2d quickest to sixty, and information technology hauled through the quarter-mile in the same position. Only the sporting fantasy evaporates if you lot attempt to change gears manually. The Blazer's nine-speed downshifts lazily, and the shifter-mounted toggle isn't as intuitive or as easy to use as bicycle-mounted paddles.

Inside, you lot'll observe testify of a genuine effort on GM's part. The instrument panel, gauges, and touchscreen are all thoroughly modern affairs. There's real styling here, much of information technology familiar. Information technology shares the Camaro's vent-mounted temperature knobs, but the vents themselves blow on your knees. And the door panels are giant swaths of hard plastic, lacking the terminate quality of nearly competitors, especially those finishing in front of it.

And hither's the role of the test where we admit that about SUV buyers care more well-nigh value, usability, and cost than they do nigh handling. The Blazer RS that Chevy sent the states will prepare you lot back $2680 more the next nearly expensive SUV hither and almost $eleven,000 more than the Santa Fe, which is the cheapest. And it's non even the priciest version Chevy offers. We appreciate and respect that the GM squad can create a capable-handling SUV, just information technology probably would have fared better here with a less costly, more pedestrian version. "Where's the value?" screamed the peanut gallery.

2nd Place:
2019 Hyundai Santa Fe

Highs: Inexpensive, packaged similar Costco, feature-laden.
Lows: Blasé control experience, but adequate dynamics.
Verdict: Unproblematic, usable, economic, effective. It'due south the practical family'southward option.

The Santa Iron in this examination did what Hyundais have been doing well for a decade now: Information technology presented a solid instance. Information technology was just good enough on the route. Subsequently driving it harder than whatever possessor always will, we couldn't deny that it easily kept up. There was no flourish about it, no magic control experience, no trick differential helping it turn, and 'lilliputian ability—the least in the grouping, a fact made evident by its vii.5-second zero-to-threescore time, which ties for slowest with the Murano'due south. Still, nosotros never waited for the Santa Iron.

But despite its ho-hum mental attitude toward hard driving, information technology moves up the ranks thanks to an every bit-tested toll that undercuts the 2nd-cheapest contender past nearly $6000. (That vehicle also happened to win.) And it's not simply the coin. It's what the Santa Fe gives yous for it. The Hyundai ruled our features and amenities scoring, packed with both useful tech—it's the only SUV hither with a manually lockable center differential—and practical touches such as rear window shades.

Smart packaging helps the Santa Atomic number 26 exist both nimble enough to hang with the group and offer the rider and cargo volume necessary to compete. It's the shortest, narrowest, and lightest vehicle here, yet it provides the near front passenger room. Secondary command layout is a win, with knobs for volume and tuning also equally two for climate control. Hyundai's touchscreen infotainment system is among the easiest to employ in the industry. And the tasteful combination of complementary colors and attractive materials, including a unique denim-similar headliner, captured our attention. The Hyundai finishes second because it's capable on the road, a applied family vehicle, and a meaningful value.

1st Place:
2019 Honda Passport

Highs: Big on infinite, small from behind the wheel, quick, priced right.
Lows: Plenty with the push button-button shifter already, still needs more knobs.
Verdict: The best combination of utility and driving pleasure also comes with a reasonable price tag.

Put the pen down. We know the Passport's big brother, the Pilot, finished dead terminal in our 2017 three-row SUV comparing. But that was a different vehicle squaring off against a different set of competitors. What'south more, downsizing gives Honda's Global Lite Truck Platform amend control of both its chassis and its powertrain. Despite riding 1.6 inches higher than its three-row brother, the Passport demonstrates competent body command. Our gripes nearly the nine-speed manual's indecisiveness when automatically shifting have vanished, and the Passport'south bicycle-mounted paddles requite drivers much-needed manual control.

Snappy shifts and the V-half dozen'due south 280 horsepower produced the best zero-to-60, quarter-mile, and fifty-to-lxx passing times in the group, fifty-fifty every bit the Passport earned the best observed fuel economic system. And despite being the tallest competitor, the Honda still compelled us to drive information technology quickly, courtesy of its calorie-free, accurate steering and goes-where-it's-pointed response. Being the biggest inside didn't keep it from being calorie-free on its feet, though its stability command was rather intrusive during our handling tests.

With and so much winning going on, information technology's hard to grumble, merely we found a few misses. The push-push button shifter bellyaching us fifty-fifty after days behind the wheel, remaining the to the lowest degree intuitive and most time-consuming gearchange device in the test. Honda'due south info­tainment interface—now with a book knob!—is far from perfect: Simply endeavor tuning satellite radio stations quickly, we cartel yous. And there's no shortage of blatantly cheap plastic here, either.

But Honda squarely nails those details necessary to be a legit family-hauling utility carriage. The Passport is a picture of pragmatic service largely cheers to enormous interior space. Its pillars are thin and pushed far away, its greenhouse is massive, and information technology provides the about cargo volume here. Not only is the room ample, but Honda makes the best apply of it by incorporating artistic small-item storage throughout. If you're looking in the middle of crossover land for some real meat, the Passport has the nearly to offering.

Reviews Editor

Josh Jacquot has more than than 20 years' experience writing about and testing cars for various automotive publications.

Source: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a27046083/2019-ford-edge-vs-hyundai-santa-fe-honda-passport/

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