Compare the2024 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2024 Audi Q5

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Santa Fe Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Q5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q5 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Q5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Santa Fe Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Q5’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe Hybrid 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Q5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q5.

There are almost 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Santa Fe Hybrid’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai above average in initial quality. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 84 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 25th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 8 places higher in reliability than Audi.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 30 more horsepower (231 vs. 201) and 35 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 236) than the Q5 40 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Hybrid gets better mileage than the Q5 running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q5 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q5 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Audi Q5 (5 to 7). This means the Santa Fe Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q5 every 15,000 miles.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Q5 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Hybrid is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Q5.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Q5 40/45 TFSI’s (37.9 feet vs. 38.7 feet). The Santa Fe Hybrid’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Q5 55 TFSI e’s (37.9 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The design of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid amounts to more than styling. The Santa Fe Hybrid has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .294 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Q5 (.33 to .34) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Santa Fe Hybrid get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the Santa Fe Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q5 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Q5 can only carry 5.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front legroom, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 3.5 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q5.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q5.

Standard Trailer Sway Assist on the Santa Fe Hybrid uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard Proximity Key allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Start standard on the Q5 only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q5 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q5.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q5 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Q5 Prestige’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

The Santa Fe Hybrid is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q5 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Audi Q5/SQ5 by 77% during 2023.