Compare the2024 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2024 Nissan Murano

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Nissan Murano doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Murano have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe Hybrid has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Murano’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard Downhill Brake Control allow you to creep down safely. The Murano doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Murano have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Santa Fe Hybrid has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Murano’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Murano have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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, driver alert monitors, 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 Murano’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Nissan covers the Murano. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Murano ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Murano’s (7 vs. 5 years).

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. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Murano.

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 Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 57 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan is ranked 20th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 6 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Hybrid gets better mileage than the Murano:

			MPG
Santa Fe Hybrid
	FWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/35 hwy
	AWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/34 hwy
Murano
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Santa Fe Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Murano doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Santa Fe Hybrid’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The Murano doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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 Nissan Murano (5). This means the Santa Fe Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Murano every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Santa Fe Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Murano:

	Santa Fe Hybrid	Murano
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	12.1 inches

For better traction, the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Murano (255/45R20 vs. 235/65R18).

The Santa Fe SEL Hybrid’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Murano SV’s standard 65 series tires. The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Murano’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

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 Murano doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Murano’s (37.9 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Murano (7 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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 lower than the Murano (.31) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Santa Fe Hybrid get better fuel mileage.

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

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 42.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Murano (151 vs. 108.1).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 3.8 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more rear headroom and 2.8 inches more rear legroom than the Murano.

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

	Santa Fe Hybrid	Murano
Third Seat Folded	40.5 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	32.1 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	79.6 cubic feet	67 cubic feet

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Murano’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

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 Murano doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Murano doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Murano’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Murano have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Santa Fe Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Murano prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Murano’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Murano’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Murano doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Murano SV/Midnight/SL/Platinum.

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 Murano.

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 Murano 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 Murano doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Nissan Murano by over four to one during 2023.