2025 Hyundai Santa Fe vs. the Kia Sorento

The midsize SUV market is highly contested, with many options on offer. You’ll likely want the combination of ample passenger and cargo space, extensive infotainment features, and a solid powertrain capable of moving a larger vehicle around. The 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe and the Kia Sorento are top candidates delivering this. Fresh from its 2024 full redesign, the Santa Fe is an exciting proposition, while the Sorento has been a popular midsized SUV for several years.

The 2025 Santa Fe vs. Sorento Overview

Both vehicles have three rows of seating in the cabin, providing enough room for a maximum of seven passengers. They also offer upscale cabin materials and various cutting-edge tech features.

Under the hood, the Santa Fe has a standard turbocharged four-cylinder engine that’s ideal for city and highway driving. The Sorento has a standard four-cylinder engine with an optional upgrade to a turbocharged unit. Both models offer hybrid alternatives if you want to reduce your carbon emissions and trips to the gas station.

Engine Specs and Performance

When we analyze their engines, we see that the Santa Fe has a clear advantage with its standard turbo-four, which puts out 277 horsepower. In comparison, the Sorento’s standard four-cylinder engine delivers a more lackluster 191 horsepower. The Sorento’s turbo-four boosts output to 281 horsepower, but it’s only available in higher trims.

There’s essentially a dead heat between these two competitors regarding fuel economy. Each vehicle achieves 20 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway with their turbocharged engines. The Sorento gets slightly better numbers with its less powerful standard engine: 23 mpg on city roads and 31 mpg on the highway. However, if your top priority is fuel economy, the hybrids are your best options. The Santa Fe and Sorento hybrids have a 1.6-liter turbo-four and reach 36 mpg.

Exterior Design

The redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe has the imposing appearance you’d expect from a midsize SUV, with its angular exterior helping to maximize the cabin space you can enjoy inside. The headlights and front of this three-row people carrier make a bold statement. The Sorento has its own style following a recent upgrade that has given it a more elegant exterior appearance.

Interior Comfort and Cargo Space

Inside the cabin, the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento comparisons are close. Both offer seven seats — a six-seat layout with captain’s chairs in the second row is available. Legroom figures for passengers are similar, with the third row in both vehicles most suitable for kids. The front two rows of seating in the Sorento and Santa Fe provide enough legroom for adults to stretch out.

The Santa Fe has the edge in cargo capacity. It features over 14 cubic feet of space behind the third row, compared to around 12 cubic feet in the Sorento. You’ll be thankful for the extra space when loading groceries into an SUV full of passengers. The Santa Fe also has among the best maximum storage capacities in the midsize class, with over 79 cubic feet opening up when you fold the two rear rows flat. The same setup in the Sorento gets you 75.5 cubic feet.

Technology and Safety Features

There’s little to choose between these two SUVs on the infotainment front. They each have a 12.3-inch touch screen to access entertainment features and a 12-speaker stereo for listening to your favorite music or podcasts. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, and multiple USB ports also come standard in the Sorento and Santa Fe.

The digital gauge clusters measure 4.2 inches, and both vehicles benefit from proximity keyless entry. But the Santa Fe stands out with Hyundai’s optional digital key, which lets you start your car and control other features remotely with your phone.

Both automakers offer a long list of standard safety features. These include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian detection. It’s also notable that both SUVs have standard stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, which adjusts your speed and applies the brakes to keep you a safe distance from other traffic during busy times. Most vehicles only include it as an option. Other helpful safety features include a rear-seat alert that reminds you to check for kids in the back before you exit, a driver attention monitor that alerts you when you should take a break, and parking sensors.

Pricing and Trims

The Santa Fe is available in five trims: the SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy. The SE includes the standard infotainment features and cloth upholstery throughout its cabin. The SEL trim gets you a power-adjustable driver’s seat and synthetic leather upholstery, while the XRT has an off-roading focus with standard all-wheel drive. The range-topping Calligraphy gets nappa leather seats with a suede liner for the headrest.

The Sorento has eight trims: the LX, S, EX, SX, X-Line EX, X-Line SX, X-Line SX Prestige, and X-Pro SX Prestige. The LX and S have the normal four-cylinder engine, while the others have the turbo-four as their standard powertrain. Notable upgrades include a power-adjustable driver’s seat and automatic climate control in the S trim and above, captain’s chairs in the EX trim and above, and leather upholstery and heated front- and second-row seats in the X-Line SX Prestige and X-Pro SX Prestige.

In terms of value, the Kia Sorento starts at $31,990, while the lowest price of the Hyundai Santa Fe’s base trim is $34,200. However, getting a turbocharged engine in a Sorento will cost you more, beginning at $38,090 with the EX trim.

Discover the 2025 Santa Fe at Hanford Hyundai

Although both SUVs have their strong points, we think the Hyundai has the edge due to its powerful standard engine, bigger cargo area, and the competitive 2025 Santa Fe price. If you’d like to book a test-drive at our dealership in Hanford, California, don’t hesitate to  contact us today. Our inventory contains a comprehensive list of Hyundai vehicles, ensuring you can drive away in one that’s perfect for your needs.

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