Compare the2025 Mazda CX-50VS 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Mazda CX-50 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The CX-50 has standard Secondary Collision Reduction System, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-50. But it costs extra on the Santa Fe.

Both the CX-50 and the Santa Fe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda CX-50 is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

	CX-50	Santa Fe
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	100	460
Neck Injury Risk	23.2%	28%
Neck Stress	209 lbs.	273 lbs.
Neck Compression	11 lbs.	33 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	222/219 lbs.	290/423 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	211	369
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	22%	32.5%
Neck Compression	74 lbs.	140 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	264/347 lbs.	726/652 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda CX-50 is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

	CX-50	Santa Fe
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	114 lbs.	203 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	16 inches
Spine Acceleration	28 G’s	38 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Hyundai is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 4 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

Engine

The CX-50’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 311) than the Santa Fe’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda CX-50 turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

	CX-50	Santa Fe
Zero to 30 MPH	2.4 sec	3 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7 sec	7.4 sec
Quarter Mile	15.4 sec	15.8 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-50 gets better mileage than the Santa Fe:

			MPG
CX-50
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	39 city/37 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/31 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
Santa Fe
	FWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
		XRT 2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/26 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the CX-50 (except Turbo/Hybrid)’s fuel efficiency. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the CX-50 Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Transmission

The CX-50 has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-50 stops much shorter than the Santa Fe:

	CX-50	Santa Fe
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	167 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The CX-50 handles at .87 G’s, while the Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the CX-50 Hybrid’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Santa Fe’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The CX-50’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Santa Fe’s (36 feet vs. 37.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-50 Hybrid Preferred has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe (7.6 vs. 7 inches), allowing the CX-50 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CX-50 2.5 S Premium Plus’ minimum ground clearance is .3 inch higher than on the Santa Fe XRT (8.6 vs. 8.3 inches).

Chassis

The Mazda CX-50 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 600 pounds less than the Hyundai Santa Fe.

The CX-50 is 4.4 inches shorter than the Santa Fe, making the CX-50 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The CX-50 4x4 is 7.2 inches shorter in height than the Santa Fe, making the CX-50 4x4 much easier to wash and garage and drive off-road (lower center of gravity).

Cargo Capacity

The CX-50 has a much larger cargo volume than the Santa Fe with its rear seat up (31.4 vs. 14.6 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The CX-50’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 Santa Fe’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

The CX-50’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Santa Fe’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The CX-50’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Santa Fe’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-50 Turbo has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CX-50’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Santa Fe offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The CX-50 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Santa Fe SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-50 and the Hyundai Santa Fe, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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