The Highlander Limited's optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Santa Fe Sport doesn't offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 3 points, IIHS rates the Pre-Collision System optional in the Highlander as “Advanced.” The Santa Fe Sport scores zero, and is rated by the IIHS as having no effective frontal crash prevention.

Both the Highlander and the Santa Fe Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Santa Fe Sport:

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 Toyota Highlander is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport:

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

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2016, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Santa Fe Sport is not even a standard “Top Pick” for 2016.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Hyundai doesn't pay scheduled maintenance for the Santa Fe Sport.

There are over 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander's warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without their vehicle while it's being repaired. Consumer Reports predicts that the Highlander's reliability will be 20% better than the Santa Fe Sport.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2015 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota third in reliability, above the industry average. With 77 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 24th.

The Highlander LE's standard 2.7 DOHC 4 cyl. produces 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 178) than the Santa Fe Sport's standard 2.4 DOHC 4 cyl. The Highlander's optional 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 30 more horsepower (270 vs. 240) than the Santa Fe Sport 2.0T's standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Highlander V6 is faster than the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 4 cyl.:

The Highlander has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe Sport (19.2 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Highlander's brake rotors are larger than those on the Santa Fe Sport:

The Highlander stops much shorter than the Santa Fe Sport:

For better traction, the Highlander has larger tires than the Santa Fe Sport (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R17).

The Highlander'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 Santa Fe Sport's standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Highlander has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Santa Fe Sport.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Highlander's wheelbase is 3.5 inches longer than on the Santa Fe Sport (109.8 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

The Highlander XLE AWD handles at .81 G's, while the Santa Fe Sport pulls only .75 G's of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Highlander XLE AWD executes Motor Trend's “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Santa Fe Sport (27.8 seconds @ .62 average G's vs. 28.9 seconds @ .53 average G's).

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Santa Fe Sport can only carry 5.

The Highlander has 36.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Santa Fe Sport (144.9 vs. 108).

The Highlander has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 2.9 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear hip room and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Santa Fe Sport.

The Highlander's cargo area provides more volume than the Santa Fe Sport.

The Highlander's optional rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Santa Fe Sport's rear cargo window doesn't open.

Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is limited to 3500 pounds. The Highlander offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

The Highlander has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Santa Fe Sport (1455 vs. 1233 lbs.).

The Highlander has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Santa Fe Sport (1455 vs. 1265 lbs.).

The Highlander Limited/Platinum'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 Sport's rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

Consumer Reports rated the Highlander's headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Santa Fe Sport's headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Highlander has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Santa Fe Sport only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

The Highlander XLE/Limited/Platinum has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Santa Fe Sport doesn't offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Highlander will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. Kiplinger's estimates that the Highlander will retain a greater percentage of its original price after three and five years than the Santa Fe Sport.

The Toyota Highlander has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Highlander second among midsize SUVs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner's expectations. The Santa Fe Sport isn't in the top three.