Compare the2025 Dodge DurangoVS 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe

The Durango has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Durango and the Santa Fe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems and front parking sensors.

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

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Durango has a standard 160-amp alternator (180-amp - Durango optional and 220 optional). The Santa Fe’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Dodge higher than Hyundai.

The Durango’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 18 more horsepower (295 vs. 277) than the Santa Fe’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Durango’s optional 5.7 V8 produces 83 more horsepower (360 vs. 277) and 79 lbs.-ft. more torque (390 vs. 311) than the Santa Fe’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Dodge Durango V8 is faster than the Hyundai Santa Fe:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Durango V8’s fuel efficiency. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Durango has 6.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe (24.6 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The Durango’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Fe are solid, not vented.

The Durango stops shorter than the Santa Fe:

For better traction, the Durango has larger standard tires than the Santa Fe (265/60R18 vs. 235/60R18). The Durango R/T Tow N Go’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Santa Fe (295/45R20 vs. 255/45R20).

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Durango can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The Durango offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Santa Fe; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Durango offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Santa Fe’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Durango offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Durango’s wheelbase is 9 inches longer than on the Santa Fe (119.8 inches vs. 110.8 inches).

For greater off-road capability the Durango has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Santa Fe (8.1 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Durango to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Durango GT 4x4 is quieter than the Santa Fe Calligraphy AWD (67 vs. 68 dB).

The Durango has .5 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more rear hip room, .1 inches more third row headroom and 3.5 inches more third row legroom than the Santa Fe.

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Durango. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Durango’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Santa Fe’s (6200 vs. 3500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Santa Fe is only 4500 pounds. The Durango 4x4 offers up to a 8700 lbs. towing capacity.

The Durango V8 4WD can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Durango can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Santa Fe can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The engine in the Durango is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Santa Fe. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Durango’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Santa Fe does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Durango’s front power windows 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 Durango’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Santa Fe’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Durango’s standard rear view mirror and optional 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 Durango has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Santa Fe Limited/Calligraphy.

The Durango 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.

The Dodge Durango has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the overhead console. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Hyundai charges extra for Homelink® on the Santa Fe.