2020 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2021 Lexus GX

When shopping for a new 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, buyers chose between SE, SEL, and Limited trim levels. Versions with a “2.0T” in the trim name received a power and performance upgrade courtesy of a turbocharged engine. All-wheel drive (AWD) was an option, allowing the automatic transmission to transfer power from the front wheels to the rear wheels when necessary. Aside from deciding about AWD, a turbocharged engine, and—if opting for the SEL—an optional Convenience Package, buyers picked a paint color, interior color, and upgrades from a shortlist of dealer-installed accessories. The test vehicle had Limited 2.0T trim and dealer-installed floor mats, bringing the price to $39,170.

The Santa Fe's design was bold and experimental, which might not have appealed to everyone. Controversial elements included the grille shape, stacked front lighting elements, asymmetrical fender stampings, and oversized rear “skid plate” trim. Inside, the dual-cowl dashboard design swept into door panels with diamond-textured speaker grilles, and versions with gray or beige interiors presented a high-contrast visual feast. However, materials quality didn’t quite match the high-style design, with glossy plastic covering the lower half of the interior and fairly stiff leather seat upholstery. Build quality was exceptionally good, and the controls operated with refinement.

The Lexus GX 460’s styling was a product of its long time on the market, retaining the same basic body shell from a decade ago with a few updates over the years. The GX got Lexus’ trademark spindle grille for the 2014 model year, updated for 2020 with a new textured insert and new triple-beam LED headlights. The 2021 model didn’t get any styling changes, but silver 18-inch wheels became standard on the Premium trim level. Despite not being originally designed around the spindle grille, the styling was remarkably coherent, and the GX’s tough, aggressive look was distinctive.

While Lexus kept the exterior styling up to date, the interior didn’t feel up to the standards of a modern luxury SUV. The Premium test car’s wood trim looked and felt like molded plastic, and there was plenty of actual plastic as well. At least standard leather upholstery was included, with semi-aniline leather on the range-topping Luxury trim level. The upright dashboard and high center console left very little legroom, and the steering wheel was positioned at an odd angle, making the driving experience feel like operating a bus. However, the dashboard shape and boxy profile produced excellent outward visibility, particularly helpful when parking or off-roading.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe had a minimum curb weight of 3,591 pounds and a maximum of 3,946 pounds. The standard 185-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine was not ideal for this weight. Instead, the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 235 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque between 1,450 rpm and 3,500 rpm, was the better choice. This engine provided significant increases in power and torque over the standard engine, and the torque was available much faster. The eight-speed automatic transmission funneled power to the front wheels unless the optional AWD system was chosen. The test vehicle had FWD and suffered from torque steer under hard acceleration, an issue that disappeared with AWD. Properly equipped, the Santa Fe had a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.

Fuel economy for the Santa Fe 2.0T front-driver was rated at 23 mpg in combined driving by the EPA, and the test model returned 22.1 mpg. The Santa Fe offered a smooth ride, decent handling, light-effort steering, and brakes that withstood some abuse while providing clean stops. The Limited trim had laminated windshield and front window glass, making the highway ride quiet. The Santa Fe handled moderate off-roading with ease but didn’t inspire driver engagement, making it more of a practical tool than a fun toy.

The 2021 Lexus GX 460 kept it simple with a 4.6-liter V8 engine producing 301 horsepower and 329 pound-feet of torque, coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission. The GX 460’s 5,130 pounds made their presence felt at higher speeds, requiring careful planning for merging and overtaking maneuvers. Bringing the SUV to a stop also required advanced planning, and the ride quality was typical of a body-on-frame vehicle, meaning it wasn’t very good. The Premium test car lacked the adaptive suspension of the Luxury trim level, making it hard to civilize the ride.

The GX 460 excelled in off-road capability, equipped with a Torsen center differential that normally split torque 40/60 front to rear but could be fully locked for a 50/50 split. The standard 4WD system had a low range for off-road trails, and the GX included driver aids like hill-descent control and hill-start assist. The optional Off-Road Package for the Luxury trim level added features like a transmission cooler, fuel-tank protector, multi-view camera system, Crawl Control, and Multi-Terrain Select. The GX 460 had a maximum towing capacity of 6,500 pounds and stability control with a trailer-sway control function.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe offered thoughtful attention to detail, with creative storage spaces and stain-resistant fabric in versions with cloth seats. The test vehicle had eight-way power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated front seats, with the driver’s seat including four-way power-adjustable lumbar support and an extending thigh support. The test model also included a heated steering wheel. The Santa Fe’s dual-zone automatic climate control system included a Clean Air ionizer, and the air conditioning was effective even with the massive panoramic glass sunroof.

The back seat was comfortable for adults, with air conditioning vents, rear side-window sunshades, and heated bottom cushions in the Limited trim level. Legroom and thigh support made it a good place to spend time, and the rear seats reclined for added comfort. However, the Santa Fe stumbled with cargo space, offering 35.9 cubic feet behind the rear seat and a maximum of 71.3 cubic feet. Large storage compartments under the cargo floor were a positive note, and the hands-free “smart” liftgate was a convenient feature.

The 2021 Lexus GX’s interior ergonomics betrayed its age, with an upright dashboard and high center console leaving little legroom. The steering wheel was positioned at an odd angle, making the driving experience feel like operating a bus. The dashboard shape and boxy profile produced excellent outward visibility, particularly helpful when parking or off-roading. However, forward visibility was limited due to the tall hood.

The center-console storage bin was small, as were the cupholders and in-door bottle holders in all three rows. The second-row cupholders took up a lot of space in the fold-down armrest. The array of buttons and knobs for climate control and seat heaters were easier to use than touchscreen-based controls in other luxury SUVs. The GX came standard with three rows and seating for seven, with a power-folding third row available on the Premium with the new-for-2021 Premium Plus Package and standard on the Luxury trim level. However, the third row was best reserved for children, and accessing it was difficult. The GX had 64.7 cubic feet of cargo space with the second and third-row seats folded, substantially less than the Discovery’s 73.0 cubic feet. With the third row up, cargo space was minimal.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe’s touchscreen infotainment system was a shining example of this technology done right. It had stereo control knobs, main menu shortcut buttons, a programmable button, Bluetooth connectivity, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. The SEL trim added SiriusXM satellite radio with a free three-month subscription and Blue Link connected services with three free years of service, including remote engine starting, automatic emergency assistance, and more.

The Limited trim added a larger 8-inch display, a navigation system, a surround-view camera, wireless smartphone charging, and a 12-speaker Infinity surround sound system. Technology unrelated to the infotainment system included a head-up display providing data on the windshield within the driver’s line of sight. The voice recognition system was sophisticated, responding to naturally spoken commands with little trouble.

The 2021 Lexus GX was light on tech features, with standard Bluetooth, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant connectivity, but no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility. Two USB ports for each of the first two rows were standard, but the third row didn’t get any. A 17-speaker Mark Levinson audio system was available. The standard infotainment system had outdated graphics and limited functions, with a seven-segment display for time and temperature below the main screen.

The good news was that the touchscreen wasn’t necessary for most functions, as Lexus included analog controls for nearly everything, including large shortcut buttons for the screen’s menus. While this was a primitive interface for a luxury vehicle, it was a refreshing antidote to the screen-centric approaches of most other new luxury SUVs.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe was a great choice for a safe family SUV, earning a five-star overall crash-test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Every Santa Fe was equipped with a slew of safety features, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assistance. A driver monitoring system and a rear-seat reminder system were also standard.

The SEL trim added blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, and a safe exit assist system. The SEL Convenience Package equipped the SUV with an ultrasonic occupant alert system tied to the owner’s Blue Link smartphone app. The Limited trim included a new Blind-Spot View Monitor, showing a live video feed of the blind spots in the center of the instrument cluster.

The 2021 Lexus GX 460 hadn’t been rated by the NHTSA or IIHS. The GX 460 came with the Lexus Safety System+ bundle of driver aids as standard equipment, including forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, lane-departure warning, and adaptive cruise control. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert were also standard. However, the GX 460 missed out on some safety features available in other Lexus models, such as traffic-sign recognition and Lane Tracing Assist automated lane centering.