Hyundai Santa Fe vs Mazda CX-80: Seven-Seater Comparison

Is this the most handsome seven-seater currently on sale? You can praise the Range Rover, the new Volvo XC90 or Volkswagen ID. Buzz as much as you like, but it belongs in that conversation. Bold, dramatic and unashamed... even if it is not completely novel. From the rear, tell us it does not resemble a MkII Espace. Naturally, we are admiring the Hyundai Santa Fe rather than the ghastly red Routemaster parked alongside it.

That sounds more brutal than intended. Mazda is among the manufacturers that has established firm rules for how its cars ought to look, based on a philosophy introduced by the graceful Vision Coupe that impressed Tokyo a few years back. Transfer that concept's sweeping contours and sculpted creases to a much taller vehicle, however, and they do not make much of a statement here. Against this opposition, the CX-80 appears slightly forlorn.

Could Hyundai's approach be any more different? Look through its range and there is scarcely any shared visual DNA. It is as if its designers begin every morning in a sensory-deprivation tank, armed with a can of Red Bull while ‘Never gonna give you up’ loops endlessly, then get sent towards a sketchpad. Whatever process gets them there, the chaos has produced real individuality. The finished products make the case for themselves.

Photography: Jonny Fleetwood

Hyundai Santa Fe and Mazda CX-80 powertrains

Mazda cannot be accused of standing still on electrification, at least. It offers everything: mild hybrid, full hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric power... and, with the MX-30, it even brought back the rotary engine to revive the range extender. Two birds unkilled with one stone! Perhaps it is covering every eventuality. In the CX-80, buyers can choose the unconventional 3.3-litre six-cylinder diesel or, unusually in a seven-seater, a 2.5-litre petrol PHEV. That is the version here today, matched against the Santa Fe's 1.6-litre petrol hybrid. Plug-in versus non-plug-in. Let the contest begin.

Start with the straightforward option. Hyundai's 1.6-litre four-cylinder produces 158bhp, with the electric motor contributing 64bhp. Combined output is a little lower than that total and seems rather modest on paper. Its four-wheel-drive system is front-biased and adds the weight of 21 adult lemurs - roughly 65kg, naturally. Electric-only running lasts no more than a mile, while the paddles control regenerative braking in Eco mode and the six-speed gearbox in Sport. Yes, Sport. In what is effectively a minibus. The CX-80 makes the same questionable judgement.

Mazda's system pairs a more substantial 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor, producing a more convincing-sounding 327bhp. It delivers almost 100 more torques than the Hyundai, though these arrive later in the rev range: 4,000rpm compared with the Santa Fe's more relaxed 1,500–3,500rpm. Its 17.8kWh battery claims 38 miles without the engine. Expect nearer 25 or so once you learn how painfully sluggish EV mode really is. Even so, it beats Hyundai's PHEV offering, which has only 13.8kWh and 34 electric miles available, as well as far less power.

Push either car hard and they create an appalling din. Blimey. Even the six-cylinder sounds like a bag of spanners being liquidised, while the blender itself is crushed. The Santa Fe is raspier and the CX-80 louder, but in both you will deliberately avoid full throttle because of the noise. Forget speed-limit alerts: your ears are the hostages here. “Take it easy, or the tympanic membrane gets it!” Endure the racket for long enough and you will find that the Hyundai has less to offer after the electric motor's initial mild push, whereas the Mazda keeps pulling. One builds speed; the other imposes it.

Ride and handling in the seven-seaters

That outcome is unsurprising. Mazda's instinct is to begin with dynamics and consider everything else afterwards, regardless of the intended buyer or purpose of its cars. The CX-80 has a firm ride and recovers more sharply from dips and cambers. Its brakes feel firm yet dependable and consistent. Both body control and steering are taut, although there is little communication from the front wheels. Perhaps they are Snapchatting the teenagers behind. It is plainly the more engaging driver's car here. But who actually chooses a seven-seater for that reason? Nobody. It would be like selecting clogs for a marathon because they are more suitable than stilettos.

Hyundai, on the other hand, has understood the brief. With MacPherson struts at the front - Mazda uses double wishbones, while both have multi-link rear suspension - the Santa Fe is tuned to be softer and more absorbent, as though it genuinely considers the fragile stomachs in the middle and third rows. It rolls more: turn into a bend and the chassis moves ahead before the body gets pulled after it. There is inevitably more vertical movement too, but it remains a very composed machine. Crucially, it is vastly more comfortable as a result. Steering is a little lifeless just off centre and the brakes are slightly soft, but both are predictable and unaffected by regeneration. Mirror buffeting is a touch more noticeable, yet overall you are much more insulated from the road. Ahh.

Hyundai Santa Fe and Mazda CX-80 interiors

Hyundai has scored another success inside. This black-trimmed mid-specification car admittedly lacks the lighter, more uplifting feel offered by the no-cost alternatives at this grade, but for layout and ease of use? It has nailed it. The overall design is decidedly modern, while the steering wheel rejects haptics in favour of proper physical controls. Future generations will thank it. Storage is the highlight: twin gloveboxes, two charging pads and two-tier centre-console storage mean you will exhaust your belongings before finding every place to stow them. We are less keen on the climate-control touchpad - stylish-looking but irritating - and the drive selector is a significant mistake. Please put it somewhere visible.

It would suit the story if Mazda could regain momentum here, but it is sadly pushing against the current. Goodness, it is bleak inside: black material after black material, joined by chrome-effect plastic and that dreadful centre-console trim resembling an offcut from a Red Dwarf prop. Oh smeg. The less said about the touchscreen - an inaccurate name, since it cannot be operated by touch - the better; its weary old graphics should have been updated ages ago. Thank goodness for smartphone mirroring. The display itself seems like an afterthought, recessed into the dashboard as if it were sitting on a tub of quicksand. And the stitching on the armrest digs into an uncovered forearm. Yes, we have reached full ‘old man yells at cloud’ territory.

The Hyundai is cleverly packaged, attractively styled and has a clear sense of its own purpose

To Mazda's credit, it remains excellent at functionality - and at not overcomplicating things. Physical climate controls should be listed as critically endangered alongside the black rhino and Yangtze finless porpoise, yet the CX-80 gives them refuge. Its clickwheel also lives on, despite BMW recently doing a 180 on the idea, and there is much to be said for navigating digital systems without taking your attention away from the real world. Too many manufacturers have lost sight of that. Mazda has not.

Arguably, 86 per cent of the people travelling in these cars will not care about any of that. The real questions are “Will my family resent me for putting them in one of these?” and “Will my hernia come back if I move the seats about?” The CX-80 ought to hold an advantage on paper, as it is 165mm longer and has a wheelbase 305mm longer. Then again, the battery has to live somewhere...

Begin with the second row. Predictably, the CX-80 takes the conventional route, with ample legroom, headroom and space for feet to move about. At the rear of the centre console are two USB-C ports and a digital climate-control display. Noice. Oddly, the Santa Fe uses this area for a pull-out storage tray instead, which feels excessive because the centre-console lid is double-hinged and accessible anyway. Its huge cupholders, coat hooks, USB-C ports and airline-style magazine pocket do show some thought, even if the slightly raised floor requires more knee flexing. Seats six and seven are clearly intended only for children - or badly behaved adults - in both vehicles, although six-foot passengers will fit for a short time.

Boot space and pricing

Time for the boot. Mazda does not lose out for being a PHEV because its engineers have created room for the battery cells in the centre of the floor. That is slightly embarrassing for Hyundai, whose plug-in model has had to sacrifice 20 litres of fuel-tank capacity and seven litres of boot space. Whoops. The main points are these: Mazda's seats do not fold entirely flat, while Hyundai's do. Buttons in the Mazda's middle row handle some, though not all, of the effort needed to access its occasional seats; in the Hyundai, you can lower them from the tailgate at the press of a button. Both cars include AC power sockets, but Mazda's 1,500W three-pin outlet overwhelms Hyundai's 200W two-pin one. Overall, usability probably goes to the Mazda, but only narrowly, and only after it has taken a beating elsewhere.

At least Mazda has priced it sensibly. This example has the £1,400 comfort pack, replacing 18-inch wheels with 20-inch items and adding front-seat ventilation plus heated outer second-row seats. It also carries a £1,950 convenience pack with door blinds, wireless phone charging, a 360° camera, adaptive LEDs and those useful AC sockets. Together they total £3,350, while the doozy red paint costs another £900. Leave all of that off, though, and the PHEV capability comes in a shade below £50k.

That is the entry point for the four-wheel-drive hybrid Santa Fe, while the plug-in costs a further £2k. Standard equipment covers the 12.3-inch touchscreen, USB ports for every row, single wireless phone charging, blinds and a reversing camera. This mid-specification version adds a head-up display, Bose audio, ventilated front and heated rear seats, dual wireless charging, a 360° parking view and a sunroof. That final item makes a major difference to the cabin. £53,455 is steep, although you can remove £2,000 if front-wheel drive is enough. And, honestly, it will be for most people.

The winner in the orange corner, then, is the challenger named after New Mexico's state capital. Fundamentally, Mazda has undermined itself by taking too narrow a view of a car with such a wide-ranging role. The Hyundai, meanwhile, is intelligently packaged, appealingly styled and, above all, knows exactly what it is for.