Compare the2025 Hyundai Santa Fe HybridVS 2025 Dodge Hornet

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Dodge Hornet doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Hornet have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Santa Fe Hybrid has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Hornet’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Santa Fe Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Hornet doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Dodge Hornet has not been tested.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and Hornet have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Santa Fe Hybrid has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Hornet’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Santa Fe Hybrid and the Hornet have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid (built after November 2024) has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Hornet has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

The Santa Fe Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Hornet’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Santa Fe Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Dodge covers the Hornet. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Hornet ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Hornet’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Santa Fe Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Dodge doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Hornet.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Santa Fe Hybrid’s reliability 12 points higher than the Hornet.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 139 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is ranked 34th, below the industry average.

On the EPA test cycle the Santa Fe Hybrid gets better mileage than the Hornet running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Hornet requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 6.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Santa Fe Hybrid has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet GT’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 13.5 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid higher (6 out of 10) than the Dodge Hornet (5 to 6). This means the Santa Fe Hybrid produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Hornet every 15,000 miles.

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

The Santa Fe Hybrid stops shorter than the Hornet:

For better traction, the Santa Fe Hybrid has larger standard tires than the Hornet (235/60R18 vs. 215/60R17). The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Hornet (255/45R20 vs. 235/40R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Santa Fe SEL Hybrid has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Hornet GT.

The Santa Fe Hybrid’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Hornet doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s wheelbase is 7 inches longer than on the Hornet (110.8 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Santa Fe Hybrid is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 2.7 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Hornet.

The Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Santa Fe Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Hornet R/T (7 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Santa Fe Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Santa Fe Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Hornet doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Santa Fe Calligraphy Hybrid AWD is quieter than the Hornet GT:

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Hornet can only carry 5.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 53 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Hornet (151 vs. 98).

The Santa Fe Hybrid has 2.3 inches more front headroom, 2.7 inches more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front hip room, 3.8 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear headroom, 3.5 inches more rear legroom, 1.4 inches more rear hip room and 3.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Santa Fe Hybrid’s middle and third row seats recline. The Hornet’s rear seats don’t recline.

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

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Santa Fe Hybrid’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Hornet doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Standard Trailer Sway Assist on the Santa Fe Hybrid uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Hornet doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Hornet doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Hornet doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Hornet only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Santa Fe Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Hornet doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Hornet’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Santa Fe Hybrid has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Hornet. The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Hornet.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console for two separate devices. Wireless charging costs extra on the Hornet, and only charges one device.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Hornet doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Santa Fe Hybrid Limited/Calligraphy’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Hornet’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

The Santa Fe Hybrid is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Hornet doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Hornet isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Santa Fe Hybrid first among midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Hornet isn’t in the top three.

The Hyundai Santa Fe outsold the Dodge Hornet by almost six to one during 2024.