For those searching for a confident, capable SUV, there are more options today than ever before. If you want one that doesn’t drive like a tank and won’t cost you a fortune in gas, your options become fewer. Two of the most popular compact/midsized SUVs are the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Honda CR-V. Which is the better choice for you? Let’s compare them head to head and see what each one can offer.

Hyundai Santa Fe

We’ll begin with Hyundai’s offering. The Santa Fe is a midsized SUV, and is actually about seven inches longer than the CR-V. That means good things for those who want additional interior space, cargo capacity, and passenger room. The Santa Fe is also quiet to drive, and the cabin is well-equipped with modern technology. There are plenty of safety features on offer here. The fuel economy is very good, with 22 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. The interior seats five adults in comfort. Upgrading from the base engine gives only a minimal hit to fuel economy and boosts performance substantially. The Santa Fe also comes with standard features that are either costly options on the CR-V, or are not available at all, such as privacy glass, an interior cargo shade, and a factory alarm. Note that the Santa Fe also offers excellent reliability – even more than the Honda, according to testers. The Santa Fe has no towing capacity.

Honda CR-V

The Honda CR-V has been around for a relatively long time and remains a popular seller in the segment. It is technically a compact SUV, so it is smaller than the Santa Fe. This means that buyers will be sacrificing legroom and headroom, as well as some cargo capacity. Technically, the CR-V seats five people, but it is a bit more cramped than the Santa Fe. The base 4-cylinder engine offers good fuel economy, with 26 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway, but there is no upgrade on offer – the only engine choice is the 4-cylinder, which can suffer from lagging acceleration. The CR-V is comfortable, though, and the handling is decent. It also offers good support in the seats and gets good safety scores in crash testing. There are few features that the CR-V brings to the table that the Santa Fe does not have, although there is an optional luggage rack and a hands-free liftgate that are not available from Hyundai. Note that, like the Santa Fe, the CR-V is not rated to tow anything.

It's Hyundai All the Way

While both the Santa Fe and the CR-V have their pros, Hyundai’s offering manages to edge out the SUV from Honda. The additional legroom and interior space, the included extras, and the additional engine option all combine to make this a better choice for those seeking a smaller SUV that will give them power, performance, and hauling capabilities.