Hyundai Santa Fe vs a Mazda CX-8: How do these family SUVs compare?
As Australia's love affair with large SUVs continues to grow, we compare the new Hyundai Santa Fe to the outgoing Mazda CX-8 to see which model is better for your growing family.
Hyundai has just released its newest generation Santa Fe, with a boxier design and updated tech, among other major changes.
Meanwhile, the current generation Mazda CX-8 has been available in Australia since 2018. The seven-seater underwent a mild facelift in 2023 before Mazda Australia announced it would discontinue the seven-seat SUV to make way for the more premium, and larger, CX-80. If you want to see the latest news on the CX-80 you can click here.
Mazda Australia is yet to release local specifications for the CX-80, so we've compared the new Hyundai Santa Fe to the tried-and-tested CX-8, which has long been a popular choice for Australian families.
Let's find out how the two stack up against each other and which would be the pick of the bunch.
Price
Mazda Australia offers two powertrain options for the base-model CX-8 Sport. Customers can choose from a 2.5-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine or a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel.
The petrol starts from $42,810 before on-road costs, while the diesel increases to $49,810 before on-roads.
It's worth noting the top-spec CX-8 Asaki LE is only available with a diesel powertrain and costs $72,160 before on-road costs.
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The Santa Fe is currently only available to order with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder hybrid petrol powertrain. It's rumoured Hyundai could bring a full-petrol engine option, but this is yet to be confirmed officially.
Pricing for the base-model Santa Fe Hybrid starts from $55,500 and extends to $75,000 – both before on-road costs – for the flagship Calligraphy all-wheel drive variant.
In summary, the Santa Fe is more expensive than the CX-8.
Size
The Santa Fe and CX-8 share similar exterior dimensions, but the Santa Fe has a bigger boot than the CX-8.
The Mazda CX-8 range measures 4925mm long, 1845mm wide, 1720-1750mm tall, and has a 2930mm wheelbase. The Touring Active, GT SP, Asaki, and Asaki LE variants increase the ride height from 1720mm to 1750mm, thanks to larger 19-inch alloy wheels.
The boot space available in the Mazda CX-8 is 209 litres with all seven seats up, to the roof. With the third row of seats folded flat, there is 775 litres of boot space from the floor to the roof.
The Hyundai Santa Fe measures 4830mm long, 1900mm wide, 1770mm tall, and has a 2815mm wheelbase.
It offers 628 litres of space in the boot with the third row in use. When the third row is folded there is 1949 litres of space.
Powertrain
Despite having a smaller engine as part of its hybrid powertrain, the new Hyundai Santa Fe offers more power than the CX-8 range.
The Mazda CX-8 G25 is powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine, producing 140kW of power and 252Nm of torque. Alternatively, the D35 variants are powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, which produces 140kW and 450Nm.
The G25 variants have a 72-litre fuel tank while the D35 variants have a 74-litre fuel tank.
Powering all variants of the Hyundai Santa Fe is a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, a small electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack, developing 172kW and 376Nm combined.
The Santa Fe range has a 67-litre fuel tank.
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Fuel economy
Based on claimed consumption figures, the new Hyundai Santa Fe (which is a hybrid) is more efficient than the Mazda CX-8 in both its petrol and diesel forms.
According to Mazda Australia, the petrol-powered G25 variants of the CX-8 range offer a fuel consumption of 8.1 litres per 100km based on a combined testing cycle.
This is reduced to 6L/100km for the D35 diesel variants.
Hyundai Australia claims the Santa Fe Hybrid uses 5.6L/100km based on a combined testing cycle.
Standard features
Safety
| Feature | Mazda CX-8 G25 Sport | Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid |
| Forward collision warning | Yes | Yes |
| Road sign detection | Yes | No |
| Blind-spot monitor | Yes | Yes |
| Rear cross-traffic alert | Yes | Yes |
| Driver attention warning | Yes | Yes |
| Lane-keep assist | Yes | Yes |
| Lane departure warning | Yes | No |
| 360-degree view camera | No | Yes |
| Reversing camera | Yes | Yes |
| Rear parking sensors | Yes | Yes |
| Front parking sensors | No | Yes |
Technology
| Feature | Mazda CX-8 G25 Sport | Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid |
| Power tailgate | No | Yes |
| Keyless start | Yes | Yes |
| Wheel size | 17-inch alloy | 20-inch alloy |
| Wireless Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto | Yes | |
| 10.25-inch infotainment system | Yes | No |
| 12.3-inch infotainment system | No | Yes |
| 7-inch LCD instrument cluster | Yes | No |
| 12.3-inch instrument cluster | No | Yes |
| Cloth upholstery | Yes | Yes |
| Head up display | Yes | No |
| Wireless charger | No | Yes |
| Remote engine start | No | Yes |
| Dual-zone climate control | Yes | Yes |
| Electronically adjustable seating | No | Yes |
| Six-speaker audio system | Yes | Yes |
| Full-size alloy spare wheel | No (temporary space saver) | Yes |
| LED daytime running lights | No | Yes |
It's worth mentioning that the Hyundai Santa Fe has upgraded technology and features over-the-air updates compared to the Mazda CX-8. Mazda Australia is yet to release any pricing or local specifications for its new CX-80. Owners purchasing a CX-8 will have to consider limited stock availability due to its discontinuation.
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