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Payne: What’s a brand worth? BMW X5 xDrive50e vs. Hyundai Santa Fe
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 12, 2024
Brighton — BMW makes a state-of-the-art, all-wheel-drive X5 SUV for $87k with a curved 37-inch dash screen, color head-up display, 21-inch wheels, twin wireless phone chargers, leather seats, Level 2 driving assist, WiFi onboard, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto navigation and panoramic roof.
So does Hyundai. For $51k.
The gap between luxury and mainstream has been shrinking in the electronic age, and Hyundai’s latest Santa Fe SUV is a luxury car hiding behind a mainstream badge. Badges still matter and BMW’s X-ceptional midsize model will continue to justify its rich sticker price with smooth power and that signature twin-kidney grille. But buyers of the Santa Fe can take comfort that they get the same value — in all the areas that matter — for a little over half the price.
The Alabama-made Hyundai even matches the South Carolina-built BMW’s value in offering three-row seats, clever console amenities and bold styling. Yes, styling.
The Santa Fe turned heads around town. The brand has crafted daring wardrobes since the 2009 Sonata sedan (followed by the Elantra compact, three-door Veloster and Ioniq 5 and 7 electric vehicles), and Santa Fe continues the trend. With its upright, blocky stance and horizontal accents, the ute looks like a LEGO married an Ioniq 5.
Look past the Goldfinger-like flat-bronze paint scheme and an H-theme emerges. It’s echoed in the headlights, lower grille and rear taillights that bracket “SANTA FE” stamped across the hatch.
Like Hyundai, BMW has taken the opportunity of a new EV model line to introduce radical new styling — but it’s limited to “I” models like the iX. My BMW xDrive50e (alphabet soup translation: “xDrive” for all-wheel drive, “50” for model, “e” for plug-in hybrid) brings a familiar, muscular Bimmer look with swollen fenders and blacked-out fascia to convey power.
That power is where the price difference lies.
As I merged onto I-96 West, the 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-6 engine cleared its throat and the Bimmer blew by traffic on the way to cruising speed. The 50e is a battery-assisted, plug-in hybrid system, but the eight-speed transmission still must find its cogs, so don’t mistake it for the instant acceleration of the sister all-electric iX (yours for a further 12 grand premium).
Dropping into a highway cloverleaf, I unleashed SPORT mode, the seat bolsters gripping my torso for the anticipated kick of 483 horses from the combined gas engine and 194-horse AC motor. Complicated? You bet. Pricey? Of course. And heavy.
All that plumbing means X5 tips the scales at 5,573 pounds — just 150 shy of the iX, which carries around 106 kWh of battery. X5 goes XL.
Charge the X5’s onboard, 19.2-kWh battery overnight on a 220-volt home charger (which adds a couple grand more to your $87K bill) and my Bimmer had an indicated 38 miles of pure battery range on tap for a morning appointment in Sterling Heights.
In ELECTRIC mode, I cruised quietly down Telegraph Road, but don’t expect drag-racer acceleration like iX from the small battery. The X5 eased out of stoplights before hitting I-696 west. My 16-mile journey sucked 30 miles of range off the battery as I pushed the big brick through the air at 75 mph. Better to use HYBRID (gas plus electric) mode on highways and leave ELECTRIC mode for neighborhood chores where aerodynamics are less taxing. As governments force the industry to go all-electric, expect the difference between brands to shrink even more dramatically.
The Hyundai gets you around with a simple turbo-4 cylinder powerplant.
No electric motor, no modes, no charger box on the wall. Just the occasional quick stop at the pump to fill to 513 miles of range (the X5 gets 418 miles on gas alone). For further value, the Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers 10 years/or 100,000 miles compared to the BMW’s four years/50,000 miles.
Hyundai is so proud of its turbo-4s that its electric Ioniq 5 N attack rat can replicate its sound on demand. Santa Fe’s 277 ponies are plenty of giddyap and I merged quickly onto the I-696 race track.
That’s all the performance most midsize SUV drivers require. I flogged a BMW X5 M around Autobahn Raceway a decade ago and it was a hoot, but I’m weird like that. If you want to do track days, buy a sportscar.
Indeed, without the BMW’s extensive powertrain weaponry, the Hyundai is a remarkable 1,000 pounds lighter and I felt it immediately. Some of that added Bimmer heft also goes to sound-deadening. The BMW is one quiet ride even when I put the cane to the inline-6.
Otherwise, the Santa Fe interior is the BMW’s peer in all the ways passengers appreciate.
The twin digital screens in both cars are crisp, quick to the touch. BMW offers a rotary controller so you can manipulate the infotainment screen remotely if you like, but it has the drawback of cluttering the center console — sharing space with Bimmer’s compact, cool Chiclet shifter.
The Santa Fe, by contrast, assumes the smartphone generation will be satisfied with the touchscreen — then offers you two huge charging pads for phones. The BMW, too, offers twin charging pads, but they are harder to access in the forward compartment of the cluttered console. Hyundai further improves console ergonomics by using a steering wheel-mounted shifter stalk and superior, tactile buttons on the elegant, art deco steering wheel that you can operate without diverting your eyes from the road.
The icing on the cake — er, console — is a double-hinged door that is accessible to the rear as well as the front seats. The Bimmer goes with a fashionable (if less useful) butterfly door. Both second rows are comfortable for six-footers and both have individual, seatback USB-C ports so passengers can charge their phones. Both second-row seats will recline, and both offer third-row seat options (of my testers, only Hyundai had the third row).
In these high-tech cocoons, both brands offer a blizzard of goodies in the infotainment screen to entertain you on your drive, including Level 2 driver assist. My favorites? The Hyundai offers special first-to-third-row communication and programmable FAVORITES buttons on the steering wheel (for, say, a shortcut to the phone screen). The Bimmer options automatic lane change while in driver-assist mode and its head-up display can scroll your favorite music stations.
The pair even boast clever storage items. The BMW sports a lower tailgate to help keep backstop items in the boot. The Hyundai offers a second, secret, dashboard glove box for extra storage — maybe where you can stash the 35 grand you saved by buying this fashionable family SUV.
Next week: The new Dream Cruise antiques
2024 BMW X5 xDrive 50e
Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive, six-passenger SUV
Price: $74,275, including $995 destination fee ($87,745 as tested)
Powerplant: Turbocharged 3.0-liter, inline-6 cylinder mated with 19.2-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and electric motor
Power: 483 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.6 seconds (mfr.); towing, NA
Weight: 5,573 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 22 mpg city/23 highway/22 combined (as tested); 38 miles on battery alone (mfr.)
Report card
Highs: Multitalented drivetrain; lovely interior
Lows: Crowded console; gets pricey
Overall: 3 stars
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
Vehicle type: Front engine, front- or all-wheel-drive, six-passenger SUV
Price: $35,365, including $1,415 destination fee ($51,715 Calligraphy model as tested)
Powerplant: Turbocharged 2.5-liter, inline-4 cylinder
Power: 277 horsepower, 311 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.2 seconds (mfr.); towing, 4,500 pounds
Weight: 4,487 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 19 mpg city/26 highway/22 combined (XLT as tested)
Report card
Highs: Distinctive style; clever interior touches
Lows: Ummm …
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.