Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid vs. Toyota Land Cruiser: Boxy hybrid SUVs diverge

• These two hybrids demonstrate the span of SUVs today
• In real-world driving, Santa Fe Hybrid gets nearly double the mpg
• Land Cruiser hybrid sacrifices much for the sake of off-road prowess, higher towing ratings

Some SUVs are intended for serious truck duty, like towing and off-roading. Others are focused around comfort and family duty, with a little bit of adventure thrown into the mix. 

While that distinction is nothing new, the lines between these different schools of EVs have been blurred a bit more each year. The look of those truck-based SUVs has become a little more modern and precious in the details, while the carlike ones have gone all boxy and cladding-endowed—to the point where it may not always be apparent which is which on the dealership lot.  

For example, a Santa Fe and a Land Cruiser wouldn’t have been even remotely seen in the same lens in the past. But in one model year that all changed. For 2024, Toyota reintroduced the Land Cruiser as a cheaper, simpler, all-hybrid version of an SUV icon that had grown very expensive in its previous-generation form. Meanwhile for 2024, Hyundai gave the Santa Fe (including the hybrid) a complete overhaul, bringing a completely new look and feel to this model inside and out.

In back-to-back weeks, I managed to check in with two boxy hybrid SUVs—a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy costing around $50,000, and a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser at around $70,000—that could easily be seen as having a lot in common, when they really don’t. Both offer similar types of hybrid powertrains in relatively squared-off profiles, rounded for varying levels of modern finish.More ground clearance than carlike models, roof racks and tie-downs, plenty of lower body cladding, and octagonal wheel-well protection all sell the lure of the outdoors, but one is meant more for soccer practice. 

Inside and in the driving experiences they provide—and in their daily-use bottom line—they couldn’t be more different. 

How does one of them achieve nearly double the real-world gas mileage of the other? How does one of them offer more than a 95-hp advantage without accelerating noticeably quicker? And how does one of them fit three usable rows of seating into less space than it takes for the other to fit a seemingly compromised two rows?

It all comes down to a set of traits that might not be so apparent to today’s evolved SUV buyers, especially against the marketing backdrop of dusty trails.

Santa Fe Hybrid vs. Land Cruiser hybrid systems: A lot in common

At a glance, these two hybrid systems have a lot in common. Both have turbocharged 4-cylinder engines with electric motors acting as go-betweens in the power flow with traditional hydraulic automatic transmissions, plus relatively small batteries to store energy from regenerative braking and release it to boost power and efficiency. Both of these SUVs also rely on familiar mechanically configured but electronically controlled all-wheel-drive systems (as a basis for a true 4WD system in the Land Cruiser, which we’ll get to).

The Santa Fe Hybrid uses what Hyundai calls a transmission-mounted electric device (TMED) packaging a motor between the gasoline engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, with a 1.5-kwh lithium-ion battery pack. A clutch between the engine and motor allows the engine to be isolated from the driveline, for all-electric operation as conditions allow. The 1.6-liter turbo-4 makes 178 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque, while the electric motor makes 60 hp and 195 lb-ft; they combine for an output of 231 hp. 

The Toyota Land Cruiser, on the other hand, gets what Toyota more flamboyantly names its i-Force Max hybrid system. It’s powered by a 278-hp, 2.4-liter turbo-4. A 48-hp electric motor is packaged within a bell housing between the engine and an ordinary 8-speed automatic transmission—also with a clutch between the engine and motor—with a total system output of 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. Its nickel-metal-hydride battery pack has a capacity of just 0.9 kwh.

More power doesn’t make the Toyota any quicker or more efficient. Sheer weight is a big part of it. The Land Cruiser weighs a whopping 5,445 pounds, about 900 more than the Santa Fe Hybrid and a few hundred more than a similarly sized base Kia EV9 electric SUV, for a comparison with about the same footprint—even though the EV9 is saddled with a heavy battery pack.

Toyota Land Cruiser hybrid vs. Santa Fe Hybrid mpg: Oh what a difference

My 53-mile loop tends to bring out the efficiency advantages of hybrids, as it includes a lot of minor ups and downs, with about 700 feet of overall gain and loss, and equal parts under-65-mph freeways, suburban boulevards, and rolling-hill backroads. 

Running them in their respective Eco modes on that route (in 2WD in the Toyota’s case), I averaged an indicated best-case-scenario 23 mpg in the Land Cruiser hybrid and 38 mpg in the Santa Fe Hybrid. 

It’s worth mentioning that the Santa Fe Hybrid came with EPA ratings of 35 mpg city, 34 highway, and 34 combined, while the Land Cruiser was rated at 22/25/23 mpg. I’ve never struggled to just meet EPA combined ratings in that gentle loop and the weather was mild, with temps in the 50s. 

I averaged less than 19 mpg the remaining 90 miles I covered in the Land Cruiser—nearly equally urban driving and highway cruising by mileage. Meanwhile, in the Santa Fe Hybrid, the trip computer said I averaged nearly 34 mpg after another 70 miles of combined driving. Both examples included some quick bursts to see how much power was on tap and to understand dynamics and responsiveness, so you’re bound to do a bit better. Clearly, the Hyundai is much more efficient than the Toyota. 

Answers in very different layouts, 4WD systems?

The Santa Fe’s all-wheel-drive system aims for occasional use, and maintaining traction after a snowstorm or on the way to a campsite. It employs a center clutch to vary the amount of torque going to the rear wheels, including a Smart mode, as well as Snow (80:20 to 50:50 front/rear), Sand/Mud (50:50), or a center “lock” at 50:50.

The Land Cruiser does it a bit differently. Its system includes a center locking differential, a rear locker, and a Multi-Terrain Select system with off-road modes for specialized terrain and conditions. It can be used in both its 4Hi and 4Lo ranges—something the Hyundai doesn’t have—and there’s a smooth crawl control system for steep slippery slopes or just keeping it as slow as necessary for tricky terrain. The Land Cruiser most definitely has more impressive approach, departure, and breakover angles for serious and regular off-roading and we know it would dominate the trail versus the Hyundai…but that’s not really the point here. 

These SUVs also have different suspensions. The Land Cruiser has a front independent suspension plus a rear live axle that helps enable its stronger towing rating of up to 6,000 pounds (versus just 1,650 pounds for the Santa Fe). The Land Cruiser also offers a disconnecting front stabilizer bar that allows the suspension to flex more, providing lots of wheel articulation to maintain traction over heaves or boulders. As for the Santa Fe Hybrid, it has struts and coil springs in front, with a rear multi-link independent setup, much as a large car might. 

Ride quality and on-the-road suspension behavior was night-and-day different between these two SUVs. The Santa Fe felt relatively soft and absorbent around town, with enough firmness to prevent excess lean when pressed hard into corners. The Land Cruiser on the other hand rode with a busy, somewhat noisy harshness, with undue head-toss over normal urban patchwork. Yet out on a curvy road, the Land Cruiser’s suspension gave way to a lot of lean and body roll. 

Ultimately it comes down to a key difference, in addition to the Land Cruiser’s live axle: The Land Cruiser is a body-on-frame truck, while the Santa Fe is a unibody crossover. 

Land Cruiser vs. Santa Fe Hybrid seating, cargo space: Biggest is smallest

The Land Cruiser is a little larger in all exterior dimensions. At 193.8 inches long, it’s 3.5 inches longer, 3.1 inches wider, and 5.5 inches taller overall than the Santa Fe, with its 8.3 inches of ground clearance 1.3 inches more than the Santa Fe’s. 

Yet all that extra space on the outside disappears inside. The Santa Fe is loads more spacious inside, with three usable rows versus two in the Land Cruiser. While the Santa Fe’s third row is really too small for adult use (especially getting back there), its second-row captain’s chairs feels luxurious and good for a long weekend out on the highway. Meanwhile, the second row in the Land Cruiser feels oddly short on both knee room and cushioning. 

Inside, the Santa Fe is modern and complex, and its materials, trims, and textures are a step above the Land Cruiser’s, and really it’s a matter of priorities. The Toyota interior includes loads of hard plastic that looks like it might scratch and look dingy over time. It’s more utilitarian despite a higher price.

With its taller, longer body and no third row, it’s not surprising that it has more cargo space behind its second row compared to the Santa Fe—46.2 cubic feet versus 40.5 cubes. Behind the front seats, somehow that lead shrinks—to 82.1 cubic feet versus 79.6 cubic feet. The most exasperating piece of packaging in the Land Cruiser is the cargo floor, which rises above the hatchback opening in a very awkward way, signaling some poorly coordinated engineering departments.

Next to each other, it’s clear the Santa Fe has a little more taper in its greenhouse; it not only narrows more on the way up to the roof but also resolves in a slight slope downward at the rear of the roofline before it cuts down. They’re choices influenced by aerodynamics, for sure, but I found it noteworthy that they don’t seem to noticeably affect interior space. 

These two models would have about the same hood height if it weren’t for the Land Cruiser’s unnecessarily bulbous hood—which quaked visibly and incessantly at 70 mph. Underhood turbulence, anyone? 

Land Cruiser vs. Santa Fe Hybrid: Drivability delights, quirks, footnotes

In real-world use, these powertrains and hybrid systems couldn’t be more different, even though they’re laid out so similarly. The engine is well-muted in the Hyundai, and it would be easy to lose track of where it is in the rev band, or even if it’s on or not, if it weren’t for the tachometer. That’s a good thing. But in the Toyota, shifts are impossible to miss, as they’re intermittently harsh (especially the 1-2 shift). The powertrain seems to be happier under load; step into the accelerator a little harder or climb a hill and things smooth out, but if you’re trudging along in traffic there’s no space to do that and in that environment it simply doesn’t have any refinement. 

The Land Cruiser’s engine also runs far more often than in most other hybrids, and it’s loud. Forget about a stealth mode here, as in other Toyota hybrids, allowing you to traverse a driveway or subdivision quietly.Selecting Eco also doesn’t seem to make this hybrid more electric. Its turbo-4 always starts up with a little bit of a howl and settles in with a raspy quality. In my experience, the Santa Fe Hybrid’s engine usually started when setting out, and it was easy to keep the engine off when creeping into a driveway or side street at the end of a trip. 

Acceleration is a mixed bag for both of these hybrid SUVs. Both get to 60 mph in a bit less than eight seconds, and despite that 95-hp deficit in combined output (yes, blame weight), the Santa Fe Hybrid feels just as quick to 60 mph, if not a bit quicker to 40 mph, if you simply keep the accelerator mashed. Both tend to sit and take a deep breath for a fraction of a second when you stomp on the accelerator. But in any kind of passing maneuver or sudden need for acceleration, the Land Cruiser felt a lot quicker. 

The Hyundai provides paddles with multiple regenerative-braking steps and well-blended braking. The most aggressive level is almost enough to call it one-pedal driving, whereas the Land Cruiser’s system provides no (or next to no) regenerative braking in the last few feet of a stop. 

 

Land Cruiser vs. Santa Fe Hybrid value and price

The prices of these vehicles don’t match up with first impressions—or even a reality check on value. 

In the top-trim form I tested, the Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy came loaded with features that might typically be associated with luxury-brand models. Its standard feature set brought a head-up display, heated-and-cooled front seats, second-row power-folding heated captain’s chairs, a heated steering wheel, heated side mirrors, Bose premium audio, and a digital key. The Calligraphy starts at $50,215, and premium paint and carpeted floor mats bumped the price of my tester to $50,895. 

My Toyota Land Cruiser added up to a whopping $71,534 as tested. Its standard-feature set looked slimmer next to the Santa Fe Hybrid’s, although heated and cooled front seats, a power driver seat, and a heated steering wheel. On top of the Land Cruiser trim’s $63,345 base price, more than $8,000 in options included the $4,600 Premium Package, with 14-speaker premium audio, a sunroof, wireless device charging, a power leather-trimmed driver seat, a head-up display, and additional driver-assistance features. An upgrade to 20-inch alloy wheels, a roof rack, and a two-tone roof scheme were among the other options. 

Stripping away all the options and some of the pizzazz, the 2025 Santa Fe Hybrid starts at $39,775 in SEL trim, while the 2025 Land Cruiser starts at $58,150 in its base 1958 version.

Both SUVs offer wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Going in and out of CarPlay in both, the Hyundai’s system simply felt better integrated, clearer, and more flexible, with its flowing, “open concept” layout that shifts some of the climate controls up into the screen space (and the shifter up to the steering column). Toyota’s wide-format screen, for instance, still can’t split its screen when you’re using CarPlay—something we were told was on the way when this system arrived a couple years ago.  

Land Cruiser gives up a lot, shakes you down for more

This circles around to a bottom line: The Toyota Land Cruiser does offer significantly more capability—in off-roading and towing—but at a big sacrifice the rest of the time to comfort, space, refinement, and efficiency versus a comparably sized model that doesn’t push those boundaries. The Toyota even demands significantly more money for that experience.

In all fairness, Toyota does have a model that’s a closer rival to the Santa Fe Hybrid. That would be the 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid, which does come rated at up to 34 mpg with AWD.  

The comparison between the two here helps underscore how far SUVs have come, and how the old-style SUV formula has become a narrow, more expensive niche for good reason. If you want the SUV form factor but don’t need all the old SUV baggage, the Santa Fe Hybrid explains in a language most shoppers will appreciate that you don’t need that compromise.