Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2015 Nissan Rogue VS 2015 Hyundai Santa Near Scottsdale, AZ

The Rogue SL offers an optional collision warning system, which detects an impending crash through forward mounted sensors and flashes a bright light and sounds a loud, distinctive tone to warn the driver to brake or maneuver immediately to avoid a collision. The Santa Fe Sport doesn't offer a collision warning system.

The Nissan Rogue has Daytime Running Lights to help keep it more visible under all conditions. Canadian government studies show that driving with lights during the day reduces accidents by 11% by making vehicles more conspicuous. The Santa Fe Sport doesn’t offer Daytime Running Lights.

The Rogue (except S) offers an optional Around View ® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Santa Fe Sport only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the Rogue and the Santa Fe Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available all-wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Rogue is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rogue its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2014, a rating granted to only 48 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Santa Fe Sport has not been tested, yet.

There are over 86 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rogue’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2014 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan 18th in reliability. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 27th.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Rogue is faster than the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Rogue gets better fuel mileage than the Santa Fe Sport:

The Rogue’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Santa Fe Sport are solid, not vented.

The Rogue stops shorter than the Santa Fe Sport:

The Rogue has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Santa Fe Sport doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires optional on the Rogue can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Santa Fe Sport doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The Rogue offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Santa Fe Sport can only carry 5.

The Rogue has 18.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Santa Fe Sport (126.5 vs. 108).

The Rogue has 2 inches more front headroom and 1.7 inches more front legroom than the Santa Fe Sport.

The Rogue’s cargo area provides more volume than the Santa Fe Sport.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults or children, the Rogue (except S) offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Santa Fe Sport doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

If the windows are left down on the Rogue the driver can raise them all using the key in the outside lock cylinder; on a hot day the driver can lower the windows. The driver of the Santa Fe Sport can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Rogue will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The Intellichoice estimates that the Rogue will retain 48.11% to 48.74% of its original price after five years, while the Santa Fe Sport only retains 41.59% to 46.7%.

Intellichoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Nissan Rogue will be $1773 to $5474 less than for the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport.

The Nissan Rogue won two awards in Kiplinger’s 2014 car issue. The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport didn't win any award.

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

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Hyundai Santa Fe by 83% during the 2014 model year.