The Land Cruiser’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
The Toyota Land Cruiser has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.
The Land Cruiser has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Land Cruiser. But it costs extra on the Santa Fe.
The Toyota Land Cruiser offers an optional Multi-Terrain Monitor and it also offers an optional rear camera washer to make backing always safe, regardless of road dirt or grime, while the Hyundai Santa Fe doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.
Both the Land Cruiser and the Santa Fe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.
The Toyota Land Cruiser weighs 874 to 1102 pounds more than the Hyundai Santa Fe. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Land Cruiser is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:
|
Land Cruiser |
Santa Fe |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
238 |
369 |
Neck Compression |
84 lbs. |
140 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
414/404 lbs. |
726/652 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
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 Toyota Land Cruiser is safer than the Hyundai Santa Fe:
|
Land Cruiser |
Santa Fe |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
.3 inches |
.6 inches |
Abdominal Force |
82 lbs. |
85 lbs. |
Hip Force |
109 lbs. |
203 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
19 |
60 |
Spine Acceleration |
20 G’s |
32 G’s |
Hip Force |
217 lbs. |
264 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
16 inches |
16 inches |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.