Compare the2024 Mercedes GLAVS 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLA have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The GLA’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 Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Mercedes GLA has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The GLA offers an optional Post 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 Plug-In Hybrid 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.

Both the GLA and the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the GLA third among small premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid isn’t in the top three in its category.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes GLA is faster than the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid:

	GLA	Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid
Zero to 60 MPH	6.8 sec	7 sec

Both the GLA and Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The GLA has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The GLA has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid (13.5 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

An eight-speed automatic (SMG) is standard on the Mercedes GLA, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid.

The GLA offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The GLA stops shorter than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid:

	GLA	Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

The GLA’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLA offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the GLA 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 Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The GLA offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The GLA’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The GLA 250 4MATIC handles at .80 G’s, while the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Mercedes GLA may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1000 pounds less than the Hyundai Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid.

The GLA is 1 foot, 2.8 inches shorter than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid, making the GLA easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Mercedes GLA amounts to more than styling. The GLA has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .3 Cd. That is lower than the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid (.33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the GLA get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the GLA uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the GLA. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The GLA has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited, the GLA has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLA offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The GLA’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the GLA the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLA’s standard Keyless-Go allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Proximity Key standard on the Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The GLA’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the GLA to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GLA offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer cornering lights. The GLA also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The GLA’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The GLA’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid Limited’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The GLA is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Santa Fe Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.