The Hyundai Tucson is growing in popularity, and so is its sibling, the Santa Fe. These compact crossover SUVs offer plenty of room for passengers and cargo, but one is a bit bigger. Let’s compare the 2021 Hyundai Tucson’s and Sante Fe’s exterior and interior dimensions to see which SUV accommodates more people and stuff.

How big is the Hyundai Tucson?

The 2021 Hyundai Tucson’s body measures about 14.7 feet long, and its wheelbase measures 8.8 feet, Hyundai shows. All trims are just over six feet wide, not including the side mirrors. 

As for height, SEL and Limited trims with roof-rack side rails included stand 5.4 feet tall, Car and Driver reports.

And the curb weight is approximately 3,591 pounds. 

Passenger space isn’t bad. Expect 99 cubic feet of space for head and legroom in both the front and rear seats. The Tucson’s cargo capacity is 31 cubic feet with the rear seats up. With them folded down, it offers 61.9 cubic feet. Those numbers are the same across all three trim levels.  

How big is the Hyundai Santa Fe?

According to Hyundai, each of the five Santa Fe trims measures 15.7 feet long from front to rear. They’re each 6.2 feet wide, not including the side mirrors. But they vary by height. 

The base trim, without a roof rack installed, measures 5.5 feet tall. SEL and Limited trims are slightly taller at 5.6 feet, but this includes the roof rack. The top-trim Calligraphy and Calligraphy 2.5T measure a smidge taller with the roof rack installed.

The curb weight for the front-wheel-drive version ranges from 3,649 to 3,907 pounds depending upon the trim. For the all-wheel-drive model, the curb weight ranges from 3,799 to 4,017 pounds. 

As for passenger space, Hyundai improved this year’s Santa Fe after many critics complained. Expect 41.2 inches of headroom in the front and 39 in the back row. This goes for the SE and the SEL trims. Every tier above those offers 39.5 inches of headroom in the front and 37.8 in the rear. The legroom is the same across all trims: 44.1 inches in the front and 41.7 in the back. And cargo space in the Santa Fe measures 36.4 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 72.1 cubic feet with the back seats folded down.

So, which SUV is bigger?

While these two crossover SUVs are extremely close in size, the Tucson is a tad smaller than the Santa Fe. Interestingly, the Tucson offers a bit more legroom. Both Hyundai models are close in height, wheelbase, and head and legroom measurements. But the Santa Fe is longer, wider, and about 300 pounds heavier. It also provides more cargo space. In fact, many rivals, such as the Honda CR-V, offer more interior space than the Tucson. 

The Santa Fe starts at $27,000 for the base model and goes up to $42,250 for the top-tier Calligraphy 2.5T. Tucson starting prices range from $24,950 for the base model to $34,700 for the Limited trim. 

Overall, the 2021 Hyundai Tucson and Santa Fe are close in size, but for shoppers looking for more cargo space, the latter SUV is the way to go.