iCAUR 03T vs Hyundai Santa Fe

A proper head-to-head in South Africa — compare price, performance, fuel economy or electric range, safety and the details that shape long-term ownership.

Includes a historical vehicle

Current, upcoming and historical vehicles can be compared side by side. Historical records keep their verified specifications, while price labels show last-listed context rather than current new-car availability.

Hyundai Santa Fe Discontinued model
iCAUR 03T in South Africa

iCAUR 03T

2WD Electric Single-Speed Reduction Gear Current
ZAR 639,900 ex-showroom
⚡ 135 kW 🔧 220 Nm ⛽ Not applicable — electric consumption measured in kWh/100 km km/l
VS
Hyundai Santa Fe in South Africa

Hyundai Santa Fe

2.2D 4WD Executive Diesel 8-Speed Automatic Discontinued model
ZAR 899,900 last listed
Discontinued model Verified historical specifications remain visible for owner and used-car comparisons.
⚡ 147 kW 🔧 440 Nm ⛽ 13.8 km/l
+ Add a 3rd car

Decision summary

iCAUR 03T vs Hyundai Santa Fe: the short answer

03T and Santa Fe are close on the comparable published fields, so buyer priorities should decide.

Recorded price context 03T: current from ZAR 639,900 · Santa Fe: last listed from ZAR 899,900

Five key differences

Exact selected derivatives
Specification 03T Santa Fe
Maximum Power 03T135 kW Santa Fe147 kW @ 3800 rpm
Maximum Torque 03T220 Nm Santa Fe440 Nm @ 1750 rpm
Engine Size 03TNot Applicable Santa Fe2199 cc
Combined Fuel Economy 03TNot applicable — electric consumption measured in kWh/100 km km/l Santa Fe13.8 km/l
Ground Clearance 03T190 mm Santa Fe188 mm

Strongest published figure in that row; no road-test winner is implied.

Independent editorial assessment

Hagalu editorial ratings

When a variant is selected, its rating out of five applies only to that exact derivative; a model-range review is not inherited. Editorial ratings are separate from the Specification Evidence Index out of 100 and are not customer ratings.

iCAUR 03T

2WD

Hagalu editorial rating Not yet rated

No complete editorial rating is published for this exact variant. This is not a zero score.

How Hagalu rates cars

Hyundai Santa Fe

2.2D 4WD Executive

Hagalu editorial rating Not yet rated

No complete editorial rating is published for this exact variant. This is not a zero score.

How Hagalu rates cars

Not yet rated means a complete review is not published; it does not mean the vehicle scored zero. Read the rating methodology.

What Each Car Gets Right (and Wrong)

03T

Strengths
  • Better fuel efficiency
Weak Spots
  • Less powerful engine setup
  • Fewer listed safety features
  • Lower published practicality figures
Best suited to: Published Efficiency
Specification evidence leader

Santa Fe

Strengths
  • More powerful engine output
  • Stronger listed safety equipment
  • Stronger published practicality figures
Weak Spots
  • Lower fuel efficiency
Best suited to: Published Performance Published Practicality

Which One's Right for You?

03T

  • Buyers prioritising the lower published fuel or energy use

Santa Fe

  • Buyers prioritising the stronger published powertrain figures
  • Buyers prioritising the more complete listed safety equipment
  • Buyers prioritising the stronger published space and capacity figures

Full Specs, Side by Side

Archived cars use verified historical spec records. Rows remain comparable; unavailable historical values are shown plainly rather than estimated.

Spec 03T Santa Fe
Model Introduced Year 2026 2001
Generation South African May 2026 local specification sheet for the current 03T generation. Fifth generation Santa Fe on Hyundai's i-GMP platform; 'Sensuous Sportiness' design with distinctive parametric LED lighting signature
Body Style SUV SUV
Model Year 2026 Not confirmed
Production Status Published discontinued
Segment Electric SUV SUV
Vehicle Type Passenger vehicle SUV
Facelift History - Fifth generation launched in SA in 2022; significant styling and interior quality upgrade; distinctive boxy design language with vertical lighting
Facelift Launched Since - 2022
Tare Mass Kg - 1980 kg
Spec 03T Santa Fe
Length 4433 mm 4830 mm
Width 1916 mm 1900 mm
Height 1741 mm 1750 mm
Wheelbase 2715 mm 2815 mm
Ground Clearance (Default) 190 mm 188 mm
Ground Clearance (With Full Seating Load) 165 mm Not Officially Disclosed
Fuel Tank Capacity Not applicable — battery electric vehicle 67 l
Boot/Cargo Space 450 L rear seats up; 1,238 L with rear seats folded; 40 L rear storage box 703 l
Kerb Weight 1600–1950 kg 1980 kg
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 2173 kg Not Officially Disclosed
Payload Capacity 350–650 kg Not Officially Disclosed
Seating Capacity 5 seats 7 seats
Number of Rows 2 rows 3 rows
Doors 5 doors 5 doors
Minimum Turning Radius 5.9 m Not Officially Disclosed
Front Headroom 1020 mm Not Officially Disclosed
Rear Headroom 990 mm Not Officially Disclosed
Front Legroom 1060 mm Not Officially Disclosed
Rear Legroom 970 mm Not Officially Disclosed
Towing Capacity - Not Officially Disclosed

In depth: how these cars differ

This 03T and Santa Fe comparison uses the exact derivatives selected above for South Africa. The catalogue index covers performance, efficiency, safety equipment, practicality and ownership cover only where comparable source-backed fields are present.

Performance index: 03T 51 vs Santa Fe 74.

Efficiency index: 03T 99 vs Santa Fe 55.

Safety-equipment index: 03T 93 vs Santa Fe 98.

Practicality index: 03T 64 vs Santa Fe 89.

Ownership-cover index: 03T not separately scored vs Santa Fe 65.

These figures are Hagalu catalogue-comparison indicators, not customer ratings, crash-test scores, resale guarantees or a substitute for a road test. Each page shows its weighted source coverage beside the result.

Specification Evidence Index

A transparent comparison of published catalogue fields. This is not a road-test score, owner rating or editorial review rating, and it appears only when every vehicle clears the same comparable-data threshold.

Evidence / 100
Evidence-index readout

Santa Fe leads by 3 points

03T and Santa Fe are close on the comparable published fields, so buyer priorities should decide.

Evidence leader 78 /100
Lead 3 points
Data 90% source coverage
78
#1 Evidence leader

Santa Fe

90% source coverage 3 strong categories
Best at Safety 98 Check Efficiency 55
Performance 74
Efficiency 55
Safety 98
Practicality 89
Ownership 65
Leads by 3 points
75
#2

03T

67% source coverage 2 strong categories
Best at Efficiency 99 Check Performance 51
Performance 51
Efficiency 99
Safety 93
Practicality 64
Performance 24% Safety 22% Practicality 22% Efficiency 17% Ownership 15%
Category leaders What moves the verdict
Performance Santa Fe +23 Efficiency 03T +44 Safety Santa Fe +5 Practicality Santa Fe +25

Close catalogue match. Buyer priorities should decide the outcome.

Why this score View full breakdown
Evidence-index leader

Santa Fe

Performance 74/100
Efficiency 55/100
Safety 98/100
Practicality 89/100
Ownership 65/100

03T

Performance 51/100
Efficiency 99/100
Safety 93/100
Practicality 64/100

What the evidence means

Evidence index Hyundai Santa Fe leads the specification evidence index with 78 pts vs 75 pts for 03T

In Hagalu's specification evidence index, Santa Fe leads. However, 03T may suit buyers prioritising different confirmed fields. Ultimately, the right choice depends on your driving priorities in South Africa.

03T vs Santa Fe questions

There is no universal winner. Use the comparison table to match the models and available derivatives in South Africa on price, safety equipment, space, powertrain and ownership cover. The category indicators summarise published catalogue data; they are not a road test or customer rating.

Compare the published consumption or mileage rows for the exact derivatives using the same unit and test basis. A catalogue figure is useful for like-for-like comparison, but traffic, speed, load, weather and driving style can change actual fuel use.

Compare only equipment explicitly listed for each derivative, including airbags, stability control and driver-assistance systems. Confirm the exact trim with the manufacturer, and treat any independent crash-test result separately because equipment and ratings can differ by market.

A reliable five-year total cannot be calculated from catalogue data alone. Add the exact purchase and finance cost, fuel or electricity, insurance quotes, scheduled servicing, tyres and expected resale value. Check whether the selected derivative includes a service or maintenance plan.

Use the seating, boot or load-space, ISOFIX and safety rows as a first check. Then test the exact cars with your child seats, passengers and typical luggage, because published dimensions do not show every access or comfort difference.

Compare the published power, torque and 0–100 km/h rows when they are available for both exact derivatives. Vehicle weight, gearing and power delivery also matter, so catalogue outputs alone do not establish real-world overtaking or response.