The turbulent flow behavior and heat transfer performance of wire-wrapped rod bundles have a significant impact on the thermal–hydraulic characteristics and safety of Generation IV nuclear reactors. In this study, the airfoil-shaped wire-wrapped bundle is proposed to improve the comprehensive performance of advanced reactor cores, and the thermal–hydraulic performance has been compared with the circular-shaped wire-wrapped bundle. Special attention has been paid to the temperature variation and friction pressure loss caused by the wire wraps. Specifically, the generation of the secondary flow is the main factor. The airfoil-shaped wire-wrapped bundle exhibits a half friction pressure loss, a more uniformed temperature distribution, and a reduction of the hot spot temperature compared to the circular-shaped wire-wrapped bundle. Moreover, the airfoil-shaped wire shows a 16.3% increase in Nusselt number and a 2.0% increase in friction factor compared to circular-shaped wire, resulting in an 8.7% increase in performance evaluation criteria (PEC). The airfoil-shaped wire-wrapped bundle demonstrates better comprehensive performance than the circular-shaped wire-wrapped bundle in terms of PEC.