2023 Dodge Durango vs 2024 Hyundai Venue

The 2023 Dodge Durango, entering its 12th model year without a redesign, maintained a familiar yet attractive appearance. Dodge opted for clean, car-like styling, avoiding the trend of oversized grilles. Its slim design, complemented by forward-leaning headlights and a large lower air intake, demonstrated that SUVs could have a commanding presence without resorting to massive grilles. At the rear, Dodge's signature "racetrack" taillights provided a distinctive look. The SRT 392 and SRT Hellcat models featured unique styling elements, such as a Viper-like hood with functional air inlets and heat extractors, but these were subtle. The Blacktop Package and Hemi Orange appearance package offered additional customization options, while the interior, though less distinctive, provided a pleasant environment with materials suited to various trim levels.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims, offered an appealing design with a sense of genuine style, despite its affordability. The Limited trim, with Ecotronic Gray paint, gave the Venue a mature and subdued appearance. Inside, the Venue's interior featured hard plastics but avoided looking cheap. Unexpected style elements included seat stripes and piping, as well as white trim around the dashboard air vents and transmission shifter. The digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display were well-sized for the Venue, and the controls exhibited typical Hyundai quality. Overall, the Venue was thoughtfully designed, stylishly detailed, and high-quality for a small SUV.

The 2023 Dodge Durango offered a range of powertrains, starting with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine, producing 293 horsepower (295 hp with dual exhaust) and 260 pound-feet of torque. This engine was standard on the SXT, GT, and Citadel trims. The 5.7-liter Hemi V8, standard on the R/T and optional on the Citadel, delivered 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque, providing a classic V8 rumble. The Durango SRT 392 featured a 6.4-liter naturally-aspirated Hemi V8, generating 475 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque, achieving 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. The SRT Hellcat, with a 6.2-liter supercharged V8, produced 710 hp and 645 lb-ft of torque, reaching 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Despite its size, the Durango Hellcat offered exhilarating acceleration, with minimal wind and tire noise at highway speeds. The adaptive-damping suspension, Pirelli P Zero performance tires, and Brembo brakes ensured manageable power.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue was equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. Weighing 2,612 pounds in base SE trim, the Venue's continuously variable transmission (CVT) maximized available power, making it suitable for city and suburban driving. Its small size, nimble handling, and excellent visibility made it ideal for urban environments. However, the Venue's suspension struggled on rough pavement, resulting in a busy ride quality. On highways, the Venue could maintain freeway speeds, but the CVT and engine noise were noticeable under hard acceleration. The Venue lacked all-wheel drive, but its 6.7 inches of ground clearance allowed it to handle snow better than typical cars. The Venue achieved an EPA rating of 31 mpg in combined driving, with a test average of 30.3 mpg.

The 2023 Dodge Durango offered seven-seat or six-seat configurations, with front bucket seats, a three-seat second-row bench, and a two-seat third-row bench standard on SXT, GT, and R/T models. The Citadel, SRT 392, and SRT Hellcat models featured second-row captain's chairs. Interior space was competitive with other three-row midsize SUVs, though cargo space was less than some rivals, with 17.2 cubic feet behind the third row, 43.3 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 85.1 cubic feet behind the first row. Small-item storage was generous, with a large wireless charging pad and USB ports. The Durango's towing capacity ranged from 6,200 pounds for V6 models to 8,700 pounds for V8 models.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue's increased ground clearance made entry and exit easier. Despite its small size, comfort was decent, with a manual height-adjustable driver's seat and tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel. The front seats featured fabric inserts, artificial leather bolsters, and heated cushions. The back seat technically accommodated three people, but two would be more comfortable. Taller passengers might find the hard plastic front seatbacks uncomfortable. Rear-seat USB ports were provided, but storage space was limited, and there were no air conditioning vents. Cargo space was on par with a compact car, offering 18.7 cubic feet with the seats up and 31.9 cubic feet with the seats folded.

The 2023 Dodge Durango featured an 8.4-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto on SXT and GT models, while the Citadel and SRT models had a 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Both used the Uconnect infotainment system, with the larger screen featuring the current Uconnect 5 system. The SRT models included Performance Pages, displaying performance information like timers and a g-force meter. A 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system was available on the SRT Hellcat with the Premium Package.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue had an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display with modern graphics and logical menus. Standard features included Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, Bluelink connected services, and a six-speaker sound system. The Venue Limited added a navigation system, SiriusXM satellite radio, a wireless smartphone charger, and Bluelink+. However, the Limited trim required wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, making the wireless charger less useful. The infotainment system was sophisticated, with an impressive native voice recognition system.

The 2023 Dodge Durango received mixed results in IIHS crash tests, with top "Good" marks in moderate front overlap, side, and roof strength tests, but a "Marginal" score in the driver-side small overlap front test. The NHTSA gave it a four-star overall safety rating, with five stars in the side crash test and four stars in the frontal crash test. RWD versions received four stars in the rollover test, while AWD models got three stars. Standard driver-assist tech was limited, with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert standard on all trims, but forward collision warning, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking were only standard on the Citadel.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue came with Hyundai SmartSense, including forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, a driver monitoring system, and a rear-seat reminder system. The Venue SEL added blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and the Limited trim included cyclist detection. Adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist were not available. The Venue received Good ratings in three IIHS crash tests and an Acceptable rating for the Limited trim's LED headlights. The NHTSA gave it a four-star overall rating.