2023 Hyundai Santa Fe vs 2024 Hyundai Venue

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe presented a more conservative exterior design compared to some of Hyundai's more recent models. While it maintained an attractive appearance, it lacked the standout looks of other vehicles in the brand's lineup. The SUV continued with the same design as the 2022 model, available in five trim levels: SE, SEL, XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy. The Calligraphy AWD trim, tested in Stormy Sea paint with a black-on-black interior, had a base price of $42,600, with additional costs bringing the total MSRP to $45,845. The Santa Fe's distinctive wide grilles and thin LED headlights contributed to its unique look, though the overall design was more subdued.

Inside, the Calligraphy trim featured a high-quality black interior with Nappa leather seats, offering comfort and style. The cabin's dark and monotone appearance could be brightened with a beige or gray interior option. The Calligraphy trim included standard heated and cooled front seats, with heated seats in the second row. The Santa Fe's interior was praised for its comfort, especially the Nappa leather seats, which provided a pleasant driving experience in varying weather conditions.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, on the other hand, was available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims, with prices ranging from $21,275 to $24,525. The Limited trim, tested in Ecotronic Gray paint, had an MSRP of $24,735. The Venue's design was appealing for an affordable car, offering a sense of genuine style. Inside, the Venue featured hard plastic materials but managed to avoid looking cheap. The interior included stylish elements like seat stripes and piping, and white trim around the dashboard air vents and transmission shifter. The digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display were highlights, providing a modern and user-friendly experience.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe offered two engine options: a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 191 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, and a turbocharged version delivering 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. The turbocharged engine, available in Limited and Calligraphy trims, worked with an eight-speed "wet" dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Santa Fe's performance was enhanced by the turbocharger, providing immediate acceleration and passing power, especially in Sport mode. The SUV's handling was smooth, with minimal body lean during cornering. The turbocharged Santa Fe could tow up to 3,500 pounds with trailer brakes, while the non-turbo version could tow 2,000 pounds.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue was equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. Despite its modest power, the Venue's lightweight design and continuously variable transmission (CVT) allowed it to perform adequately in city and suburban environments. The Venue's nimble handling and excellent visibility made it well-suited for urban driving. However, the suspension struggled on rough and irregular pavement, resulting in a busy ride quality. The Venue's front-wheel-drive configuration and 6.7 inches of ground clearance provided some capability in snowy conditions, but it lacked all-wheel-drive options. The Venue achieved an EPA gas mileage rating of 31 mpg in combined driving, with a test average of 30.3 mpg.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe offered a spacious interior with 41.7 inches of rear-seat legroom and 36.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row. Folding the second row expanded the cargo area to 72.1 cubic feet. The Santa Fe's two-row configuration provided ample space and comfort, with features like an eight-way power driver's seat and heated front seats in SEL and higher trims. The Limited trim added ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and a power driver seat cushion extension. The Calligraphy trim included a head-up display, premium door and seat accent trim, and ambient lighting. The panoramic sunroof and head-up display were standout features, though the driver's seat height adjustment could be problematic for some.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue offered decent comfort despite its small dimensions. The driver's seat had a manual height adjuster, and the steering wheel offered tilt-and-telescopic adjustment. The front seats featured fabric inserts, artificial leather bolsters, and heated cushions. The back seat could accommodate three people, but two would be more comfortable. Taller passengers might find the hard plastic front seatbacks uncomfortable. The Venue provided USB ports for rear-seat passengers but lacked air conditioning vents and dark-tinted rear privacy glass. 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 Hyundai Santa Fe excelled in in-vehicle technology, offering a range of infotainment and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The SE, SEL, and XRT trims featured a 4.2-inch color LCD multi-information display, while the Limited and Calligraphy trims had a larger 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The base SE trim had an 8-inch display audio system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while higher trims featured a 10.25-inch touchscreen with navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite radio, and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system. The voice-recognition system had mixed results, handling navigation commands well but struggling with music and temperature adjustments.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display with modern graphics and logical menu structures. Standard features included Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, Bluelink connected services, and a six-speaker sound system. The Limited trim added a navigation system, SiriusXM satellite radio, a wireless smartphone charger, and Bluelink+. However, the Limited trim required wired connections for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which was a drawback. Despite this, the Venue's infotainment system was more sophisticated than expected, with an impressive native voice recognition system.

The 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe came equipped with a comprehensive suite of standard safety-related ADAS, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-centering assist, driver monitoring, a safe-exit system, and a rear-seat reminder system. The Santa Fe received a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and a "Top Safety Pick+" rating from the IIHS, with high marks in crashworthiness tests.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured Hyundai SmartSense, a collection of driver assistance systems, including forward-collision warning, 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, while the Limited trim included cyclist detection. The Venue received Good ratings in three IIHS crash tests and an Acceptable rating for the Limited trim's LED headlights. The NHTSA gave the Venue an overall rating of four stars.