2023 Jeep Compass vs 2024 Hyundai Venue

The 2023 Jeep Compass presented a more refined and upscale appearance, moving away from the rugged design ethos traditionally associated with Jeep. It shared design elements with the larger Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, and Wagoneer families, offering a sophisticated look with new wheel designs and special edition models. The Compass was available in various trims, including the Sport, Latitude, Latitude Lux, Limited, and Trailhawk, with prices ranging from just under $32,000 to over $40,000. The Limited trim, with its Granite Crystal paint and optional 19-inch wheels, resembled a scaled-down Grand Cherokee, featuring a two-tone black and gray cabin with caramel accents, digital displays, and metallic trim.

In contrast, the 2024 Hyundai Venue offered a more affordable and stylish option in the small SUV segment. With prices ranging from $21,275 to $24,525, the Venue was available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims. The Limited trim, with Ecotronic Gray paint, provided a mature and subdued appearance. Despite its affordability, the Venue's design was appealing, featuring unexpected style elements like stripes and piping on the seats and white trim on the dashboard. The interior, though featuring hard plastics, did not look cheap, and the digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display added to its appeal.

The 2023 Jeep Compass finally addressed its powertrain issues with a new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 200 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. This engine, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and Jeep Active Drive all-wheel-drive system, transformed the Compass from gutless to gutsy. The Trailhawk version offered additional off-road capabilities with a Jeep Active Drive Low AWD system, Rock driving mode, and increased ground clearance. However, the Compass still exhibited significant body motions on uneven surfaces, and the AWD system was slow to engage, allowing front wheelspin during hard acceleration. The EPA fuel economy rating was 27 mpg in combined driving, but real-world testing averaged 23.8 mpg.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque, was more suited for city and suburban driving. Its lightweight design and continuously variable transmission (CVT) allowed it to navigate urban environments with ease. However, the Venue's suspension struggled on rough surfaces, resulting in a busy ride quality. On the highway, the Venue could maintain speed but sounded buzzy when pushed hard. The Venue lacked all-wheel-drive, but its 6.7 inches of ground clearance allowed it to handle light snow. The EPA rated its fuel economy at 31 mpg in combined driving, but testing averaged 30.3 mpg.

The 2023 Jeep Compass offered a spacious interior with seating for adults in both rows. Despite its narrow design, it provided decent comfort for four people. Standard features included an air filtration system and available dual-zone automatic climate control. Higher trims offered leather seats, power-adjustable front seats, and heated and ventilated front seats. The Compass provided 27.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, expandable to 59.8 cubic feet with the seats folded down.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, with its increased ground clearance, made entry and exit easier. The interior offered decent comfort, with manual height adjustment for the driver's seat and tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel adjustment. The back seat was better suited for two passengers, and taller occupants might find the hard plastic front seatbacks uncomfortable. The Venue provided 18.7 cubic feet of cargo space, expandable to 31.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.

The 2023 Jeep Compass featured a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Uconnect 5 technology, supporting wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and SiriusXM satellite radio. The system offered over-the-air updates and could be paired with a 10.25-inch digital instrumentation panel. The Limited trim included an Alpine premium sound system and a parking assist system. The surround-view camera proved useful, though the parking assist was less necessary due to the Compass's size.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue came with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, offering Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Limited trim added a navigation system, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a wireless smartphone charger. However, the switch to wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the Limited trim was a drawback. Despite this, the Venue's infotainment system was sophisticated, with a native voice recognition system and decent sound quality.

The 2023 Jeep Compass included standard advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) such as forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist. Higher trims offered Highway Assist, a semi-autonomous driving system. However, the system occasionally struggled with certain conditions. The Compass had not yet been rated by the NHTSA, and the IIHS had incomplete test results.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured Hyundai SmartSense, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist. The SEL trim added blind-spot monitoring, and the Limited trim included cyclist detection. The Venue lacked adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist. The IIHS rated the Venue with Good ratings in crash tests, while the NHTSA gave it an overall rating of four stars.