2024 Genesis GV70 vs 2024 Hyundai Venue

The 2024 Genesis GV70 distinguished itself within the Genesis lineup and its competitive set with its sleek design and luxury-car style. It featured signature Genesis styling elements like split headlights and a large shield-like grille, but it was sleeker than the larger GV80 and avoided the quirkiness of the smaller GV60. Notable details included a hatchback-like rear window profile, large round exhaust outlets on the Sport Prestige trim, and distinctive 21-inch wheels. The GV70 struck a balance between SUV size and luxury style, outperforming competitors like the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 in finesse. The Electrified GV70 maintained the same styling as the gasoline model, with a shiny grille housing the charge port for convenience at charging stations. Inside, the GV70 offered a distinctive interior with quilted Nappa leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, and unique design elements like an elliptical pod for climate controls and a rotary infotainment controller.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims, offered an appealing design with a sense of genuine style. The Limited trim, with Ecotronic Gray paint and carpeted floor mats, brought the MSRP to $24,735. Despite its affordable price, the Venue's design was mature and subdued, with unexpected style elements like stripes and piping on the seats and white trim around the dashboard air vents. The interior featured hard plastic but didn't look cheap, and the digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display were well-sized for the Venue. The controls exhibited typical Hyundai quality, making the Venue a thoughtfully designed, stylishly detailed, and high-quality small SUV.

The 2024 Genesis GV70 offered unchanged powertrain options, with a standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 300 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, and an available 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 with 375 hp and 391 lb-ft. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive (AWD). The Electrified GV70 featured front and rear electric motors producing a combined 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, with a "Boost Mode" providing 483 hp for short bursts. While the GV70 delivered vigorous straight-line acceleration, its chassis tuning didn't match its sporty rivals, feeling bigger and heavier through corners. The ride quality was reasonably comfortable but not exceptional, with the suspension crashing down on bumps. The Electrified GV70 maintained similar driving dynamics to the gasoline model, with handy steering-wheel paddles for regenerative braking adjustment. It offered a 236-mile EPA-rated range, making it a viable choice for those who could manage charging.

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 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 the highway, the Venue could match freeway traffic speeds but sounded buzzy under hard acceleration. Without all-wheel drive, the Venue relied on front-wheel drive, but its 6.7 inches of ground clearance allowed it to handle snow with winter tires. The Venue achieved an EPA gas mileage rating of 31 mpg in combined driving, though our testing loop averaged 30.3 mpg.

The 2024 Genesis GV70 offered comparable interior space to its rivals, with slightly less headroom than the Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. It provided a fraction more front-seat legroom than the BMW and Mercedes, and slightly less than the Audi. Second-row legroom differences were minimal, with the GV70 offering a bit more than the X3 and slightly less than the Q5 and GLC. The GV70's cargo space was 28.9 cubic feet with rear seats up, better than the Mercedes and BMW but less than the Audi. Folding the rear seats provided 56.9 cubic feet, less than its German competitors. The Electrified GV70's interior space was minimally impacted by the battery pack, with slight reductions in legroom and headroom. The stylish interior design limited small-item storage, but a dedicated phone storage nook and rear-seat climate controls were included. The Electrified GV70 featured automatic side bolsters for the front seats in Sport mode, enhancing occupant security during strong acceleration or cornering.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue's increased ground clearance made it easier to enter and exit the front and back seats. Despite its small dimensions, the Venue offered decent comfort, with a manual height adjuster for the driver's seat and tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel adjustment. The front seats featured appealing 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. The Venue lacked dark-tinted rear privacy glass, so rear window shades were recommended for infants. In front, there was decent stash space, and a useful dashboard shelf for the passenger. Cargo room was on par with a typical compact car, with 18.7 cubic feet of space with the trunk packed to the roof, and 31.9 cubic feet with the back seat folded down.

The 2024 Genesis GV70's infotainment system borrowed from the Hyundai parts bin, offering simplicity over the more elaborate systems in the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. All GV70 models came with a 14.5-inch touchscreen and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Lower trims had an 8-inch digital instrument cluster, while higher grades featured a 12.3-inch unit with a 3D effect. A 12-inch head-up display and a 16-speaker Lexicon audio system were available. The touchscreen had an intuitive layout, and the rotary controller on the center console offered a high-quality feel. Genesis included a fingerprint scanner for driver profiles and digital key functionality, allowing a phone to replace the key fob.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display with modern graphics, logical menu structures, and simple operation. 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+ for connected services. However, the Limited trim switched to wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, making the wireless charger less useful. Despite this quirk, the Venue Limited's infotainment system was sophisticated, with an impressive native voice recognition system. Music streaming through Apple Music and Pandora was effortless, though the Venue deserved better stereo speakers for its youthful audience.

The 2024 Genesis GV70 received the IIHS's highest Top Safety Pick+ award for gasoline versions, with the Electrified GV70 receiving the same award as a 2023 model. NHTSA ratings for the 2024 model year were incomplete, but the gasoline GV70 received four-star frontal and rollover crash-test ratings, with the 2023 model earning a five-star overall safety rating. All GV70 models came with standard safety features like lane-keep assist, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic alert, and Highway Driving Assist. The more advanced Highway Driving Assist 2 system added automated lane-change capability and blind-spot monitoring. Genesis also offered high-tech safety features like safe exit assist and a radar-based rear occupant alert system.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue came with Hyundai SmartSense, a suite of driver assistance systems 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. However, adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist were not available. The lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist systems produced some inaccurate alerts, but overall, the Venue's safety features were satisfactory. The IIHS rated the Venue with Good ratings in three crash tests and an Acceptable rating for the Limited trim's LED headlights. The NHTSA gave the Venue a four-star overall rating.