2024 Hyundai Kona vs 2024 Hyundai Venue

The 2024 Hyundai Kona was designed with an electric vehicle (EV) focus, evident in its sleek appearance. Its grille resembled the Ioniq 5, featuring a single-piece design typical of modern EVs. The Kona adopted the “seamless horizon” styling seen in the new Sonata, with a prominent skinny LED headlight at the front. Despite being nearly 6 inches longer than its predecessor, the Kona maintained a familiar silhouette. The doors showcased a new “parametric surface,” and the black body cladding on various trims became more pronounced. Standard LED lights and varying wheel sizes across trims added to its modern look. Inside, the Kona’s cabin was updated with a driver-oriented center stack, a relocated gear shift, and a curved display housing both driver-information and infotainment screens.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims, offered a stylish yet affordable design. The Limited trim, with Ecotronic Gray paint, gave the Venue a mature appearance. Despite its affordability, the Venue’s design was appealing, with unexpected style elements like seat stripes and white dashboard trim. The interior featured hard plastics but didn’t appear cheap. The digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display were highlights, offering quality finishes and operation. The Venue was thoughtfully designed, with stylish details and high-quality construction for a small SUV.

The 2024 Hyundai Kona retained its predecessor’s engine lineup, featuring a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine for SE and SEL trims, producing 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, paired with a CVT. The N-Line and Limited trims had a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine, delivering 190 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, now with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Paddle shifters were available on higher trims. During a test drive, the Kona Limited and N-Line demonstrated intuitive steering and nimble handling, though pickup was slightly slow even with the turbo. Front-wheel drive was standard, with all-wheel drive available for an additional $1,500, affecting fuel economy slightly.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue was equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, generating 121 horsepower and 113 lb-ft of torque. Weighing 2,612 pounds in base SE trim, the Venue’s CVT maximized power efficiently. It excelled in urban environments with its compact size, nimble handling, and visibility. However, the suspension struggled on rough surfaces, leading to a busy ride. On highways, the Venue maintained speed but sounded harsh under acceleration. It lacked all-wheel drive, but its 6.7 inches of ground clearance helped in snowy conditions. The Venue achieved an EPA rating of 31 mpg combined, though real-world tests showed slightly lower efficiency.

The 2024 Hyundai Kona’s increased length enhanced rear-seat legroom to 38.2 inches and cargo capacity to 25.5 cubic feet with seats up, expanding to 63.7 cubic feet when folded. The cabin featured a handy shelf for storage and a guardrail on the wireless charging pad. The Kona offered cloth seats on lower trims and leather/suede on higher ones, with ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel standard on the Limited trim.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue’s higher ground clearance facilitated easier entry and exit. The interior, though compact, provided decent comfort with manual seat adjustments and heated cushions. The back seat was better suited for two passengers, with limited storage and no rear air vents. Cargo space was 18.7 cubic feet, expanding to 31.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

The 2024 Hyundai Kona featured a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen standard across all trims, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on lower trims. An OTA update was promised for higher trims. The Kona included wireless charging, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and a Bose stereo system. Dual 12.3-inch screens were optional, and Bluelink connected services were standard.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue had an 8-inch touchscreen with modern graphics and simple operation. Standard features included Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Limited trim added navigation, SiriusXM, and Bluelink+. However, it required wired connections for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Venue’s infotainment system was sophisticated, with a native voice recognition system.

The 2024 Hyundai Kona came with standard safety features like Safe Exit Warning, blind-spot collision avoidance, and rear cross-traffic collision avoidance. High-beam assist was standard, with adaptive cruise control on higher trims. The Limited trim included Surround View Monitor and blind-spot view monitor. The Highway Driving Assist suite impressed with smooth lane-keep assist.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue included Hyundai SmartSense, offering forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keep assist. The SEL trim added blind-spot monitoring, and the Limited trim included cyclist detection. The Venue received Good ratings in crash tests from the IIHS and a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA.