2024 Hyundai Venue vs 2024 Kia Seltos

The 2024 Kia Seltos underwent a mid-cycle refresh, resulting in subtle yet impactful changes. The updated headlight and grille designs, along with a connecting light strip between the smaller taillight assemblies, gave the Seltos a rejuvenated appearance without a significant price hike. The test model, adorned in the new "Pluton Blue" paint, exuded a sharp and modern look. Inside, the Seltos introduced two new interior colors, "Gentle Brown" and "Midnight Green," though the test model featured the standard black interior. A prominent change was the large digital panel spanning two-thirds of the dash, integrating a fully digital instrument panel and a larger touchscreen infotainment system.

The Seltos offered a range of trims, from the base LX with essential features like 17-inch alloy wheels and an 8-inch touchscreen, to the top-tier SX trim with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting, and a Bose premium stereo system. Each trim level added unique features, such as the S trim's LED cabin lighting and the EX's wireless charging pad. The X-Line trim replaced the Nightfall Edition, adding distinctive styling elements but losing some features like the power-adjustable driver's seat. The SX trim, available with an optional Sunroof Package, included a power sunroof, hands-free power tailgate, and ventilated front seats, enhancing the overall luxury feel.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue was available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims, with prices ranging from $21,275 to $24,525, including destination charges. The Venue SEL, priced at $23,275, was recommended for its enhanced exterior appearance and added convenience and safety features. The test vehicle, a Limited trim in Ecotronic Gray, had an MSRP of $24,735. While the color was subdued, it lent a mature look to the Venue's jaunty design. Despite its affordability, the Venue's design was stylish and appealing.

Inside, the Venue's interior featured hard plastics but maintained a stylish appearance with striped seat piping and white dashboard trim. The test vehicle's digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display were highlights, offering quality finishes and operation. The Venue's interior was thoughtfully designed, with a focus on style and quality, making it a high-quality small SUV.

The 2024 Kia Seltos offered two engine options. The base engine was a 2.0-liter four-cylinder producing 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque, paired with Kia's Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT). The base LX trim came standard with all-wheel drive (AWD), while the S and EX trims offered front-wheel drive (FWD) with optional AWD. The X-Line and SX trims featured a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, delivering 195 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, paired with a new eight-speed automatic transmission and standard AWD. The turbocharged engine provided noticeable acceleration improvements, especially in 40-to-60 mph situations, though it exhibited some turbo lag at lower speeds. The Seltos handled various road conditions well, with responsive steering and minimal body roll. It offered 7.3 inches of ground clearance, making it suitable for light off-road adventures.

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 CVT maximized available power for city and suburban driving. The Venue excelled in urban environments, offering nimble handling and excellent visibility. However, its suspension struggled on rough surfaces, resulting in a busy ride quality. On highways, the Venue maintained pace with traffic but struggled with additional passengers or cargo. The Venue lacked AWD, but its 6.7 inches of ground clearance allowed it to handle snowy conditions with winter tires. The Venue achieved an EPA rating of 31 mpg in combined driving, though our testing averaged 30.3 mpg.

The 2024 Kia Seltos offered up to 62.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded and 26.6 cubic feet with the seats in use. The SX trim included a hands-free power liftgate. The Seltos provided an upright seating position with ample headroom and good visibility. It accommodated tall occupants comfortably in both front and rear seats. The front seating area featured decently sized in-door cupholders and cubbies, while the SX trim included a removable cargo cover.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue's increased ground clearance made entry and exit easier. Despite its small size, the Venue offered decent comfort, with manual height adjustment for the driver's seat and tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel adjustment. 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. 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 2024 Kia Seltos featured a consistent large digital bezel across its trim lineup, with screen sizes varying by trim. The base infotainment system included an 8-inch touchscreen and a 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster. Higher trims upgraded to a 10.25-inch fully digital instrument panel and touchscreen. The infotainment system offered a logical layout with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Seltos retained tactile controls for volume, tuning, and climate settings. The SX trim featured an upgraded eight-speaker Bose stereo system and Digital Key 2 Touch, allowing smartphone access.

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

The 2024 Kia Seltos came with standard driver assistance features, including forward collision avoidance with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-departure warning, lane-follow assist, automatic high beams, and driver attention warning. The S trim added blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and Safe Exit Warning. The SX trim included smart cruise control, traffic sign recognition, highway driving assist, and a junction-turning function for forward collision warning.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured 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 SEL trim added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, while 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 three crash tests and an Acceptable rating for the Limited trim's LED headlights. The NHTSA gave the Venue an overall rating of four stars.