2024 Lincoln Nautilus vs 2024 Hyundai Venue

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus presented a sophisticated and streamlined exterior, available in Premiere, Reserve, or Black Label trims. Its design featured a new grille with LED lighting extending through it, illuminating the Lincoln star logo, creating a stunning visual. The rear mirrored this horizontal aesthetic with a full-width animated LED light bar and dual exhaust ports. The interior was equally impressive, highlighted by a full-width screen that served as the crown jewel. High-quality materials, ambient lighting, and textures like open-pore wood and fine leather adorned the cabin, although the piano key shifter style was a traditional design element that some might not favor. An optional Jet Appearance Package added two-tone paint, black exterior trim, and unique interior elements for an additional cost.

In contrast, the 2024 Hyundai Venue, available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims, offered a more affordable yet stylish design. The Limited trim, with Ecotronic Gray paint, gave the Venue a mature and subdued appearance. Despite its affordability, the Venue's design was appealing, with unexpected style elements like seat stripes and piping, 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 Lincoln Nautilus came standard with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This setup provided smooth power delivery and unobtrusive shifts. For an additional $1,500, a hybrid setup offered 310 horsepower, 295 lb-ft of torque, and an EPA estimated 30 mpg in combined driving, compared to 24 mpg for the gas-only engine. The hybrid's range exceeded 600 miles, making it a practical choice for long drives. All Nautilus models featured all-wheel drive and five drive modes, with the adaptive suspension enhancing the driving experience. The hybrid's CVT avoided typical droning, providing a pleasant driving experience, though the Nautilus wasn't a driver's car like a Porsche Cayenne or BMW X5.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue was equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine generating 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. Weighing 2,612 pounds in base SE trim, the Venue's CVT maximized available power, making it suitable for city and suburban driving. Its small size, nimble handling, and excellent visibility made it ideal for urban environments. However, the suspension struggled on rough surfaces, resulting in a busy ride quality. On highways, the Venue maintained pace with traffic but sounded unpleasant under hard acceleration. Lacking all-wheel drive, the Venue's power was directed to the front wheels, though its 6.7 inches of ground clearance allowed it to handle snow with winter tires. The Venue achieved an EPA rating of 31 mpg in combined driving, though real-world testing yielded slightly lower results.

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus offered power-adjustable, heated, and cooled front seats across all trims, with the Black Label model featuring 24-way Perfect Position front seats, renowned for their comfort and massage function. Rear seats provided 43 inches of legroom, accommodating taller passengers comfortably. The Lincoln Rejuvenate feature combined massage, lighting, and screen images to create different moods, enhancing relaxation. Cargo space was generous, with 36 cubic feet behind the second row and 71 cubic feet with seats folded down in the Premiere trim. The Nautilus seated five, prioritizing cargo space over additional seating rows.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue's increased ground clearance facilitated easy entry and exit. 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. Front seats featured fabric inserts, artificial leather bolsters, and heated cushions. The back seat technically accommodated three, but two passengers were more comfortable. Rear-seat amenities included USB ports but lacked air conditioning vents and privacy glass. Cargo space was comparable to a compact car, with 18.7 cubic feet available, expanding to 31.9 cubic feet with the back seat folded down.

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus featured a massive 48-inch curved display, with a digital dash for the driver and customizable sections for various information. An 11.1-inch touchscreen handled basic infotainment duties, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. HVAC controls were accessible via permanent icons, though vent adjustments required navigating menus. Unlabeled steering wheel controls were a distraction, but the inclusion of Google Maps, Alexa Built-in, and over-the-air updates added convenience. Wireless charging and USB-A and -C ports were standard.

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

The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus came equipped with the Lincoln CoPilot 360 suite of ADAS features, including lane-keeping assist, park assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and emergency braking. Blue Cruise 1.2 technology was available, offering hands-free driving on pre-mapped highways with automatic lane-change assist. The 2023 Nautilus received high safety ratings from the NHTSA and IIHS, though the 2024 model had not yet been rated.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured Hyundai SmartSense, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, and a driver monitoring system. The Venue SEL 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, but its safety systems generally performed well. The IIHS rated the Venue highly in crash tests, while the NHTSA awarded it four stars overall.