2024 Hyundai Venue vs 2024 Subaru Outback

The 2024 Subaru Outback maintained its rugged charm with minor updates to the Wilderness trim, featuring a new front fascia and LED fog lights. The dark gray cladding contrasted beautifully with the Autumn Green Metallic color of the Touring XT model, offering a surprisingly appealing aesthetic. The Outback's trims varied in their use of black and chrome, with the Touring trim showcasing the most chrome, which was tastefully executed. Wheel designs differed across trims, with the Wilderness trim sporting matte black wheels, while the Onyx Edition and higher trims featured larger, machine-finished wheels. Inside, the top-trim model impressed with Java Brown Nappa leather upholstery, elevating the Outback's interior to a level of luxury not typically associated with Subaru.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims, offered a stylish and mature design, especially in the Limited trim with Ecotronic Gray paint. Despite its affordable price range, the Venue exuded genuine style, making it an appealing choice for budget-conscious buyers. The interior, while featuring hard plastics, avoided looking cheap, with stylish seat stripes and white trim accents. The digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display added a modern touch, and the controls were of typical Hyundai quality. Overall, the Venue presented itself as a thoughtfully designed and high-quality small SUV.

The 2024 Subaru Outback was powered by a 2.5-liter flat-four engine producing 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque. The XT trims, including the Wilderness, featured a more robust 2.4-liter turbocharged engine with 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, enhancing towing capacity to 3,500 lbs. Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and a Lineartronic CVT were standard, providing a smooth driving experience. The turbo engine was well-suited for the Outback's weight, and the CVT mimicked eight distinct gears effectively. The Outback offered a comfortable ride, with 8.7 inches of ground clearance, increasing to 9.2 inches in the Wilderness trim, which also included all-terrain tires and advanced X-Mode for off-road adventures.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 121 horsepower and 113 lb-ft of torque. Weighing 2,612 pounds in base SE trim, the Venue's CVT maximized available power for city and suburban driving. While the Venue handled well in urban environments, its suspension struggled on rough roads, leading to a busy ride quality. The Venue's front-wheel-drive setup and 6.7 inches of ground clearance allowed it to handle light snow with winter tires. The Venue achieved an EPA rating of 31 mpg combined, though our tests averaged 30.3 mpg.

The Subaru Outback offered generous interior space, with more front headroom than competitors like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. It also provided ample legroom in both rows. Cargo space measured 32.6 cubic feet with seats up and 75.6 cubic feet with seats folded. The Outback featured dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, and a power-adjustable driver's seat starting from the Premium trim. Higher trims added features like heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel. The hands-free power liftgate and power moonroof were available on higher trims, and the roof rails with retractable cross bars were standard.

The Hyundai Venue's higher 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, with limited storage and no rear air vents. Cargo space was 18.7 cubic feet with seats up and 31.9 cubic feet with seats folded. The Venue included a dashboard shelf for additional storage.

The Subaru Outback Touring featured an 11.6-inch portrait-oriented infotainment screen, with the base trim retaining dual 7-inch screens. The system included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with wireless connectivity starting from the Premium trim. The climate controls were integrated into the touchscreen, with hard buttons for essential functions. Wi-Fi capability, Bluetooth, HD Radio, and SiriusXM were standard, with a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system available on most trims.

The Hyundai Venue's 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display offered modern graphics and simple operation. Standard features included Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Limited trim added navigation, SiriusXM, a wireless charger, and Bluelink+ services. However, the Limited required wired connections for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which was less convenient. The Venue's infotainment system was sophisticated, with a native voice recognition system and music streaming capabilities.

The 2024 Subaru Outback earned a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA. Standard safety features included the EyeSight suite with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency braking. The Onyx trim added reverse automatic braking, while the Touring trim featured a wide-angle camera, digital rearview mirror, and driver-attention monitor.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue came with Hyundai SmartSense, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keep assist. The SEL trim added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, with cyclist detection standard on the Limited trim. The Venue received Good ratings in IIHS crash tests and a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA.