2023 Chevrolet Blazer vs 2024 Hyundai Venue

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer presented a sleek and road-car-inspired design, with a low roofline and leaned-back pillars that contributed to its striking profile. Despite its crossover nature, it maintained the visual heft of an SUV, thanks to its tall ride height and robust body sides. The Blazer RS model, in particular, stood out with its blackout trim, vibrant Red Hot paint, and distinctive 21-inch wheels. For 2023, the Blazer received subtle styling updates, including new taillights with unique filament-like elements, refreshed grille and LED headlight designs, and additional color options like Sterling Gray Metallic and Radiant Red Tintcoat. Inside, the Blazer's sporty aesthetic was evident with its Camaro-inspired dashboard and available leather upholstery, offering a high-quality feel, especially in the RS trim with its blue and chrome accents.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims, offered a more mature and subdued appearance, particularly in the Ecotronic Gray paint of the Limited trim. Despite its affordability, the Venue's design was appealing, with a sense of genuine style. Inside, the Venue featured hard plastics but managed to avoid looking cheap, with stylish seat stripes and white trim accents. The Limited trim boasted digital instrumentation and an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, which was well-sized for the Venue. The controls were of typical Hyundai quality, and the Venue's interior was thoughtfully designed, offering a stylish and high-quality feel for a small SUV.

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer carried over its powertrain options from the previous year, with most models equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The Blazer RS and select trims offered a 3.6-liter V6 engine, delivering 308 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. Both engines were paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, with standard front-wheel drive and optional all-wheel drive. The AWD system required manual engagement, unlike some competitors with automatic switching. The V6-powered Blazer RS felt quick and sporty, though its weight and design impacted handling. The Blazer's towing capacity reached 4,500 pounds with the V6 and trailering package.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured 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. Its small size and nimble handling made it ideal for urban environments, though the suspension struggled on rough roads. On highways, the Venue maintained pace with traffic but sounded strained under heavy acceleration. The Venue lacked AWD, but its 6.7 inches of ground clearance allowed it to handle snow better than typical cars. The Venue achieved an EPA rating of 31 mpg combined, though our testing yielded 30.3 mpg.

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer was a two-row, five-seat midsize SUV, offering nearly identical front-seat headroom to rivals like the Ford Edge and Honda Passport. Rear-seat headroom was slightly below average but better than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The Blazer provided 30.5 cubic feet of cargo space with rear seats up and 64.2 cubic feet with them folded, trailing competitors like the Honda Passport and Nissan Murano. Despite this, the Blazer felt spacious and easy to maneuver, with functional interior details like USB port placement and innovative air vent controls.

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-adjustable driver's seat and tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel. The back seat technically accommodated three, but two passengers were more comfortable. Rear-seat amenities included USB ports but lacked air vents and privacy glass. The Venue's cargo space was comparable to a compact car, with 18.7 cubic feet available and 31.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer received tech upgrades, including a standard 10.2-inch touchscreen and available wireless device charging. The RS and Premier trims featured an 8-inch digital instrument cluster display, built-in navigation, and an eight-speaker Bose audio system. The infotainment system was intuitive, though a dedicated camera view button would have been appreciated. The Blazer's tech presentation was competitive, with a large touchscreen matching segment leaders.

The 2024 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, and a wireless charger, though it required wired connections for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Despite this, the Venue's infotainment system was sophisticated, with impressive voice recognition and music streaming capabilities.

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer offered the Chevy Safety Assist Package as standard, including automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and lane keep assist. Adaptive cruise control was newly available on lower trims, with additional options like blind spot monitoring and a 360-degree camera system. The Blazer received high safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA, though it lacked GM's advanced Super Cruise system.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue came with Hyundai SmartSense, featuring forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keep assist. The SEL trim added blind-spot monitoring, while the Limited trim included cyclist detection. The Venue lacked adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist. It received Good ratings in IIHS crash tests and a four-star overall rating from NHTSA.