2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe vs 2020 Hyundai Venue

The 2020 Hyundai Venue filled a gap in Hyundai's lineup by offering a more affordable subcompact SUV option compared to the Kona. While the Kona was more premium and powerful, the Venue focused on being a practical people-mover with a distinctive upright design. It featured unique touches like a contrasting white roof on the Denim trim and a large chrome grille reminiscent of Hyundai's larger SUVs. Inside, the Venue boasted a modern and clean cabin with ample space for both front and rear passengers, providing excellent visibility due to its upright layout and large windows. The Venue was available in SE, SEL, and Denim trims, with the SEL being the recommended choice when paired with the Premium package for added features.

The 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe made its mark with subtle exterior differences from the regular Wrangler, such as a "4xe" badge and blue accents. However, its silent operation in electric mode turned heads as it navigated through Yosemite National Park. The Rubicon trim, with its bright Firecracker Red paint and over $13,000 in options, showcased the Wrangler's rugged charm. Inside, the Wrangler 4xe retained its classic, utilitarian design with some modern touches like blue seat stitching and PHEV-specific gauges. Despite its simplicity, the interior offered comfort and practicality, though storage space was limited. The Wrangler's unique design, including its swing-out tailgate and flip-up rear glass window, added to its character, even if it posed challenges for accessing cargo.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue was powered by a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. While it offered a manual transmission on the base trim, most trims came with a continuously variable automatic transmission (IVT). The Venue was front-wheel drive only, lacking an all-wheel-drive option. Despite its SUV aspirations, the Venue's performance was more akin to a compact hatchback, with underwhelming acceleration and a noisy engine. It featured drive modes like Normal, Snow, and Sport, but even in Sport mode, it struggled to reach highway speeds quickly. The Venue's fuel economy was commendable, with the CVT achieving 30 mpg city, 34 highway, and 32 combined.

The 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe combined a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with two electric motors and a 17-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. This setup delivered a total of 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, allowing the Wrangler 4xe to reach 60 mph in six seconds. It offered three powertrain modes: Hybrid, Electric, and e-Save, providing flexibility for different driving scenarios. The Wrangler 4xe's electric range was estimated at 21 miles, with a combined efficiency rating of 49 MPGe. In hybrid mode, it achieved 20 mpg combined. The Wrangler 4xe's off-road capabilities were enhanced by features like skid plates, low range, and Dana 44 axles, making it a versatile choice for adventurous drivers.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue, while not particularly fast or sporty, offered a comfortable and practical interior. It provided ample head- and legroom in the front seats, even for taller drivers, and decent rear-seat legroom. However, its cargo space was limited, with only 31.9 cubic feet available when the rear seats were folded. The Venue's control layout was intuitive, with traditional buttons and dials for essential functions, ensuring ease of use. The automatic climate control on higher trims featured a unique display that could be mistaken for a dial, but overall, the Venue's interior design was well thought out.

The 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe's interior was designed for comfort and practicality, though it required some effort to climb in and out due to its high door sills. Once inside, passengers enjoyed a classic Wrangler driving position with excellent visibility. The center console offered limited storage due to the hand-brake and transfer case lever, but rear passengers had access to air conditioning vents, USB ports, and a power outlet. Cargo space was somewhat limited, with 27.7 cubic feet available behind the back seat, reduced by the 4xe's battery and sound system components. Despite these limitations, the Wrangler 4xe's interior retained its rugged charm and functionality.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system across all trims, offering Bluetooth, USB ports, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Hyundai's logical touchscreen layout minimized distracted driving, with large icons and fonts for easy navigation. The screen placement allowed for finger bracing, enhancing usability while driving.

The 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Rubicon's technological advancements centered around its plug-in hybrid powertrain and 4WD system. It featured an 8.4-inch touchscreen Uconnect infotainment system with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation, and SiriusXM Guardian connected services. While the system was intuitive, it showed signs of aging in terms of load time and responsiveness. The Wrangler 4xe also provided helpful charging status indicators and trip summary data, enhancing the overall driving experience.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue came equipped with standard safety features, including a reversing camera, traction control, a tire-pressure monitoring system, and a full array of airbags. It also offered impressive driver-assistance technology like forward-collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, and a driver-attention warning. The SEL trim added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, which were standard on the Denim trim.

The 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe offered advanced driving assistance systems through the Safety Group and Advanced Safety Group packages. These included blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, and forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking. While the Wrangler's LED headlights received a Marginal rating from the IIHS, the SUV was generally considered safe, except for its Marginal rating in small-overlap frontal-impact protection for the driver. The NHTSA gave the Wrangler Unlimited a four-star frontal-impact crash-test rating and a three-star rollover resistance rating.