2021 Subaru Crosstrek 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 an upright design. It featured distinctive touches like a contrasting white roof on the Denim trim and a large chrome grille reminiscent of the Hyundai Palisade. 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 Subaru Crosstrek, on the other hand, was a crossover that borrowed rugged looks and AWD from the Impreza hatchback. It stood out with black body cladding, model-specific wheels, and a taller ride height, offering 8.7 inches of ground clearance. The Crosstrek's design allowed it to mimic an SUV while maintaining the character of the Impreza. It featured vibrant color options and rode on the Subaru Global Platform, providing a polished and refined driving experience. Inside, the Crosstrek shared its interior with the Impreza, offering functionality but with some quirky design choices like Plasma Yellow Pearl accents. The Sport trim added water-repellant StarTex upholstery, making it practical for outdoor adventures.

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

In contrast, the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek offered two gasoline powertrain options. The Sport and Limited trims featured a new 2.5-liter boxer-four engine with 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, while the base and Premium trims retained the 2.0-liter engine with 152 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque. The Crosstrek's boxer engine provided a lower center of gravity, enhancing handling. All trims came with standard AWD, including torque vectoring and X-Mode for improved traction. The Crosstrek's ride was comfortable, with predictable handling and low wind noise. The new 2.5-liter engine offered slightly better performance, but acceleration remained adequate with noticeable CVT droning.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue offered limited cargo space, with 31.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, compared to the Kona's 45.8 cubic feet. However, it provided ample head- and legroom in the front seats, even for taller drivers. The Venue's control layout was user-friendly, with traditional buttons and dials for essential functions. The SEL and Denim trims featured automatic climate control with a unique display design. Overall, the Venue's interior was thoughtfully designed for everyday usability.

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek shared its interior dimensions with the Impreza hatchback, offering competitive passenger space but limited cargo capacity. It provided 20.8 cubic feet with the rear seats in place and 55.3 cubic feet with them folded. The Crosstrek included a rear-seat reminder and a convenient cubby hole for phones with USB and auxiliary ports. While the driving position was higher than the Impreza's, it didn't offer the commanding view of traditional SUVs. However, visibility was excellent due to the large side glass and low front fascia.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, USB ports, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Hyundai's logical touchscreen layout minimized distracted driving, with large icons and fonts. The screen placement allowed for easy use while driving, with redundant hard buttons for major functions.

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek used the Starlink infotainment system, starting with a 6.5-inch touchscreen and offering an 8-inch option with navigation on higher trims. It included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth. The Crosstrek had a second screen above the main touchscreen for additional information. The system was user-friendly, with large analog knobs and buttons for essential functions, and steering wheel controls for EyeSight driver-assistance features.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue came with standard safety features like a reversing camera, traction control, and a full array of airbags. It also included forward-collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, and a driver-attention warning. The SEL trim with the Convenience Package added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, standard on the Denim trim.

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA and a "Top Safety Pick" award from the IIHS for the 2020 model. It featured EyeSight driver-assist technology with adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and lane-departure warning. The Limited trim added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. EyeSight's cameras were well-protected but had limitations in certain conditions.