2021 Hyundai Venue vs 2021 Nissan Armada

The 2021 Hyundai Venue was a stylish little crossover that seemed to defy the passage of time with its design. Its upright stance, nearly horizontal roofline, and steeply dropping tailgate gave it a unique presence that belied its small size. The grille was appropriately sized, drawing attention without overwhelming the car's design, while roof rails and wide-spaced letters at the back added to its crossover appeal. The Venue's headlights and taillights featured intriguing patterns, and the 2021 model saw minor updates, such as the replacement of 15-inch steel wheels with alloys and the inclusion of 17-inch alloys on higher trims. The top-line Denim trim stood out with its white roof and unique paint job, while the SEL trim offered great value with standard features previously part of an extra-cost package.

Inside, the Venue's cabin was a testament to Hyundai's ability to create a modern feel with budget-friendly materials. While plastic was prevalent, the interior still managed to look contemporary. The Venue's shape allowed for ample natural light, and features like heated seats in the SEL trim added comfort. Despite the visible mechanical tracks of the optional power sunroof, the Venue's interior was functional and inviting, offering a pleasant driving experience without the luxury price tag.

The 2021 Nissan Armada underwent a significant facelift, aligning its design with Nissan's new signature look. The SUV's exterior featured a new grille, fenders, bumpers, and LED lights, giving it a modern appearance while retaining its traditional, robust styling. The Armada was available in S, SV, SL, and Platinum trims, with the Midnight Edition Package exclusive to the SL. The Platinum trim, tested in prototype form, showcased the SUV's premium features. The Armada's body-on-frame construction remained, with changes most noticeable from the A-pillar forward. Despite its updates, the Armada's underbite and dated rear design were evident, especially compared to competitors like the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon.

The Armada's interior offered practicality and comfort, with standard running boards and in-cabin handles for easy access. The broad dashboard housed a new 12.3-inch touchscreen, though some controls were a stretch for the driver. Front seats were power-adjustable, and second-row captain's chairs were available in higher trims, reducing seating capacity from eight to seven. The third row was less comfortable for adults, but the Armada provided ample cargo space, with 16.5 cubic feet behind the third row and up to 95.4 cubic feet with seats folded. However, the high load floor posed challenges for loading and unloading, and small-item storage was limited.

The 2021 Hyundai Venue was powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. This small, economical engine was designed to provide adequate power for the Venue's lightweight frame, which weighed in at 2,612 pounds. The Venue's performance was comparable to competitors like the Nissan Kicks, Ford EcoSport, and Toyota C-HR, though it lacked options for more powerful engines. Front-wheel drive was standard, with no all-wheel-drive option, but a selectable drive mode for snowy conditions was available. The Venue's continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) managed power delivery, and while it didn't offer a thrilling driving experience, the car's light weight made it feel lively in lower-speed areas.

The 2021 Nissan Armada was equipped with a robust Endurance 5.6-liter V8 engine, delivering 400 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque on premium fuel. Paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission, the Armada offered rear-wheel drive as standard, with automatic four-wheel drive available. Despite its hefty weight of over 6,000 pounds, the Armada was a capable off-roader, featuring a skid plate, double-wishbone suspension, and Hitachi twin-tube shock absorbers. However, its fuel economy was less impressive, with RWD models achieving 14 mpg city, 19 mpg highway, and 16 mpg combined, while 4WD models fared slightly worse. The Armada's handling improved with each revision, but its size made maneuvering in tight spaces challenging. The SUV boasted a best-in-class towing capacity of 8,500 pounds when properly equipped.

The 2021 Hyundai Venue offered a surprisingly spacious front cabin, with ample headroom and legroom for its size. Storage options included a handy tray ahead of the gear selector and a small center console bin. The Venue's automatic climate control efficiently managed the cabin's temperature. However, the back seat was tighter, with limited legroom for adults, and cargo space was modest, offering 18.7 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 31.9 cubic feet with them down. Compared to competitors like the Nissan Kicks, Toyota C-HR, and Ford EcoSport, the Venue lagged in cargo capacity, making it less ideal for those prioritizing storage space.

The 2021 Nissan Armada, as a full-size SUV, provided ample space and comfort for families. Standard running boards and in-cabin handles facilitated entry and exit. The broad dashboard housed a 12.3-inch touchscreen, though some controls were a stretch for the driver. Front seats were power-adjustable, and higher trims offered second-row captain's chairs, reducing seating capacity from eight to seven. The third row was less comfortable for adults, but the Armada offered 16.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind it, expanding to 95.4 cubic feet with seats folded. However, the high load floor posed challenges for loading and unloading, and small-item storage was limited.

The 2021 Hyundai Venue impressed with its tech offerings, featuring an 8-inch touchscreen with high resolution and responsive swipe functionality. Physical buttons provided easy access to media and settings, while Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto were standard. The Venue's infotainment system allowed for driver profiles with customized radio presets, appealing to families with multiple drivers. The base SE trim was set to receive wireless CarPlay in the future, though the SEL and Denim trims would not.

The 2021 Nissan Armada boasted a class-leading 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, offering clear views from the camera system. Standard features included navigation, a six-speaker stereo, satellite radio, Bluetooth, USB ports, a WiFi hotspot, and wireless Apple CarPlay. Available upgrades included a wireless charging pad, a 13-speaker Bose audio system, and a rearview camera mirror. The Armada Platinum trim came with these features as standard, enhancing the SUV's tech appeal.

The 2021 Hyundai Venue offered a suite of safety features, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and driver-attention warning as standard. The SEL and Denim trims added blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The Venue's safety systems were well-integrated, avoiding intrusive alerts. In crash tests, the Venue received four out of five stars in the NHTSA's driver-side and passenger-side front collision tests and rollover rating.

The 2021 Nissan Armada came equipped with Nissan Safety Shield 360, featuring automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, and rear automatic braking. Additional safety technologies included adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and blind-spot monitoring. However, the Armada lacked advanced driving assist technologies like Nissan ProPilot Assist. The NHTSA gave the Armada a three-star rollover rating due to its 23.7-percent rollover risk.