2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC vs 2021 Hyundai Venue

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC was a testament to timeless design, eschewing the aggressive styling trends of its contemporaries for a more classic aesthetic. Its exterior featured soft curves and rounded edges, complemented by menacing LED headlights that added a touch of modern aggression. The long hood and wide grille gave the GLC a dramatic stance, reminiscent of a raised C-Class or E-Class sedan, emphasizing its car-like characteristics. Inside, the GLC's cabin was an artful blend of soft lines and curves, with a flowing dash and a floating center touchscreen. Mercedes-Benz was known for its minimalist approach, and the GLC's interior set the standard for compact luxury SUV cabins.

In contrast, the 2021 Hyundai Venue was a stylish little crossover that seemed immune to the passage of time. Its upright stance, horizontal roofline, and steeply dropping tailgate gave it a unique presence. The Venue's grille was appropriately sized, drawing attention without overwhelming the design. The split headlights and taillights with interesting patterns added to its charm. The Venue's exterior updates for 2021 included 15-inch alloys on the base SE trim and 17-inch alloys on the SEL and Denim trims. The top-line Denim trim, with its white roof and unique paint job, was particularly eye-catching, while the SEL trim offered excellent value with standard features that were previously part of an extra-cost package.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 was powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 255 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. This power was delivered through a nine-speed automatic transmission to either the rear wheels or the available 4MATIC all-wheel drive. The GLC featured steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters and Dynamic Select with multiple drive modes, including Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+. Despite these performance features, the GLC 300 was more about refined power than sporty aggression, offering a responsive powertrain with precise steering and confident handling. For those seeking more power, the AMG GLC43 and AMG GLC63 variants offered significantly more horsepower, with the latter's twin-turbo V8 delivering up to 503 hp.

The 2021 Hyundai Venue, on the other hand, was equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) and front-wheel drive, as all-wheel drive was not available. The Venue's performance was modest, with its lightweight design allowing for sprightly movement in lower-speed areas. However, it lacked the power for more thrilling driving experiences. The Venue's engine and CVT combination was adequate for its size, but those seeking more potent performance would need to look elsewhere.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC offered 56.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded in the conventional SUV format, while the GLC Coupe's fastback profile reduced this to 49.4 cubic feet. With the rear seats up, the GLC provided 19.4 cubic feet, and the Coupe offered 17.6 cubic feet. The GLC's interior was well-designed, with a decently sized center console, deep door pockets, and retractable cupholders. Rear-seat space was adequate, with plenty of headroom in the SUV, although the Coupe's low roofline compromised headroom. Overall, the GLC made excellent use of its interior space.

The 2021 Hyundai Venue, despite its compact size, provided ample headroom and legroom in the front seats. Storage space was decent, with a handy tray ahead of the gear selector and a small center console bin. The Venue's automatic climate control efficiently managed the small cabin's temperature. However, the back seat was tighter, with limited legroom for adults on longer drives. Cargo space was limited, with 18.7 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 31.9 cubic feet with them folded. Compared to its competitors, the Venue offered less cargo volume, making it less suitable for those prioritizing storage capacity.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC featured the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system, which included a 10.25-inch center touchscreen, a center console touch controller, and an advanced voice-control system. The system was intuitive, offering both touch controller and touchscreen options for navigating menus. The steering wheel had touch-sensitive pads for customizing the digital instrument panel and navigating the infotainment screen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were included, although switching between the GLC's radio and smartphone apps required navigating through menus.

The 2021 Hyundai Venue boasted an 8-inch touchscreen with high resolution and quick swipe functionality. The interface was designed for simplicity, with physical buttons for quick access to media sources and settings. The Venue's infotainment system allowed for driver profiles with customized radio presets, appealing to families with multiple drivers. Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto were standard features, although wireless CarPlay was only available on the base SE trim in the future.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC came equipped with standard safety features, including automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. It also featured front- and rear parking sensors, hands-free parking assist, and a driver drowsiness monitor. However, the parking and proximity sensors were overly sensitive, leading to false positives. Optional safety features included a 360-degree parking camera, dynamic cruise control, automatic high beams, and lane departure warning.

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