2024 Kia EV9 vs 2024 Hyundai Venue

The 2024 Kia EV9 presented a bold evolution in Kia's electric vehicle lineup, showcasing a design that was both familiar and futuristic. Its exterior maintained the brand's signature style but introduced a more angular, digital clock-inspired aesthetic. The lighting design was particularly innovative, with the "Star Map" daytime running lights and the "Digital Tiger Face" grille adding a modern touch. The top trims, Land and GT-Line, featured a unique Digital Pattern Lighting Grille, enhancing the vehicle's visual appeal. The wheels complemented the blocky design, with the base 19-inch wheels offering a dynamic look, while the higher trims sported more geometric patterns. Inside, the EV9's interior felt spacious and modern, with light gray tones and dual sunroofs enhancing the airy atmosphere. The seats were comfortable, with various adjustments available, and the SynTex surfaces were durable and stylish.

In contrast, the 2024 Hyundai Venue offered a more compact and practical design, with a focus on affordability and style. The Limited trim, with its Ecotronic Gray paint, gave the Venue a mature appearance, while still maintaining a sense of style. Inside, the Venue's interior featured hard plastics but managed to avoid looking cheap, thanks to thoughtful design elements like seat stripes and dashboard trim. The digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display were well-sized for the Venue, and the controls were of typical Hyundai quality. Despite its small size, the Venue was designed with practicality in mind, offering decent comfort and storage space for a vehicle in its class.

The 2024 Kia EV9 offered a range of powertrain options, starting with the Light trim's single motor, rear-wheel-drive setup producing 215 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, with an EPA-estimated range of 230 miles. The Light Long Range model, with a larger 99.8-kWh battery, reduced horsepower to 201 but extended the range to 304 miles. The higher trims, equipped with all-wheel drive and dual motors, delivered 379 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque, with a range of 280 miles. The GT-Line trim prioritized performance, offering 516 lb-ft of torque and a range of 270 miles. During testing, the EV9 GT-Line demonstrated smooth power delivery and good handling, with adjustable regenerative braking and fast charging capabilities.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, produced 121 horsepower and 113 lb-ft of torque. Weighing 2,612 pounds in base SE trim, the Venue's continuously variable transmission (CVT) maximized its power for city and suburban driving. The Venue excelled in urban environments, offering nimble handling and excellent visibility. However, its suspension struggled on rough roads, and the engine and CVT became noisy under heavy acceleration. The Venue lacked all-wheel drive, but its 6.7 inches of ground clearance provided some advantage in snowy conditions. The Venue achieved an EPA rating of 31 mpg in combined driving, though our testing yielded slightly lower results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 stood out with its spacious third row, offering 39.5 inches of headroom and 30.8 to 32.0 inches of legroom, depending on the middle row configuration. The EV9 could seat up to seven passengers, with various seating configurations available. Cargo space was competitive, with 20.2 cubic feet behind the third row, expandable to 81.7 cubic feet with the seats folded. The interior featured a floating center console and ample storage options, though the front storage space was somewhat limited.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, with its increased ground clearance, provided easy access to the front and back seats. The interior offered decent comfort, with manual height adjustment for the driver's seat and tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel adjustment. The back seat was best suited for two passengers, with limited storage and no rear air vents. Cargo space was comparable to a compact car, with 18.7 cubic feet available, expandable to 31.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.

The 2024 Kia EV9 featured a cutting-edge infotainment system with three screens in a single curved display. The 12.3-inch driver information display, 5-inch Climate Display, and 12.3-inch infotainment screen provided a comprehensive tech experience. Standard features included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with higher trims offering a 14-speaker Meridian Premium Audio system. The EV9's connectedness was a highlight, with over-the-air updates and the Kia Connect store allowing for future upgrades and customization.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue's 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display offered modern graphics and simple operation. Standard features included Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Limited trim added a navigation system, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a wireless smartphone charger. However, the switch to wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the Limited trim was a drawback. Despite this, the Venue's infotainment system was sophisticated, with impressive voice recognition capabilities.

The 2024 Kia EV9 came equipped with a comprehensive suite of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), including adaptive cruise control with navigation-based machine learning, blind-spot collision avoidance, and forward collision avoidance. However, some features were reserved for higher trims. The EV9 had not yet been rated by the IIHS or NHTSA but received the highest rating from Euro NCAP.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue included Hyundai SmartSense, offering forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keep assist. The Venue SEL added blind-spot monitoring, while the Limited trim included cyclist detection. The Venue received Good ratings in three IIHS crash tests and an overall four-star rating from the NHTSA.