Chevrolet Blazer vs Hyundai Venue

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer presented a sleek and stylish profile, diverging from the rugged appearance typical of many crossovers. Its design incorporated elements more akin to road cars, such as a low roofline and leaned-back pillars, complemented by a prominent grille and stacked headlights. Despite these car-like features, the Blazer maintained the visual heft of an SUV, thanks to its tall ride height and robust body sides. The Blazer RS test vehicle stood out with its blackout trim, vibrant Red Hot paint, and striking 21-inch wheels, making it a visually appealing choice in the mainstream crossover segment. The 2023 updates included subtle styling changes, such as new taillights with twisted elements, revised grille and LED headlight designs, and additional wheel options and colour choices, enhancing the Blazer's fresh and modern look.

Inside, the Blazer's interior exuded a sporty vibe, reminiscent of the Camaro muscle car, with an upright dashboard and large round air vents. Standard features included cloth seats and dual-zone automatic climate control, while higher trims offered leather upholstery. The Blazer RS model featured blue trim, chrome accents, and a dark blue and black two-tone upholstery scheme, showcasing impressive material quality. Overall, the Blazer's interior combined functionality with a touch of flair, making it a compelling choice for those seeking a stylish and comfortable crossover.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, available in Essential, Preferred, and Ultimate trims, offered a range of prices from $23,581 to $28,081, including destination charges. The Venue Preferred trim, priced at $25,581, was recommended for its enhanced exterior appearance and added convenience and safety features. The test vehicle, equivalent to the U.S. Ultimate trim, featured Ecotronic Grey paint and an MSRP of $28,331. While the grey colour lent a mature and subdued look, the Venue's design remained appealing and stylish for an affordable car. Inside, the Venue's interior featured hard plastics but avoided looking cheap, with unexpected style elements like seat stripes and white trim around air vents and the transmission shifter. The digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display were highlights, offering modern graphics and intuitive operation. Overall, the Venue was a thoughtfully designed, stylishly detailed, and high-quality small SUV.

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer retained its powertrain options from the previous model year. The base LT model came equipped with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, delivering 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. For those seeking more power, a naturally aspirated 3.6-litre V6 engine was available, producing 308 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. Both engines were paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive (AWD) was standard in Canada. However, the AWD system required manual engagement, unlike some competitors that automatically switched between front-wheel drive (FWD) and AWD. The V6-powered Blazer RS test car demonstrated impressive acceleration and a sporty exhaust note, although its handling was affected by its weight and top-heavy design. The Blazer's 2,041-kilogram towing capacity was competitive for midsize SUVs, but its off-road capabilities were limited due to its car-based crossover design.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. Despite its modest power output, the Venue's lightweight design, weighing between 1,200 and 1,250 kilograms, allowed it to perform adequately. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) maximized available power, making the Venue suitable for city and suburban driving. However, the Venue's suspension struggled on rough and irregular pavement, resulting in a busy ride quality. On the highway, the Venue could maintain traffic pace, but the engine and CVT became noisy under heavy acceleration. The Venue lacked all-wheel drive, relying on front-wheel drive, but its 17 centimetres of ground clearance provided some advantage in snowy conditions. The Venue's fuel economy was rated at 7.5 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving, with a slightly higher average of 7.8 L/100 km during testing.

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer was a two-row, five-seat midsize SUV, offering a spacious interior without the bulk of a three-row model. Front-seat headroom was comparable to rivals like the Ford Edge and Honda Passport, while rear-seat headroom was slightly below average but better than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The Blazer provided ample legroom in both rows, enhancing passenger comfort. Cargo space measured 864 litres with the rear seats in place and expanded to 1,818 litres with the seats folded, though it lagged behind competitors like the Honda Passport and Nissan Murano. Despite these numbers, the Blazer felt spacious and easy to maneuver, with functional interior details like USB port placement and intuitive climate controls. A heated steering wheel was standard on the RS trim but unavailable on lower models, which was an oversight for Canadian buyers.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue offered increased ground clearance, making it easier to enter and exit the vehicle. Despite its compact size, the Venue provided decent comfort, with a driver's seat featuring manual height adjustment and a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel. The front seats boasted fabric inserts, artificial leather bolsters, and heated cushions for cold weather. While the back seat technically accommodated three passengers, two would be more comfortable, and taller passengers might find the hard plastic front seatbacks uncomfortable. Rear storage space was limited, and there were no air conditioning vents for rear passengers. In the front, the Venue offered decent storage options, including a dashboard shelf. Cargo capacity was 528 litres, expanding to 902 litres with the rear seats folded, comparable to a typical compact car.

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer received tech upgrades for 2023, including a standard 10.2-inch touchscreen and available wireless device charging on all trims. The RS and Premier trims featured an 8-inch digital instrument cluster display, while wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and SiriusXM satellite radio were standard across the lineup. The RS and Premier models also offered built-in navigation and an eight-speaker Bose audio system, with these features available on the True North trim as part of a package. The infotainment system's layout was intuitive, similar to other Chevy crossovers, though a dedicated button for the optional 360-degree camera system would have been appreciated. The Blazer's tech presentation was competitive, with the new touchscreen among the largest in its segment.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display with modern graphics and logical menu structures. Below the screen, stereo volume and radio tuning knobs framed a row of buttons for quick access to commonly used functions. Standard features included Bluetooth connectivity with music streaming, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, and a six-speaker sound system. While the Venue's infotainment system was user-friendly, it could have benefited from better stereo speakers to cater to its youthful target audience.

The 2023 Chevrolet Blazer offered a range of safety features, though not all were standard. The standard Chevy Safety Assist Package included automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a following distance indicator, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, and GM's Teen Driver monitoring system. Adaptive cruise control was now available on all trims, and optional features included blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear park assist, a 360-degree camera system, rear camera mirror, and a Safety Alert vibrating driver seat. The Blazer received high safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA, with "Good" ratings in crash tests and a five-star overall safety rating from NHTSA.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue came standard with forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and a driver monitoring system. The Venue Preferred trim added blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. However, adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist were not available. The lane-keeping assist system occasionally produced inaccurate alerts, and the forward-collision warning issued one incorrect warning during testing. The Venue received "Good" ratings in three IIHS crash tests and an "Acceptable" rating for the Ultimate trim's LED headlights. The NHTSA awarded the Venue a four-star overall safety rating.