Toyota Land Cruiser vs Hyundai Venue

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser was available in two trim levels, the 1958 and the Cruiser. The 1958 trim, named after the year the model first appeared in North America, featured a retro design with round headlights and basic equipment, priced at $73,270. The Cruiser trim, priced at $82,030, offered a more modern and upscale appearance, with additional colour options, a nicer interior, and essential off-roading hardware. The Cruiser trim test vehicle included the Premium Package, which added leather, larger screens, and a roof rack, bringing the price to $90,603. The Land Cruiser's design emphasized off-road capabilities, with a traditional two-box SUV design, dark grey cladding, and a roof rack for additional utility. Inside, the Cruiser trim offered a more refined interior with Java-coloured leather and dual 12.3-inch digital screens, enhancing its technological appeal.

The 2026 Hyundai Venue, classified as a crossover SUV, had a design that leaned more towards a tall hatchback. It featured a small and narrow appearance, with SUV-like cues such as an upright windshield, bluff nose, and available roof rails. The Venue's design included lower headlights, high-set daytime running lights, and a satin metallic lower fascia. The Venue's interior was simple and functional, with a digital instrument cluster and a small touchscreen that resembled an iPad. The Venue's design was characterized by its compact size, making it suitable for urban environments. The interior featured body-colour trim around the air vents and shifter, adding a touch of the exterior design to the cabin.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser was equipped with Toyota’s i-Force Max hybrid system, combining a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine with an electric motor, producing 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. This power was delivered through a full-time four-wheel-drive system, allowing for a maximum towing capacity of 2,720 kilograms. The Land Cruiser featured standard off-roading capabilities, including Downhill Assist Control and Crawl Control, with the Cruiser trim adding Multi-Terrain Select modes and a front stabilizer bar disconnect. Despite its power, the Land Cruiser's fuel efficiency was lower than expected, with real-world consumption at 15.0 L/100 km. The vehicle excelled in urban and off-road environments, offering a high driving position and excellent visibility. However, it struggled with handling on twisty roads due to its suspension tuning.

The 2026 Hyundai Venue was powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. The power was transmitted through a continuously variable transmission to the front wheels. The Venue's acceleration was modest, with a 0-100 km/h time of 8.5–8.8 seconds, aided by its lightweight of 1,251 kilograms. The Venue felt peppy in city driving but lacked power at highway speeds. The transmission provided stepped gear ratios, but heavy throttle caused engine noise. The Venue's handling benefited from its small size and low weight, making it agile in traffic and easy to park. However, the ride was jiggly on broken pavement due to its solid rear axle.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser's interior featured SofTex artificial leather in the Cruiser trim, with ventilated and heated front seats. The Premium Package added real leather and a power sunroof. The front seats were comfortable, but the second-row seats lacked thigh support and had an uncomfortable backrest angle. The Land Cruiser offered 1,062 litres of cargo space, expanding to 2,324 litres with the rear seats folded. However, the high load floor made loading heavy items challenging. The rear window design was less practical compared to the 4Runner, and the centre console's cool box reduced storage space.

The 2026 Hyundai Venue's interior featured cloth and synthetic leather seats with black upholstery and white contrast stitching. The front seats offered six-way manual adjustments and standard heating. Headroom was ample, but legroom was limited for tall occupants. The rear seat accommodated two adults comfortably, but three would be cramped. The rear seats folded flat in a 60/40 split, providing 528 litres of cargo space, expanding to 902 litres with the seats up. The Venue's interior was characterized by hard black plastic surfaces, with limited soft-touch areas.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser's Cruiser trim featured dual 12.3-inch displays, offering a sophisticated appearance. The Toyota Audio Multimedia system included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and access to Apple Music and Amazon Music. Four connected service plans were available, including Drive Connect with cloud-based navigation and a digital assistant. The Premium Package added a 14-speaker JBL sound system, a wireless smartphone charger, and a head-up display.

The 2026 Hyundai Venue was equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen for basic infotainment features. It included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but lacked navigation, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and SiriusXM satellite radio. The Venue's digital instrument cluster displayed limited information. A wireless charging pad was standard in Canada. The audio system was a simple six-speaker unit, with no premium option available.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser included Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, featuring forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist. The adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist provided semi-autonomous highway driving. Additional safety features included a road sign reader and blind-spot monitoring. The Land Cruiser received a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA, with a three-star rollover resistance rating.

The 2026 Hyundai Venue offered standard safety features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane keep assist. Blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert were available on higher trims. The Venue received a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA. The IIHS had not released full safety ratings, but the Venue received a "Good" score in the small front overlap test.