2021 Land Rover Defender vs 2020 Hyundai Venue

The 2020 Hyundai Venue filled a gap in Hyundai's lineup by offering a more affordable subcompact SUV option compared to the Kona. While the Kona was more premium and powerful, the Venue focused on being a practical people-mover with its upright design. It featured distinctive touches like a contrasting white roof on the Denim trim and a large chrome grille reminiscent of the Hyundai Palisade. Inside, the Venue boasted a modern and clean cabin with ample space for both front and rear passengers, providing excellent visibility due to its upright layout and large windows. The Venue was available in SE, SEL, and Denim trims, with the SEL being the recommended choice when paired with the Premium package for added features.

The 2021 Land Rover Defender aimed to capture the essence of its predecessors while embracing modernity. It featured a serious appearance with half-round LED headlights and a structural-looking grille. The Defender's design included callbacks to its heritage, such as flat-topped fenders and a floating roof, while incorporating functional elements like a side-hinged tailgate with a spare tire. The interior emphasized exposed structure, with a dash held between horizontal beams and beefy controls. The leather-upholstered seating provided luxury comfort, and the digital instrument panel and center touchscreen interface added a modern touch. The Defender's interior exuded authenticity and high quality, with real metal and leather surfaces.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue was powered by a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. It was available with a manual transmission on the base trim, but most trims came with a continuously variable automatic transmission (IVT). The Venue was front-wheel drive only, lacking an all-wheel-drive option. Despite its SUV aspirations, the Venue's performance was more akin to a compact hatchback, with underwhelming acceleration and a noisy engine. It offered drive modes like Normal, Snow, and Sport, but struggled to reach highway speeds quickly. The Venue's fuel economy was commendable, with the CVT achieving 30 mpg city, 34 highway, and 32 combined.

The 2021 Land Rover Defender offered two powertrains in the U.S. The base model featured a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine with 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The more powerful option was a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six mild-hybrid engine producing 395 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. All Defenders came with an eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4WD with Terrain Response. The Defender excelled in off-road capabilities, boasting impressive approach and departure angles, ground clearance, and wading depth. On-road, the Defender was quick, with the 3.0-liter model reaching 0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds. It also had a maximum towing capacity of 8,200 pounds and a payload capacity of over 1,700 pounds.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue, while not particularly fast or sporty, offered decent interior space. It had 31.9 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded, which was less than the Hyundai Kona's 45.8 cubic feet. However, both vehicles had around 19 cubic feet of space with the rear seats up. The Venue provided ample head- and legroom in the front seats, even for taller drivers, and decent legroom in the rear. The control layout was user-friendly, with traditional buttons and dials for essential functions. The Venue's automatic climate control on higher trims had a unique design, but overall, the interior was well thought out for everyday use.

The 2021 Land Rover Defender utilized a unibody platform with extensive use of aluminum for weight reduction and strength. It featured four-wheel independent multi-link air suspension, enhancing both on-road comfort and off-road capability. The Defender's interior offered flexible seating options, including a jump seat between the front seats and an optional third row in the long-wheelbase 110 model. Cargo space was generous, with the 110 model providing 34-34.6 cubic feet behind the second row and 78.8 cubic feet behind the first row. The Defender's interior configuration possibilities were enhanced by its independent suspension.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue came equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system across all trims. It included Bluetooth, USB ports, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Hyundai's logical touchscreen layout minimized distracted driving, with large icons and fonts and redundant hard buttons on the dash. The screen placement was well-designed, allowing users to brace their hands while using the touchscreen.

The 2021 Land Rover Defender featured Land Rover's Electronic Vehicle Architecture 2.0, enabling remote software updates for 14 individual modules. The Pivi Pro infotainment system included a 10-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel. Standard features included Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, with multiple USB and 12-volt outlets. The Defender offered advanced camera views, including a "transparent hood" view for off-roading. The audio system could be upgraded to a Meridian sound system with up to 700 watts of amplification. A full-color head-up display and a ClearSight rear-view mirror were also available.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue came with standard safety features such as a reversing camera, traction control, a tire-pressure monitoring system, and a full array of front- and side-impact airbags. It also included driver-assistance technology like forward-collision avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assist, and a driver-attention warning. The SEL trim with the Convenience Package added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, which were standard on the Denim trim.

The 2021 Land Rover Defender had not been rated by the NHTSA or IIHS, but it offered an extensive list of standard safety features. These included a perimeter alarm, front airbags with a passenger seat occupant monitor, a tire pressure monitoring system, electronic traction control, dynamic stability control, roll stability control, emergency braking, anti-lock braking, emergency brake assist, cruise control speed limiter, blind spot assist, lane-keep assist, driver condition monitor, traffic sign recognition, rear traffic monitor, clear exit monitor, and a 360-degree parking aid. The Defender underwent rigorous durability testing, ensuring its safety and reliability.