2021 Subaru Outback 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 a distinctive upright design. It featured unique touches like a contrasting white roof on the Denim trim and a large chrome grille reminiscent of Hyundai's larger SUVs. 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 Subaru Outback, redesigned for the 2020 model year, maintained a familiar and comfortable feel while offering a fresher interior compared to its smaller sibling, the Crosstrek. The Outback's interior was more refined, especially in the Premium and higher trims, which featured an 11.6-inch portrait display. Quality materials and thoughtful design were evident throughout, with the Onyx Edition XT offering a unique StarTex upholstery. The Outback's exterior design remained smooth and plain, with high gray cladding for protection. It offered a lifted wagon experience, making it a great alternative to typical crossovers or SUVs. The Outback's styling and features made it a versatile and capable vehicle for various driving conditions.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue was powered by a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with a manual transmission on the base trim, while 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 decent, with the CVT achieving 30 mpg city, 34 highway, and 32 combined.

In contrast, the 2021 Subaru Outback offered two engine options. The base 2.5-liter flat-four engine produced 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, paired with a CVT. While this engine struggled with the Outback's weight, the turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four engine in the XT trims delivered 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, providing a significant performance boost. The Outback's handling was designed for comfort, with long-travel springs and 8.7 inches of ground clearance for off-road capability. Subaru's electronically-variable AWD system was proactive, enhancing the Outback's off-road prowess. The XT's fuel economy was slightly lower than the base engine, but the performance gains were worth the trade-off.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue offered limited cargo space, with 31.9 cubic feet available when the rear seats were folded, compared to the Kona's 45.8 cubic feet. However, the Venue provided ample head- and legroom in the front seats, even for taller drivers. The control layout was intuitive, with traditional buttons and dials for essential functions. The Venue's automatic climate control on higher trims had a unique design, but overall, Hyundai's attention to user-friendly design was evident.

The 2021 Subaru Outback excelled in interior space, offering 76 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded and 33 cubic feet with them raised. The Outback's interior was spacious and comfortable, with excellent visibility thanks to thin pillars and ample glass. Storage options were plentiful, with large map pockets, bottle holders, and additional storage compartments. However, some features like push-button start and rear climate vents were only available on higher trims. The Outback's standout feature was its standard roof rails with integrated crossbars, providing convenience and cost savings.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, USB ports, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Hyundai's logical touchscreen layout minimized distracted driving, with large icons and redundant hard buttons for major functions. The screen placement was well-designed, allowing for easy use while driving.

The 2021 Subaru Outback's infotainment system appeared dated, with graphics reminiscent of older technology. However, it offered modern features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Subaru EyeSight was standard, providing adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and forward automatic emergency braking. The system's functionality was impressive but relied solely on cameras, which could be limited in certain conditions. The optional navigation system was more modern-looking, and the single large screen was more cohesive than the base model's dual-screen setup.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue came with standard safety features like a reversing camera, traction control, and a full array of airbags. It also included driver-assistance technologies such as 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, standard on the Denim trim.

The 2021 Subaru Outback featured a stronger and stiffer chassis, with standard airbags including a driver's knee airbag and passenger seat-cushion airbag. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert was optional on Premium trims and standard on higher trims. The Outback earned top safety ratings from the IIHS and NHTSA, with "Good" ratings in crash tests and a "Superior" rating for forward emergency braking. The Outback's safety features and ratings made it a reliable choice for safety-conscious buyers.