2020 Lincoln Aviator vs 2020 Hyundai Venue

The 2020 Lincoln Aviator was positioned between the Navigator and the compact MKC, later replaced by the Corsair, in Lincoln's lineup. It marked a return to real vehicle names, moving away from the previous alphabet-soup naming convention. The Aviator featured a unified design language across Lincoln's range, with elegant headlights and a prominent chrome grille. Its roofline tapered slightly, giving it an elongated appearance, while the low, wide beltline added a boat-like aesthetic. Inside, the Aviator's cabin boasted a flowing design with soft-touch materials and selective brightwork. The seats were both elegant and sturdy, with shifter buttons resembling piano keys. The Aviator's interior was luxurious, with plush leather throughout, even in areas where it wasn't necessary, showcasing Lincoln's commitment to luxury. Notable features included a panoramic moonroof and unique warning jingles recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, highlighting Lincoln's holistic approach to luxury.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue filled a gap in Hyundai's lineup as a subcompact SUV, despite the earlier introduction of the Kona. While the Kona was more premium and offered AWD, the Venue was an affordable people-mover with an upright design. It featured distinctive touches like a white contrasting roof on the Denim trim and a large chrome grille reminiscent of the Hyundai Palisade. Inside, the Venue's cabin was modern and clean, offering ample space for both front and rear passengers. The upright layout and large side windows provided excellent visibility. The Venue's trims included SE, SEL, and Denim, with the base SE offering basic features, while the SEL added more amenities. The Denim trim was fully loaded with unique denim upholstery, showcasing Hyundai's innovative approach to premium materials.

The 2020 Lincoln Aviator came standard with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine, producing 400 horsepower and 415 pound-feet of torque. The Grand Touring trim enhanced this setup with a 100-hp electric motor, resulting in a combined 494 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque. Both powertrains used a 10-speed automatic transmission, with the base V6 offering RWD or AWD, while the PHEV was AWD only. Both versions achieved 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds. The PHEV's electric and gas power provided smooth acceleration and improved fuel efficiency, with a combined 23 mpg and a 21-mile electric-only range. The Aviator's steering was light, and its brakes were effective, offering a refined driving experience. The Excite drive mode added some dynamism, but the Aviator's weight limited its agility. Fuel economy for the conventional Aviator was 18 mpg city, 26 highway, and 21 combined for RWD, and slightly lower for AWD.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue featured a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine, producing 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. It was paired with a manual transmission on the base trim, while most trims used a continuously variable automatic transmission (IVT). The Venue was FWD only, lacking AWD capability. Despite its SUV aspirations, the Venue's acceleration was underwhelming, with a noisy engine and slow response. It offered Normal, Snow, and Sport drive modes, with Sport mode providing slightly livelier performance at low speeds. The Venue's handling was composed, with minimal body roll, but it transmitted road imperfections to the cabin. The lack of power affected the driver's ability to control the car in tight situations. Fuel economy with the CVT was 30 mpg city, 34 highway, and 32 combined, with slightly different figures for the manual transmission.

The 2020 Lincoln Aviator, with its three rows, competed with vehicles like the Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. The optional second-row captain's chairs were excellent, while the power-closing third row was suitable for short trips with adults or longer trips with children. With the second and third rows folded, the Aviator offered 77 cubic feet of cargo space, comparable to the Cadillac XT6. The Aviator's interior featured some unconventional controls, such as the door handles and seat adjustments, which could be confusing. The 30-way seats with a massage function were worth the effort to learn. The door-release function was also unconventional, with a button instead of a handle, raising concerns about usability in emergencies.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue, while not fast or sporty, offered decent utility for its size. Compared to the Hyundai Kona, the Venue had less cargo space, with 31.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, compared to the Kona's 45.8 cubic feet. However, both vehicles had around 19 cubic feet 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 intuitive, with traditional buttons and dials for the radio and climate controls. The automatic climate control on higher trims had a unique display that could be mistaken for a dial, but overall, the Venue's interior was user-friendly.

The 2020 Lincoln Aviator featured the Sync 3 infotainment system with a 10.1-inch touchscreen in a landscape layout, providing a user-friendly interface for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The fully digital instrument panel and head-up display offered a wealth of information in a minimalist format.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue came with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system across all trims, featuring Bluetooth, USB ports, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The logical layout minimized distracted driving, with large icons and redundant hard buttons for major functions. The screen placement allowed for easy use while driving.

The 2020 Lincoln Aviator included standard safety features like front and side-impact airbags, traction control, and a tire pressure monitoring system. The Lincoln Co-Pilot360 suite offered advanced driver-assistance systems, including forward-collision avoidance, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Additional safety tech included blind-spot monitoring and a head-up display.

The 2020 Hyundai Venue offered standard safety features such as a reversing camera, traction control, a tire-pressure monitoring system, and 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, standard on the Denim trim.