Hyundai Venue vs Buick Encore GX

The 2024 Buick Encore GX emerged as one of the most visually appealing models from Buick in recent years. Drawing inspiration from the 2022 Wildcat concept, this refreshed model showcased a completely redesigned front with sleek daytime running lights positioned above the grille and angular LED lamps flanking it. The introduction of a new Buick logo added to its modern appeal. The Avenir trim, which was the top-of-the-line test vehicle, featured a unique grille and chrome trim, enhancing its sophisticated look. While the rear design remained largely unchanged from the 2023 model, the addition of new LED tail lights on the top trims added a touch of elegance. The Encore GX offered a variety of vibrant colors, including brilliant red, deep blue, maroon, and the striking Copper Ice Metallic. Some colors even allowed for a contrasting black roof, mirrors, and roof rails, adding to its stylish persona.

Inside, the most significant change was the relocation of the HVAC vents to accommodate a new 19-inch glass panel that housed the digital gauge cluster and touchscreen. This large glass panel gave the interior a premium, tech-savvy appearance, although some cheap-feeling plastics were present. The interior color options were limited to black or cream, but given the price point, it was a minor drawback. Overall, the Encore GX presented a handsome package with its available 19-inch wheels and a well-thought-out interior design.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue was available in SE, SEL, and Limited trims, with prices ranging from $21,275 to $24,525, including the destination charge. The Venue SEL, priced at $23,275, was recommended for its enhanced exterior appearance and added convenience and safety features. The Limited trim test vehicle, with Ecotronic Gray paint and carpeted floor mats, had an MSRP of $24,735. While the color was subdued, it lent the Venue a mature and stylish look. Despite its affordability, the Venue's design exuded genuine style, making it an appealing choice for basic transportation.

Inside, the Venue's interior featured hard plastics, but they didn't appear excessively cheap. The seats had stylish stripes and piping, with white trim around the dashboard air vents and transmission shifter. The digital instrumentation was a pleasant surprise, and the 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display was appropriately sized. The controls exhibited typical Hyundai quality in terms of finishes, markings, and operation. Overall, the 2024 Venue was thoughtfully designed, with stylish details and high-quality construction, making it a standout in the small SUV segment.

The 2024 Buick Encore GX retained its previous engine options, offering both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) configurations. The base Preferred trim featured a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine producing 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque, paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). For those seeking more power, all trims could be upgraded to a 1.3-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine delivering 155 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque, coupled with a nine-speed automatic transmission. In testing, the turbocharged engine provided adequate responsiveness, achieving 0 to 60 mph in approximately nine seconds. While not exceptionally quick, it held its own among competitors. However, there was a noticeable delay in downshifting during highway passing, which could be frustrating for drivers seeking quick maneuvers. The Encore GX excelled as a city car, offering a smooth ride and a selectable AWD system for added control and fuel efficiency.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue was equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine generating 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. Despite its modest power output, the Venue's lightweight design, weighing 2,612 pounds in base SE trim, allowed it to perform adequately. The continuously variable transmission (CVT) maximized available power, making it suitable for city and suburban driving. The Venue's small size, nimble handling, and excellent visibility made it ideal for urban environments. However, the suspension struggled on rough and irregular pavement, resulting in a less refined ride quality. On the highway, the Venue could maintain freeway speeds but produced unpleasant engine noise when pushed hard. Notably, the Venue lacked all-wheel drive (AWD), relying on front-wheel drive instead. Despite this, it offered 6.7 inches of ground clearance, making it capable of handling accumulated snow with winter tires. The Venue achieved an EPA gas mileage rating of 31 mpg in combined driving, although real-world testing yielded slightly lower results.

The 2024 Buick Encore GX, as a subcompact SUV, offered limited utility but remained competitive within its class. It had a towing capacity of 1,000 pounds and featured an available hands-free liftgate for convenient rear cargo access. Behind the rear seats, the Encore GX provided 23.5 cubic feet of cargo space, which expanded to 50.2 cubic feet with the seats folded down. The front seat could also be folded to accommodate items up to eight feet long. Inside, the Encore GX offered available heated seats and a heated steering wheel, although seat ventilation was not an option. Standard seats were two-way power-adjustable, with eight-way adjustable seats available on the top Avenir trim or through the Comfort package on lower trims. A seven-speaker Bose audio system was also available.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue's increased ground clearance made it easier to enter and exit the front and back seats. Despite its small dimensions, the Venue offered decent comfort. The driver's seat featured a manual height adjuster, and the steering wheel had tilt-and-telescopic adjustment. The front seats had appealing fabric inserts, artificial leather bolsters, and heated cushions for added comfort in cold weather. While the back seat technically accommodated three passengers, it was more comfortable for two. Taller passengers might find the hard plastic front seatbacks uncomfortable. The Venue provided USB ports for rear-seat passengers but lacked air conditioning vents and dark-tinted rear privacy glass. In terms of cargo space, the Venue offered 18.7 cubic feet of storage with the rear seats up, expanding to 31.9 cubic feet with the seats folded down.

The 2024 Buick Encore GX featured an 11-inch touchscreen paired with an 8-inch digital gauge cluster, all housed under a single glass panel. While visually appealing, the screens left a significant portion of the surface unused, creating an impression of malfunction. The Encore GX offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with USB-A and USB-C ports, a wireless charging pad, and a 120-volt outlet. An available rear camera mirror provided a wider-angle view of the rear surroundings. The infotainment system was straightforward, featuring tiles for smartphone mirroring, climate control, settings, camera views, and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue's 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display was mounted in the center of the dashboard. It featured modern graphics, logical menu structures, and simple operation. 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, Bluelink connected services, and a six-speaker sound system. The Venue Limited added a navigation system, SiriusXM satellite radio, a wireless smartphone charger, and Bluelink+ for extended connected services. However, the Limited trim required wired connections for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which was a drawback. Despite this, the Venue Limited's infotainment system was sophisticated, with an impressive native voice recognition system.

The 2024 Buick Encore GX came equipped with Buick's Driver Confidence package, which included lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, a following distance indicator, and automatic high beams. Blind-spot monitoring was standard on all trims. However, features like rear park assist, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, and a 360-degree camera were optional. The Encore GX also offered unique safety features like Teen Driver, which allowed parents to monitor their child's driving habits, and Buckle to Drive, which prevented the car from shifting out of park if the driver's seat belt wasn't fastened. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the 2024 Encore GX a full five-star overall safety rating, with high scores in frontal and side crash tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had not yet rated the 2024 model, but the 2023 model received good ratings for crashworthiness and superior front crash prevention.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured Hyundai SmartSense, a suite of driver assistance systems that included forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, a driver monitoring system, and a rear-seat reminder system. Starting with the Venue SEL, SmartSense added blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, while cyclist detection was standard on the Limited trim. However, adaptive cruise control and lane-centering assist were not available. The Venue's safety systems occasionally produced inaccurate alerts, but overall, they performed adequately. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rated the Venue with good scores in three crash tests and an acceptable rating for the Limited trim's LED headlights. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the 2024 Venue an overall rating of four stars.