Jeep Compass vs Hyundai Venue

The 2024 Jeep Compass, tested in Michigan, presented a somewhat generic exterior, especially in its Sport trim. The model we evaluated was a white Compass with black plastic door handles and small wheels, resembling a fleet vehicle. Its design was unremarkable, with features like the seven-slot grille being the only distinct Jeep identifiers. The body shape and taillights were similar to many small crossovers from the past two decades. However, the interior of the Compass, especially in the Limited trim, was a highlight. It featured a black and gray color scheme with caramel leatherette accents, large screens, and superior fit and finish. The base model offered supportive cloth seats with blue stitching and a well-designed dashboard, making it a pleasant space despite its exterior's lack of uniqueness.

In contrast, the 2024 Hyundai Venue, particularly in its Limited trim, offered a more stylish and mature appearance with its Ecotronic Gray paint. The Venue's design was appealing for an affordable car, with a sense of genuine style. Inside, the Venue featured hard plastics but managed to avoid looking cheap. The interior included stylish elements like stripes and piping on the seats and white trim around the dashboard air vents. The digital instrumentation and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display were well-sized for the Venue, and the controls exhibited typical Hyundai quality. Overall, the Venue was thoughtfully designed, stylishly detailed, and offered a high-quality feel for a small SUV.

The 2024 Jeep Compass was equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine, producing 200 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. Paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive, the Compass provided smooth city driving and easy highway merging. It featured three driving modes (auto, snow, sand/mud) and a rear-axle disconnect for fuel efficiency. However, the steering and handling were weak points, with too much play off-center and low grip. The Compass Trailhawk offered additional off-road capabilities, including a low-range transfer case and extra driving modes, but at a higher cost. Fuel economy was estimated at 24 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue, on the other hand, was powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, delivering 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. Despite its modest power, the Venue's lightweight design and continuously variable transmission (CVT) allowed it to perform adequately in city and suburban settings. The Venue's suspension, however, struggled on rough pavement, resulting in a busy ride quality. On the highway, the Venue could maintain speed but produced unpleasant engine noise under heavy acceleration. The Venue lacked all-wheel drive, but its 6.7 inches of ground clearance provided some advantage in snowy conditions. Fuel economy was rated at 31 mpg combined, with a real-world average of 30.3 mpg during testing.

The 2024 Jeep Compass excelled in utility and ease of use. It featured clear analog gauges, a large color display, and convenient controls for the stereo and climate. Visibility was good, and the interior offered ample headroom and legroom, even without a sunroof. The rear seats included vents, USB ports, and a fold-down center armrest. Cargo space was competitive, with 27.2 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 59.8 cubic feet when folded. The front passenger seat also folded, allowing for easy transport of longer items.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue offered decent comfort despite its small size. The driver's seat had a manual height adjuster, and the steering wheel offered tilt-and-telescopic adjustment. The front seats featured appealing fabric inserts and heated cushions. The back seat technically accommodated three people, but two would be more comfortable. 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. Cargo space was on par with a compact car, offering 18.7 cubic feet with the seats up and 31.9 cubic feet with the seats folded.

The 2024 Jeep Compass came standard with a 10.1-inch touchscreen featuring Uconnect 5 software. The display was clear and easy to navigate, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM, 4G Wi-Fi, and USB-C ports. Factory navigation was optional, and a wireless charging pad was available. Higher trims offered a 10.3-inch digital instrument panel, a panoramic moonroof, and a nine-speaker Alpine stereo. The semi-automated driving system, Active Driving Assist, was available on Limited and above trims.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue featured an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display with modern graphics and logical menu structures. Standard features included Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, and a six-speaker sound system. The Venue Limited added a navigation system, SiriusXM satellite radio, and a wireless smartphone charger. However, the upgraded system required wired connections for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Despite this, the Venue's infotainment system was sophisticated, with an impressive native voice recognition system.

The 2024 Jeep Compass had not been rated by the NHTSA at the time of writing, but the 2022 model received four out of five stars overall. The IIHS awarded the 2023 Compass a Top Safety Pick. Standard safety features included forward emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and a driver attention monitor. Adaptive cruise control was optional on certain trims, and parking sensors and 360-degree cameras were available on higher trims.

The 2024 Hyundai Venue came with Hyundai SmartSense, which included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, and a driver monitoring system. The Venue SEL added blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. The IIHS rated the Venue with Good ratings in three crash tests, and the NHTSA gave it an overall rating of four stars.