Compare the2023 Kia SeltosVS 2023 Hyundai Venue

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Seltos are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Hyundai Venue doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Seltos S Turbo/EX/SX has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Venue doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Seltos offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Venue doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Both the Seltos and the Venue have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Seltos is safer than the Hyundai Venue:

	Seltos	Venue
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	129	335
Neck Injury Risk	24%	32%
Neck Stress	237 lbs.	270 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	182 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	460/429 lbs.	769/350 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	41%	48%
Neck Stress	127 lbs.	206 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	144/44 lbs.	152/207 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Seltos is safer than the Hyundai Venue:

	Seltos	Venue
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	109	154
Abdominal Force	170 lbs.	215 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	70 G’s	82 G’s
Hip Force	754 lbs.	843 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	225	343
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	42 G’s
Hip Force	433 lbs.	790 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Seltos its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 134 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Venue is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Seltos has a standard 120-amp alternator (130-amp - Seltos Nightfall/SX). The Venue’s 110-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Seltos has a standard 640-amp battery. The Venue’s 410-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

Engine

The Seltos’ standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 25 more horsepower (146 vs. 121) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (132 vs. 113) than the Venue’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Seltos Nightfall/SX’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 54 more horsepower (175 vs. 121) and 82 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 113) than the Venue’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Seltos is faster than the Hyundai Venue:

	Seltos 4 cyl.	Seltos Nightfall/SX	Venue
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	6.9 sec	9.4 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	15.4 sec	17.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	85.5 MPH	91.2 MPH	80.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Seltos 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Venue (29 city/35 hwy vs. 29 city/33 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Seltos’ engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Venue doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Seltos has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venue (13.2 vs. 11.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Seltos Nightfall/SX’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Venue:

	Seltos Nightfall/SX	Venue
Front Rotors	12 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	8” drums
Opt Rear Rotors		10.3 inches

The Kia Seltos has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Rear drums are standard on the Venue. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Seltos stops much shorter than the Venue:

	Seltos	Venue
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	133 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Seltos has larger standard tires than the Venue (215/55R17 vs. 185/65R15). The Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Venue (235/45R18 vs. 205/55R17).

The Seltos’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Venue’s standard 65 series tires. The Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Venue SEL/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Seltos has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Venue. The Seltos AWD Nightfall/SX’s 18-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Venue SEL/Limited.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Seltos AWD has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Hyundai Venue has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Seltos AWD has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Seltos AWD flat and controlled during cornering. The Venue’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Seltos has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Venue doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Seltos’ wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Venue (103.5 inches vs. 99.2 inches).

The Seltos S AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Venue Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Seltos S AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the Venue Limited (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Seltos has 7.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venue (99 vs. 91.9).

The Seltos has .6 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, 3.7 inches more rear legroom, 9.3 inches more rear hip room and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the Venue.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Seltos’ rear seats recline. The Venue’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venue with its rear seat up (26.6 vs. 18.7 cubic feet). The Seltos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venue with its rear seat folded (62.8 vs. 31.9 cubic feet).

The Seltos’ cargo area is larger than the Venue’s in almost every dimension:

	Seltos	Venue
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	32.7”/62.4”	25.4”/57”
Max Width	52.3”	47.5”
Min Width	41.6”	42.5”
Height	32.5”	28”

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the Seltos’ headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Venue’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Seltos’ available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Venue’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

The Seltos S/EX/Nightfall/SX has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Venue doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Both the Seltos and the Venue offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Seltos S/EX/Nightfall/SX has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Venue doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Seltos SX has a standard Smart Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Venue doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Seltos, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Hyundai Venue isn't recommended.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2020 issue and they ranked the Kia Seltos S higher than the Hyundai Venue Limited.