Compare the2024 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2023 Hyundai Venue

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Crosstrek 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.

The Subaru Crosstrek has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Venue doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Venue doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Crosstrek Limited has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Venue doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

Both the Crosstrek and the Venue have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Subaru Crosstrek weighs 539 to 737 pounds more than the Hyundai Venue. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 6 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

The Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 31 more horsepower (152 vs. 121) and 32 lbs.-ft. more torque (145 vs. 113) than the Venue’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 61 more horsepower (182 vs. 121) and 65 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 113) than the Venue’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Venue doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Crosstrek’s 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 Crosstrek has 4.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venue (16.6 vs. 11.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Crosstrek’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Venue:

The Subaru Crosstrek 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.

For better traction, the Crosstrek has larger tires than the Venue (225/60R17 vs. 185/65R15). The Crosstrek’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Venue (225/60R17 vs. 205/55R17).

The Crosstrek’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Venue’s standard 65 series tires.

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

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Crosstrek 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 rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Crosstrek’s wheelbase is 5.9 inches longer than on the Venue (105.1 inches vs. 99.2 inches).

For greater off-road capability the Crosstrek has a 2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Venue (8.7 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Crosstrek uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Venue doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Crosstrek has 8.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venue (100.5 vs. 91.9).

The Crosstrek has .4 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front hip room, 2.9 inches more front shoulder room, 2.2 inches more rear legroom, 11.7 inches more rear hip room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Venue.

The Crosstrek has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venue with its rear seat up (19.9 vs. 18.7 cubic feet). The Crosstrek has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venue with its rear seat folded (54.7 vs. 31.9 cubic feet).

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Crosstrek. The Venue doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Crosstrek has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Venue has no towing capacity.

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Venue. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Crosstrek’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Venue has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Crosstrek’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Venue’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

The Crosstrek’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Venue’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Crosstrek’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Venue’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Crosstrek has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Venue doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Crosstrek’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Venue offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited 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.

The Crosstrek’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Venue doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Crosstrek has a standard Adaptive 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.

The Subaru Crosstrek outsold the Hyundai Venue by almost six to one during 2022.