Compare the2024 Volkswagen TaosVS 2024 Hyundai Venue

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Taos 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Taos deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Taos’ side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Venue’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Taos has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Venue doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Taos SEL has standard Maneuver 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 Taos offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Venue doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Taos has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Venue SEL/Limited offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Taos has standard Rear Traffic Alert and automatically engage the brakes. Only the Venue SEL/Limited offers Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and the Venue’s Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning does not include automatic braking.

Both the Taos 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 and available rear parking sensors.

The Volkswagen Taos weighs 443 to 818 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.

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

	Taos	Venue
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	285	335
Neck Injury Risk	32%	32%
Neck Compression	28 lbs.	182 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	103/74 lbs.	769/350 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	224	280
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.8 inches
Neck Injury Risk	45%	48%
Neck Stress	135 lbs.	206 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 Volkswagen Taos is safer than the Hyundai Venue:

	Taos	Venue
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	111	154
Chest Movement	.6 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	115 lbs.	215 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	69 G’s	82 G’s
Hip Force	673 lbs.	843 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	12 inches
HIC	338	343

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

Reliability

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

Engine

The Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 37 more horsepower (158 vs. 121) and 71 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 113) than the Venue’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen Taos is faster than the Hyundai Venue:

	Taos	Venue
Zero to 60 MPH	8.5 sec	9.4 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83.9 MPH	80.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Taos FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Venue (28 city/36 hwy vs. 29 city/33 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Taos’ 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 Taos FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venue (13.2 vs. 11.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Taos AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venue (14.5 vs. 11.9 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Taos higher (7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Venue (5). This means the Taos produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Venue every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Taos	Venue
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	11 inches
Rear Rotors	10.7 inches	8” drums
Opt Rear Rotors		10.3 inches

The Volkswagen Taos 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 Taos stops shorter than the Venue:

	Taos	Venue
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Taos has larger standard tires than the Venue (215/50R18 vs. 185/65R15). The Taos 4Motion’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Venue (225/45R19 vs. 205/55R17).

The Taos S’ 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 Taos 4Motion’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Venue SEL/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Taos S has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 15-inch wheels are standard on the Venue. The Taos 4Motion’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Venue SEL/Limited.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Taos 4Motion 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 Taos 4Motion has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Taos 4Motion flat and controlled during cornering. The Venue’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Taos 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 Taos’ wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the Venue (105.5 inches vs. 99.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Taos is 1 inch wider in the front than the average track on the Venue.

The Taos SEL handles at .80 G’s, while the Venue Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Taos SEL executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Venue Limited (28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Taos has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Venue (7.6 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Taos to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The design of the Volkswagen Taos amounts to more than styling. The Taos has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .31 Cd. That is lower than the Venue (.34) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Taos get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The Taos has 7.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venue (99.5 vs. 91.9).

The Taos has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 3.6 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Venue.

Cargo Capacity

The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venue with its rear seat up (27.9 vs. 18.7 cubic feet). The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venue with its rear seat folded (65.9 vs. 31.9 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Taos easier. The Taos’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 27 inches, while the Venue’s liftover is 30 inches.

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

	Taos	Venue
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	34.3”/65.2”	25.4”/57”
Max Width	48.5”	47.5”
Min Width	40”	42.5”
Height	37”	28”

Ergonomics

The Taos’ 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 Taos’ front and rear power windows all 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.

On a hot day the Taos’ driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Venue can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Taos’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Venue’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Taos to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Venue doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Taos’ 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.

Consumer Reports rated the Taos’ headlight performance “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 Taos’ available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Venue’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Taos SE Black/SEL has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Venue doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Taos SE Black/SEL also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Taos SEL AWD keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Venue doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Taos’ standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Venue doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Taos 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 Taos SE/SEL’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.

Both the Taos and the Venue offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Taos offers optional 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 Taos 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.

Recommendations

The Volkswagen Taos outsold the Hyundai Venue by over two to one during 2022.