Motor Trend - USA (2020-06)

on the Venue’s accelerator to having
a big sponge under the pedal that you
squeeze dry to get going, even in Sport
mode. “The Venue’s Sport mode adds
life to the party,” Powell added, “with
the CVT keeping the engine on boil and
being more responsive to throttle inputs.
Still, there’s no getting around there’s
only so much power to exploit.” Both the
Venue’s and Kicks’ CVTs simulate shifts,
but the former responds quicker. The
latter’s transmission is more relaxed,
causing it to feel flat-footed in many
passing situations.
The Venue suffered from a stiff ride
and bounced around too much over
rutted pavement. On the highway, the
Venue’s cabin got extremely noisy. “Did
Hyundai use paper towels for sound

deadening material?” Powell asked. “At

least the engine sounds better than the

Toyota’s—a good thing since you can

almost always hear it. Get up to speed

(eventually), and road noise seeps

proudly unfiltered into the cabin.”

The Nissan Kicks, while also battling

rough roads, at least feels composed

thanks to its longer wheelbase and slightly

better handling. “The ride is the firmest of

the group,” Yekikian said. “It’s crashy on

almost any kind of road.”

Of the four subcompact SUVs, the

2020 Kia Soul has the most polished

road manners. You never feel it struggling

to accelerate or climb grades, and the

CVT is also the best of the group, deci-

sively changing ratios to put the 147-hp

2.0-liter I-4 to good use. “Finally!” Evans

said. “A powertrain that’s responsive, has

decent power, and isn’t loud and obnox-

ious. Even has a pretty good engine stop/

start system.”

The Soul’s suspension, although a bit

stiff, is the most sorted. “I can’t believe

how composed this thing is,” Powell said.

“The Soul has astonishing ride quality

that belies its price point.” Its handling

and body control are the best of the

group, too, and the cabin stays quiet on

the highway or during hard acceleration.

Hyundai Venue

Lots of cheap black plastic and the lack

of sound deadening makes the cost-

cutting obvious in the Hyundai Venue.

COMPARISON

32 MOTORTREND.COM JUNE 2020