Mitsubishi Outlander vs Hyundai Venue

What's the difference?

Apart from the cramped third-row seating (for adults at least) and space-saver spare, it’s difficult to find anything else deserving criticism. The Exceed combines sharp styling, a plush interior and upmarket appointments with the performance, practicality and all-round competence required for the Outlander – particularly in Exceed model grade - to justify its place as a leading contender in Australia’s medium SUV market. Worthy of a test drive and serious consideration. 

The Hyundai Venue Elite is a sweet-looking, compact SUV that should suit drivers who only need an A-to-B sort of car in the city. Or an empty nester who doesn’t want to feel flustered by any high-end tech and wants knobs and dials where they expect them to be.

Some elements of the safety set could be better though and that’s something to consider. However, for an urban landscape, you can practically fit it anywhere. With its engine specs, it's also happiest in the city - don't consider this a road trip car.

Exterior styling is richly contoured with fine attention to detail in the bold multi-element design of the grille and headlights that projects a prestige look.

The sumptuous interior, with ‘diamond-quilt’ stitching prominent on the seat-facings and door trims, adds to the upmarket appearance. Occupants are pampered by lots of soft-touch surfaces, exposed seam-stitching and a visually-pleasing mix of contrasting tones.

The interior has a bright and airy feel, particularly with the panoramic sunroof and optional light grey leather trim in our example. However, a darker upholstery shade might be more practical for young families, given inevitable scuffs and stains would be less visible.

Second-row legroom is spacious, even for my adult ‘kids’ (LOL) who are both more than 180cm tall. They have about 40mm of knee clearance when sitting behind the driver’s seat in my position, which shows efficient use of floor space.

However, the prominent contour in the roof lining required to accommodate the sunroof imposes on headroom for taller people.

Adding 5+2 equals seven so that includes a third row of seating, which folds flat but can be easily raised and head-rests installed (these are stowed beneath the luggage area floor) to allow seven-seat versatility.

However, providing adequate legroom for adults in these seats requires the second-row to be slid so far forward its occupants have their knees pressed into the front seat backrests. So, in real-world use, the third-row seats are strictly for small kids.

Cute is the adjective that comes to mind when you look at the Venue’s compact styling. And it is compact with its wee 4040mm length. The benefits of its dimensions means that you should be able to tuck this away in most garages or apartment car spots!

The Venue does have a boxier shape than I ordinarily like but because it’s small, it manages to get away with it and still feel sharp.

Our model’s paintwork and roof colour has been finished in Atlas White but you can customise the Venue with a two-tone roof job (either black or white, depending on main body colour), to add some more personality.

You just lose the sunroof with that option, which I actually think adds a lot of oomph to the interior and stops it from looking too plain inside.

Speaking of, the interior is pleasing but simplistic.  There are a lot of traditional design elements from the gear shifter and handbrake to the easy-to-access buttons and dials. This is a no-fuss interior that is banking on having a no-fuss sort of driver.

There is some cool cred with the white painted metal accents around the air vents and gear shifter. Plus, the contrasting piping and stitching on the cloth seats adds some fun, too. 

With its 1760kg kerb weight and 2355kg GVM, our test vehicle has load capacity of 595kg, of which up to 80kg can be carried on the roof.

However, given five adults and two kids could use up most of that seven-seat load capacity before you could think of adding luggage, it’s important to keep an eye on these load ratings when preparing for a trip.

The Exceed is also rated to tow up to 1600kg of braked trailer and with its 3955kg GCM rating (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time), it can legally tow its maximum trailer weight while carrying its maximum car-load. That’s a handy set of numbers for most recreational tasks.

In addition to USB-A and USB-C ports plus a 12V accessory socket, storage for driver and front passenger includes a large-bottle holder and bin in each front door, a single glove box and an overhead glasses holder.

The front of the centre console has open storage up front, two cup/small-bottle holders in the centre and a box at the rear with padded lid that doubles as an elbow rest.

Second-row passengers, in addition to USB-A and USB-ports, air-vents and a climate control panel on the rear of the centre console, get a bottle-holder and small bin in each door. There are also large lower pockets on each front seat backrest, plus two small upper pockets handy for loose items.

The 60/40-split second-row seat also has a fold-down centre armrest containing two cup/small-bottle holders.

When folded flat this also provides a handy opening in the seat's backrest through which long and narrow items can be carried (suitably secured of course), stretching from the tailgate to the dash if need be. Third-row passengers have small storage bins on each side.

The carpeted luggage area offers another 12-volt outlet and retractable load-anchorage hooks. Load volume starts at (VDA) 163 litres with all seats upright, which expands to 478 litres with the third-row folded and up to 1473 litres (or more than 1.4 cubic metres) with the second and third rows folded.

It ain't a people mover. Period.

If you plan on having regular passengers and they’re tall, look elsewhere because they won’t find much comfort (especially in the back seat).

On the back seat, I barely fit with my 168cm (5’6”) height and had to accommodate my driving position by spreading the ol’ knees apart. So ladylike.

However, kudos to the clever high roofline because headroom isn’t an issue. The 170mm ground clearance also makes this a super easy car to get in and out of.

Front passengers definitely enjoy the most room and amenities but you will be jostling for the premium position on the armrest. The storage is good for this size SUV with a glovebox, middle console, two cupholders and a cute little storage shelf in front of the passenger.

There’s also a dedicated phone tray that has the wireless charging pad, a USB-A and C port plus a 12-volt port too.

The tech is simple to use and it was easy to get my iPhone connected to the Bluetooth and wired Apple CarPlay (there’s Android Auto, too for those users). The new-for-2023 4.2-inch digital instrument panel adds some pizzazz but unfortunately, isn’t customisable.

The boot is a solid size for this class at 355L. You can adjust the floor to sit a little lower and there is a space-saver spare tyre.

No Venue grade has a powered tailgate but honestly, you don’t need it.

Even though the Elite is the top model for the Venue line-up, it’s just $28,500 before on-road costs.

That puts it on par with the Mazda CX-3 in Maxx Sport guise, but about $4500 cheaper than the Toyota Yaris Cross Urban.

The Elite has an okay spec sheet but is a few items short of feeling like a top model should.

For example, this has wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, whereas the lower grades enjoy wireless.

This is a common trait in Hyundai and Kia products due to a quirk with the vehicle architecture. It also just makes do with halogen headlights but they stand out against the rest of the LEDs on the road.

However, the other standard equipment for the Elite still makes it a competitive player, like the tilt and slide sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, temporary space-saver spare tyre, steering wheel-mounted controls, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system and wireless charging pad.

The Exceed’s refined 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine produces 135kW at 6000rpm and 244Nm of torque at 3600pm and can use 91 RON fuel.

The smooth and responsive CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) 'eight-speed' has overdrive on fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth ratios which ensures low rpm and fuel consumption at highway speeds. Sequential manual-shifting is also available using steering wheel-mounted paddles.

Mitsubishi’s full-time all-wheel drive transmission offers six drive modes controlled by a console dial. These comprise 'Normal', 'Eco', 'Tarmac', 'Gravel', 'Snow' and 'Mud'.

All Venue grades share the same engine – a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol drivetrain with a maximum output of 90kW and 151Nm of torque. Which sounds as gutless as it feels.

The six-speed auto transmission and under-powered engine can feel a bit rough on the open-road when you need to put your foot down.

Basically, you’re not going to do Daytona 500 in this. Think the odd bit of shopping, taking your small lap dog to get trimmed and going for a coffee with your friends. 

Mitsubishi claims combined cycle average consumption of 8.1L/100km and the dash display was showing 9.0L/100km at the completion of our 378km test, which comprised mostly city and suburban driving with up to five adults on board.

Our figure, calculated from fuel bowser and trip meter readings, was not far from the Outlander’s at 9.8L/100km. So, based on our numbers, you could expect a real-world driving range of around 560km from its relatively small 55-litre tank. That range extends to 680km based on the Mitsubishi's official consumption number.

And the good news is the Outlander Exceed runs happily on 91RON 'standard' unleaded.

It earns back some points with the fuel efficiency, especially considering how hard you have to drive this to wring out its power.

The official combined fuel figure is 7.2L/100km and I achieved the same according to the trip computer. Not too shabby but there are hybrid versions for the Venue’s rivals now - like the Yaris Cross - so it would be good to see one for this as well. 

It has a 45L fuel tank and based off the official combined figure, you should be able to get around a 625km driving range, which means you should be able to go a couple of weeks without filling up if you’re doing shorter commutes.

Drivers of different stature can find comfortable driving positions, as confirmed by the 20cm difference in height between my wife and me.

With ample adjustment available in the steering wheel and multi-way powered seat, she enjoyed driving the Outlander and praised the seat memory function, which could quickly change from my settings to hers with the push of a button. Very handy when you share driving duties.

The driver’s seat is comfortable and supportive, with ample side-bolsters on the backrest providing good lateral support for the upper torso.

A large left footrest provides a solid platform to brace against and padded elbow-rests on each side enhance driving comfort, particularly on long trips.

Overall, it’s a refined and comfortable vehicle which feels like it has solid build quality. The ride quality is smooth and supple over bumps with negligible tyre, engine and wind noise, particularly at highway speeds where the engine requires a leisurely 1800rpm to maintain 110km/h.

The driver’s head-up display on the windscreen works efficiently, by displaying signposted speed limits and the vehicle’s road speed in your line of vision. It would be hard to come up with a viable excuse for exceeding the speed limit using this system!

We also trialled the numerous selectable drive modes. Although the Normal setting provides ample performance for most requirements, we found the Tarmac mode was the most engaging and rewarding for road use wet or dry, with all-wheel drive traction and optimised gearshift calibrations combining to provide spirited performance.

We also had an ideal opportunity to test the Mi-Pilot semi-autonomous driving assistant while crawling along in dense freeway traffic triggered by major road maintenance works.

Given this required lots of stop-start driving, the Mi-Pilot maintained a safe distance from the car in front and slowed, stopped and accelerated in unison, without driver input. And only light hand-contact with the steering wheel was required for the Mi-Pilot to maintain its lane-keeping function.

This is an urban dweller for sure. It’s happiest going under 70km/h but it handles that range very well. You have enough kick to cross traffic without too much fuss and the steering feels direct.

Those feelings disappear on the open road where it’s a struggle to maintain your speed and the engine complains so loudly, I was nervous it was going to conk out.

The cabin also gets loud at higher speeds with wind and road noise, which just reaffirms that this is a city car. At lower speeds, it’s fairly quiet and you can chat without interruption.

There’s some roll when you tackle corners but once you get used to how to drive it, it won’t bother you. The ride comfort is good until you hit bumps and then, you probably feel more connected to the road than you might like but it’s short lived because of the short wheelbase.

I really like the 10.2m turning circle and compact size - it made navigating around tight city streets an absolute breeze. Parking? Hurrah for a small car. I got into spaces that would ordinarily elude me. I just would have liked a clear reversing camera, it’s a bit blurry for a top-spec model.

This little SUV has some good safety features that come as standard, like: blind-spot monitoring, auto emergency braking (AEB) with forward collision warning - car, pedestrian and cyclist detection (operational from 5.0 – 60km/h), rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors, driver attention warning, check rear occupant alert, lane keeping aid, rear view camera with dynamic guidelines and tyre pressure monitoring.

However, the Venue was awarded a four-star ANCAP safety rating back in 2019. It missed out on that extra star because of the forward collision system, which had a lower ability to avoid rear-end impacts with vehicles in front. That dropped the Safety Assist and Vulnerable Road User scores down to just 62 per cent. That’s something to consider for the sort of traffic you’d get in an urban setting.

It only has six airbags but that does include curtain airbags covering the back row.

Mitsubishi covers the Outlander with a five-year/100,000km warranty with 12 months roadside assist.

Extended 10-year/200,000km warranty and 10 years capped-price servicing is available if the car is always serviced within the Mitsubishi dealer network.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km, whichever occurs first. Capped-price servicing for 10 years totals $4340, or a reasonable $434 annually.

Ongoing costs are great as the Venue comes with Hyundai’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is a standard term for the class.

You can pre-purchase servicing plans for up to five-years or 75,000km (whichever occurs first). The five-year plan averages $315 per service, which is very competitive! 

Servicing intervals are reasonable at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.