Hyundai Venue Elite vs Kia Stonic GT-Line 2024 comparison review

Rising interest rates and the cost of living is causing many household budgets to tighten and for many of us big purchases are being rethought. A lot of people are asking if they really do need another large car especially in the city; or if it is the right time to buy an EV when they’re still so expensive?

That’s why we've decided to present you with a comparison of affordable urban alternatives to 'going big 'or 'switching to electric'. We've put two of the cheapest and smallest SUVs from Hyundai and Kia in a head-to-head battle.

That’s right, we have the Kia Stonic GT-Line versus the Hyundai Venue Elite - two very similar SUVs – from the same parent company – which share a lot of the same engineering parts, tech and features.

Read more about the Hyundai Venue and Kia Stonic

We Compare 3 of the Best Small SUVs Available in Australia: Hyundai Kona vs Mazda CX-3 vs Kia Stonic Hyundai Venue 2023 review: Elite Kia Stonic 2023 review: Sport

But as we found out, one of these two very similar SUVs stood out as better for value, safety, tech and practicality. Yup, we’ve done the testing for you, including how much fuel each uses and what they’re like to drive.

Which one wins? You’ll see...

Price and features – Do they represent good value for the price? What features do they come with?

We chose the top-of-the-range versions of our two models in this head-to-head, and so they’re also the most expensive in their line-ups. 

The Kia Stonic GT-Line lists for $30,790 plus on-road costs and the Venue Elite comes in at $28,750. You don’t need to spend this much. The entry grades list in the low $20Ks but you won’t get the same features. Let’s talk about those…

OK, standard features. Both the Stonic GT-Line and the Venue Elite come with 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, rear privacy glass, a sunroof, a proximity key and LED daytime running lights.

Our test vehicles are both the top-of-the-range versions in this comparison. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

The Stonic gets LED headlights, too, and they are much brighter and better for dark roads than the yellowish halogen lights on the Venue.

Inside, both come standard with fabric seats and single-zone climate control. They both have a 4.2-inch multifunction display and an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and digital radio. 

The Stonic GT-Line has a four-speaker stereo, while the Venue Elite comes with a six-speaker system.

We chose the top-of-the-range versions of our two models in this head-to-head. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

1 / 7

The Kia Stonic GT-Line wears a price tag of $30,790 plus on-road costs. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

2 / 7

The Stonic gets LED headlights. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

3 / 7

The Stonic GT-Line wears 17-inch alloy wheels. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

4 / 7

Upfront of the Stonic GT-Line is an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

5 / 7

The Stonic GT-Line also features a sunroof. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

6 / 7

Behind the steering wheel of the Stonic GT-Line is a 4.2-inch multifunction display. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

7 / 7

The Venue has a wireless phone charger. That's not offered on the Stonic GT-Line and that's a big miss in my books - wireless phone charging is life-changing and means no more cables or plugging in.

The Hyundai also has a large, clear illuminated speedo that's ideal for the city where school zones, mobile camera and traffic light speed cameras are everywhere. The Kia, on the other hand, has a traditional dial-style speedometer and tachometer.

The Venue Elite comes in at $28,750. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

1 / 8

The entry grades for both the Stonic and Venue list in the low $20Ks, but you won’t get the same features. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

2 / 8

The Venue Elite features halogen headlights. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

3 / 8

The Venue Elite wears 17-inch allow wheels. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

4 / 8

Upfront of the Venue Elite is an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

5 / 8

The Venue Elite also features a sunroof. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

6 / 8

Behind the steering wheel of the Venue Elite is a 4.2-inch multifunction display. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

7 / 8

Unlike the Stonic, the Venue has a wireless phone charger. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

8 / 8

Design – Is there anything interesting about their designs?

The Stonic and Venue are like sisters in that they share the same engineering genes and tech from parent company Hyundai, but they are anything but identical.

The Stonic looks more like a raised, sporty hatchback with its narrower windows, pointy nose and a sloping tailgate.

The Venue has a more traditional upright and boxy SUV shape with a rugged but cute look.

The Stonic features a pointy nose and a sloping tailgate. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

1 / 4

The Stonic looks more like a raised, sporty hatchback. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

2 / 4

The Stonic measures 4140mm end-to-end. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

3 / 4

The Stonic features a carbon fibre-effect trim on the dash. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

4 / 4

Both are premium looking in their design from the crisp edges in the metal work to the LED running lights.

The premium look almost carries through to the cabins with sporty fabric seats and modern dashboards, but both have hard plastics used in the door trims which lowers the tone to a budget feel.

The Stonic’s carbon fibre-effect trim on the dash is good, but the Venue pulls off a more youthful, techy look with white elements around the air vents and a digital driver display.   

The Venue has a more traditional upright and boxy SUV shape. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

1 / 4

The Venue has a rugged but cute look. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

2 / 4

The Venue is 4040mm in length, 4040mm long and 1770mm across. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

3 / 4

4 / 4

The Stonic measures 4140mm end-to-end and 1760mm wide, while the Venue is 4040mm in length, 4040mm long and 1770mm across.

What’s interesting is that despite the Venue being shorter in length, it has better practicality. Let’s talk about that. 

Practicality – How practical is their space and tech inside?

SUVs should be practical regardless of how small they might be. So along with enough room to seat five people, the Stonic and Venue have to be functional, versatile and have a reasonably sized boot.

Well, let’s start with the boots - both have impressively large cargo capacity for SUVs this small. The Stonic’s boot volume is 332 litres, while the Venue’s is 355 litres. 

In the video of this comparison, we show how only the Venue’s boot can fit all the CarsGuide luggage and have its tailgate closed. We had to remove the Stonic’s cargo shelf to fit the same amount of luggage.

1 / 5

2 / 5

Both SUVs have two cupholders up front and bottle holders in the doors. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

3 / 5

The Stonic has a boot volume of 332 litres. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

4 / 5

5 / 5

That leaves you with a cargo cover you have to either keep in the second row or leave behind.

The Venue has an ingenious solution to that cargo cover problem - a sidling rail which will accommodate the cover flat against the second row seat backs. 

As for cabin storage, only the Venue gets a shelf above the glove box opening, but both SUVs have two cupholders up front and bottle holders in the doors.

1 / 5

The Venue also just beats the Stonic for rear headroom and legroom. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

2 / 5

The Venue features two USB ports, a 12V point, and a wireless phone charger up front. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

3 / 5

The Venue has a boot capacity of 355 litres. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

4 / 5

5 / 5

The Venue is better for power and charging outlets with two USB ports, a 12V point, and a wireless phone charger up front and two USB ports in the second row. 

The Stonic doesn’t have a wireless phone charger, and along with a 12V outlet, has just one USB port in the front and one in the back.

The Venue also just beats the Stonic for rear headroom and legroom, but I have to say that even at 189cm tall, I can just fit behind my driving position in both and that’s pretty amazing given the tiny size of these SUVs. 

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for their engines and transmissions?

The Stonic GT-Line and Venue Elite may share much of the same engineering, but their engines are very different.

The Venue has 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, while the Stonic has a smaller engine, but it’s a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol. 

The Venue’s four-cylinder has more power than the Stonic’s engine but doesn’t feel as sporty and fun as the three-cylinder.

1 / 2

2 / 2

Adding to the sporty feeling of the Stonic’s engine is a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission which shifts intuitively and is vastly different from the traditional six-speed auto in the Venue.

But wait - although the Stonic is equipped with the far better engine and transmission, the driving section of this review discovered that this didn’t translate well for city traffic.

Efficiency – What is their fuel consumption? What are their driving ranges?

When we test fuel consumption, we carry out a real world exercise in which we fill the tanks, drive the same route taking in a combination of different types of road conditions, and then fill the tanks again to find out how much each car used. 

We took both the Stonic GT-line and Venue Elite on a 110km round loop of Sydney on a combination of city streets, suburban roads and motorways and as you can see in the table below, both used almost the same amount of fuel. 

The Stonic GT-Line has a range of approximately 833km, while the Venue Elite has a range of about 625km. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

Both of them were impressively efficient, but I was expecting the Stonic to be more so - it should be according to the car makers, but this Stonic was brand new, with only about 500km on the clock and until an engine is completely run in after about 1000km, it will use more fuel. So I have a sneaky suspicion it is more fuel efficient than the Venue.

The Kia Stonic GT-Line with its 1.0-litre engine and 45-litre fuel tank, has a range of approximately 833km, while the Venue Elite with its 1.6-litre engine and 45-litre fuel tank, has a range of about 625km.

Driving – What are they like to drive?

OK, back in the engine section of this comparison I sang the praises of the Stonic’s sporty three-cylinder and dual-clutch auto, and I maintain that it’s the better engine and transmission, but the Venue is better to drive in city traffic.

See, the three-cylinder suffers from turbo lag and the transmission isn’t smooth. Combine this with a stop-start fuel saving system and around town the Stonic is a frustrating SUV to pilot.

The Venue’s dull and far from sporty engine and transmission actually nailed city driving perfectly because of the smooth and fuss-free operation. 

The Stonic features a stop-start fuel saving system. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

1 / 3

The three-cylinder suffers from turbo lag and the transmission isn’t smooth. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

2 / 3

3 / 3

Both the Stonic and Venue rode and handled almost identically, with the steering in the Venue feeling lighter and easier.

Visibility in the Venue was better than the Stonic due to the Hyundai’s large windows and more elevated seating position, too.

So despite the Stonic’s great little three-cylinder, the Venue wins overall for driving considering that most people will be piloting these little SUVs in the city and suburbs where the Venue is the easiest and best to drive. 

The Venue nailed city driving perfectly because of the smooth and fuss-free operation. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

1 / 3

The steering in the Venue feeling lighter and easier. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

2 / 3

Visibility in the Venue was better than the Stonic due to the Hyundai’s large windows. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

3 / 3

Warranty & Safety Rating

Basic Warranty

7 years/unlimited km warranty

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ANCAP Safety Rating

-

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What are their safety ratings?

Both the Stonic and Venue have the maximum five-star ANCAP ratings, but the Stonic’s is from 2017 and Venue’s is from 2019, and that’s not as good as a 2023 five-star rating.

Still both have AEB, lane-keeping assistance and blind-spot warning.

The big difference is the Venue has rear cross-traffic alert which will tell you if somebody is about to walk behind the car or if somebody’s driving past while you’re reversing. That's great for driveways and carparks.

The Stonic has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2017. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

1 / 3

Both the Stonic and Venue have 7 airbags. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

2 / 3

Both SUVs have space-saver spare wheels. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

3 / 3

For child seats, both the Stonic and Venue have two ISOFIX mounts and three top-tether anchor points.

In their second rows, both have curtain airbags.

Both SUVs have space-saver spare wheels, which give you more room in the boot and is better than a repair kit.

The Venue has a maximum five-star ANCAP rating from 2019. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

1 / 3

2 / 3

The space-saver spare wheel gives you more room in the boot and is better than a repair kit. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

3 / 3

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are their service intervals? What are their running costs?

The Stonic is covered by Kia’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty while the Venue has Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre coverage.

The Stonic has capped-price servicing and, averaged over five years, it’s about $430 per year. The Venue doesn’t have capped-price servicing, but you can get a plan which works out at about $315 per year on average for each service.

The Stonic is covered by Kia’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

1 / 2

The Venue has Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre coverage. (Image: Sam Rawlings)

2 / 2

Pricing & Specs Insurance Quote

Verdict