In the struggle to find the best commuter car on the market, the 2023 Nissan Kicks vs 2023 Hyundai Venue is a key matchup. These are two of the leading choices for commuters who want an efficient, comfortable vehicle that they can rely on day in and day out. They are similarly priced and of similar size and build, though when looking inside and under the hood, the differences do begin to show themselves. An SUV especially should be versatile, dependable, and adaptable to any and all needs you have. Can the 2023 Nissan Kicks or the 2023 Hyundai Venue do that for you? And which edges out the other for the top spot? If you’re a commuter on the lookout for a change, these two options are worth examining.
Performance for Your Lifestyle
While commuters might think that engines are designed only with speed demons and racetrack stars in mind, that’s not the case. Every driver should be able to enjoy the performance of their vehicle, whether they drive an expensive sports car or a more down-to-earth SUV. Both the 2023 Nissan Kicks and the 2023 Hyundai Venue strive to perform best where it counts for commuters.
The 2023 Nissan Kicks is remarkably efficient. It has an estimated fuel economy rating of 31 MPG in the city and 36 MPG on the highway, for an overall rating of 33 MPG combined. Those are some of the best numbers available for an SUV, which means you’ll spend less time (and money) at the gas station, and more time on the open road. The 2023 Kicks can keep going for as long as you need it to, even if you’re plagued by a long commute to work. The main factors that make the 2023 Kicks such a smooth and efficient drive are its 1.6L engine, Xtronic continuously variable transmission, and agile design engineered for responsiveness and ease of use. With all this going for it, it’s no surprise that the 2023 Kicks handles like a dream every single day.
The 2023 Hyundai Venue’s engine also performs adequately for daily commutes. Its engine has a fuel efficiency rating of 31 MPG combined and can pump out 121 hp––acceptable numbers, though both are slightly lower than what the Nissan Kicks can produce. The main unique feature of the 2023 Venue is its available Snow Mode, which will increase your SUV’s performance when facing the slick and slippery terrain of a cold icy road or a street covered in snow during the winter. It optimizes the traction and control of the Venue’s wheels, making it ideal for driving through those tough northern snowstorms. While we do appreciate this extra feature, it’s hard to look past the fact that the 2023 Nissan Kicks is more efficient and more powerful than the 2023 Hyundai Venue, and the Venue’s main selling point is too situational. If you want the SUV with superior all-around performance, the Nissan Kicks has its competitor beat.
Comfortable Seats and Modern Features
For commuters who spend so much time in their vehicles every day, is it too much to ask for a little bit of coziness? The 2023 Nissan Kicks certainly doesn’t think so. It has five comfortable seats that can fit family, friends, or anyone else you’re sharing your daily drives with. These seats rest inside a spacious cabin with plenty of room for your passengers and their cargo––or you can fold down the rear seats and use the whole interior for storage purposes. This is great for those of us who often commute to work with some heavy-duty equipment or just a lot of office supplies! The 25.3 cu.ft. of trunk space is flexible enough to work for you however you decide to use it.
For long commutes, Nissan’s Zero Gravity seats may not make you float like an astronaut, but they will give you the kind of relaxation that could make even deep-space voyages easy! There are also advanced climate control options inside so that you can set the temperature just how you like it, and an available remote engine start system will not only save you time by getting your engine running early but can also activate intelligent climate control so things are nice and cozy as soon as you climb in. The 2023 Kicks has a versatile cabin that feels very driver-focused and designed to make your life easier.
The 2023 Hyundai Venue spices things up with a large touchscreen that’s visible as soon as you get behind the wheel. It has a standard eight-inch center display with integrated smartphone connectivity. Apple and Android users alike will have no issues pairing their phones with the 2023 Venue to get access to their favorite playlists, directions, and other commuting essentials. The Venue has a Hyundai Bluelink connection as well, letting you start your vehicle from an app on your smartphone. Talk about futuristic! We’re pleased to see that the interior of the 2023 Hyundai Venue is high-tech, though we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the Nissan Kicks provides many similar features.
Bringing Safety to Your Commute
Obviously, we all want to stay safe on our daily commutes. It may seem a boring topic to discuss, especially if you feel like you know everything already. But an SUV’s safety measures are just as important as all the fun features inside, if not more. Luckily, both of these vehicles have phenomenal technology included to prevent accidents and reduce the likelihood of crashes.
The 2023 Nissan Kicks brings Intelligent Cruise Control to the table, which is great for long, familiar commutes where you just need to pick a lane on the highway and keep a consistent speed. The 2023 Hyundai Venue counters with its unique Rear Occupant Alert, which will remind you to check the rear seats of your vehicle for anything––or anyone––you may have forgotten. Outside of these two features, the driver-assist technology is largely the same between the two vehicles. That includes Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Warning, and rear camera views.
While the specifics may vary from vehicle to vehicle, for the most part, the 2023 Nissan Kicks and the 2023 Hyundai Venue are practically identical when it comes to safety––which is a good thing. Both vehicles’ driver-assist features are extensive and exhaustive and work tirelessly to make sure there are no distractions or disruptions to your daily commute.
The Kicks Is the Superior Commuter Car
While the 2023 Hyundai Venue is a respectable SUV, we prefer the 2023 Nissan Kicks. For essentially the same price, the Kicks gives you a more powerful and more efficient engine, a more flexible interior, and comprehensive driver-assist technology. While we didn’t discuss the exteriors of the two vehicles, we’re also partial to the design of the Nissan Kicks, as we feel the look is a bit more modern and slightly more appealing than that of the Hyundai Venue. Our favorite features of the 2023 Venue are either shared by the 2023 Kicks or are too niche to be worth the switch. While you certainly won’t regret choosing either vehicle, the 2023 Nissan Kicks gets our vote for being the superior option for commuters in need of something new that is designed for their needs.
