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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.