Hyundai Venue

EXTERIOR

Exterior wise, Venue retains some of the exterior features from the concept like the big front grill, sleek indicators and the muscular design. The new front grille is primarily a variation of Hyundai’s cascading grille. The grille is flanked by automatic projector headlamps with cornering function and projector fog lamps. Hyundai Venue features LED DRLs as well as a silver skid plate at the bottom. At the side, the Venue gets a floating roof like appearance due to the dual-tone colour scheme and there are also chrome door handles. There are 16-inch Diamond Cut Alloy Wheels which looks sharp and enhances the side stance of the Venue. At the rear, there are LED tail lamp with crystal effect which you will usually find on luxury cars.

INTERIOR

As for the Hyundai Venue interiors is concerned, the cabin features a five-seat configuration and packs in a host of features in tandem with other models in the segment. We get a leather plus fabric upholstery, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, steering mounted controls, air purifier, supervision cluster, and sliding centre armrest. The sound quality of the Arkamys sound system with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters is great and will keep the driver entertained on the go. To enhance the sporty look of the interiors, there is a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a leather-wrapped gear knob. Talking of the rear, there is a rear seat armrest cup holder for extra storage, 60:40 split seats for extra space when you need it, rear AC vents, parcel tray, adjustable rear seat headrests, and a rear wiper and washer.

ENGINE & PERFORMANCE

Hyundai Venue specifications comprise of petrol, turbo petrol as well as diesel engine options. The turbo petrol derives power from the all-new 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged engine which produces a max power of 120bhp and peak torque of 171.6Nm. The 1.2L petrol engine generates a max power of 83bhp and a peak torque of 114Nm. The Diesel variants in the line-up get a 1.4-litre oil burner which generates a max power of 90bhp and max torque of 219Nm. Only the 1.0L engine will come mated to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Rest other two engines i.e. 1.2L petrol engine has a 5-speed manual transmission and 1.4L diesel engine gets a 6-speed manual.

BRAKING & SAFETY

Speaking about the brakes, Hyundai offers discs in the front and drum brakes at the rear. Referring to safety, Hyundai is offering a lot of safety features as standard with the Venue. There are dual airbags, ABS with EBD, reverse parking sensors, impact sensing auto door unlock, speed sensing auto door lock, seat belt pretensioners and high-speed alert as standard on the compact SUV. However, you can get up to 6 airbags, ESC, Vehicle Stability System and hill assist control. Having said that there is also a rear camera with dynamic guidelines for precise parking. In the top variant, you also get an SOS button on the IRVM and a distress alarm button in the key fob.

HANDLING

The steering is light for city use and the segment first dual clutch transmission is great. The suspension absorbs most of the bumps quite easily and the highway stability is also good. The handling of the compact SUV is quite predictable and is easy to handle. The venue is a good performer overall.

MILEAGE

Venue’s mileage for the new turbo petrol engine is rated at an impressive 18.27 km/l, whereas the 1.2 VTVT petrol engine delivers 17.52 km/l in ideal conditions. The diesel engine returns 18.15 km/l as per Hyundai.

PRACTICALITY

A leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob are standard and the SEL trim; heated front seats and passive entry with push-button start are optional but standard on the Denim. Too bad there’s no dual-zone climate control, heated steering wheel, head-up display, power-operated adjustments for the front seats, or wireless phone charging. Also, base models don’t have a center armrest, and the top-of-the-line Denim model isn’t available with a sunroof. Still, the Venue cabin is a pleasant place to spend time, and with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats in use, it has 19 cubic feet of cargo room. That volume increases to 32 cubes when the back seat is folded flat.

For such a small car, there’s a surprisingly roomy cabin inside. Up front, there’s 41.3 inches of legroom and rear passengers get 34.3 inches. Tall rear passengers won’t want to be inside for long journeys, but all passengers have a comfortable amount of head and elbow room. In line with its price point, there’s no option on the Venue for power-assisted front seat adjustment, and the base model doesn’t get a center armrest. While basic, the seating is comfortably cushioned and there’s enough adjustment in the driver’s seat for larger drivers to get the position they need. The boxy design comes into its own again for the driver with excellent visibility and over the shoulder sightlines.

CONCLUSION

By launching the Venue, Hyundai has given a tough competition to the competitors by providing many features which are usually offered in premium cars. Venue has the potential to lead the segment by its features and impressive looks.