Hyundai Venue Review - Fiery Red

Introduction

The phenomenal success of the Creta which even surprised Hyundai, cemented the car-maker as a solid No.2 player in the Indian car market. The solid success of the Creta which still is the best selling above 4m SUV month on month means that it provided the perfect incentive for Hyundai to make another SUV and this time below the 4m space. Thus enter the Venue which is positioned below the Creta and a rival to the Brezza however Hyundai has put in all with connectivity, design and tech to make sure it is the class best. Is it? We tell you.

Looks

The Venue is compact and showcases the new Hyundai design language. It is under 4m and unlike the Brezza/TUV300, has a more funky crossover look. However to make it stand out the front end is quite aggressive. There is a massive grille with thin LEDs while the headlamps are below with DRLs alongside that grabs attention for sure.

There is also cladding and skid plates which adds muscle to the overall front look. The side meanwhile gets cladding too and the 16inch alloys on the top-spec versions look good as well. Select trim levels have the dual-tone colour and it does look better with that we say. There is a floating roof plus the rear end, while simpler, looks well proportioned though some might say it looks similar to the Grand i10. The Venue overall looks better in white as it looks bigger while dark/extrovert colours brings out the edginess in its design.

Do Check: All Hyundai Venue Colors

Interior and space

The design of the interior is surely more sporty over the Creta. It is an all black cabin mostly unlike the usual beige/black that the Creta has standard. The design is simple but well laid-out. There is a sportier three-spoke steering wheel, a massive 8inch touch screen, neatly laid out AC vents alongside, round AC controls (like the Swift) for the AC below. Quality and things like the plastic used feels of higher quality than rivals.

Storage space is decent and door pockets are well sized plus the boot is bigger than rivals. Space at the front is good with height adjust offered plus you can adjust steering also. The rear seat though is tight for 3 so 2 passengers at most it is and that too legroom/headroom is adequate and actually less than rivals. Do not even compare with the Creta here.

Features

From every new Hyundai we expect a long features list and here it is the same with some new segment first features added. There are the usual features like Projectors with DRLs, alloys, leatherette pack, bluetooth, 8inch touchscreen, AppleCarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, rear ac vents, height adjustable driver’s seat, Arkamys sound system etc.

However stand out features are the sunroof, cooled glovebox, wireless charging and air purifier. Plus it has Bluelink which is a connectivity suite with 33 features including 10 for India. You get a variety of features thanks to an embedded SIM.

Thus you will get personalized info for your mileage, trip, maps plus more safety in form of emergency assistance feature, voice recognition plus even a remote function where you can use your smart phone to control various functions of the car. It works and is easy to use.

Driving

The Hyundai Venue comes with a 1.2l petrol engine as a base with a 5-speed manual. It makes 82 bhp and 115Nm. Then there is the turbo-petrol unit with a 1.0 turbo making 120 bhp and 172Nm which either comes with a 6-speed manual or 7-speed Dual clutch automatic gearbox. There is also a diesel with a 1.4l unit with 90 bhp and 220Nm which only has a 6-speed manual option.

We drove the diesel manual and petrol DCT automatic. The petrol first and the turbo unit is very smooth and at idle you cannot make out that it’s a three cylinder. Plus at low speeds even the gearbox is smooth. The automatic is jerk free and in traffic, it is painless for the driver and smoother over AMT/torque converter automatics. You would also like the compact dimensions, slim pillars and the light steering which makes driving easier.

At low speeds the gearbox is smooth and only when at highways when you want a quick downshift that you miss not having paddle shifters as the gearbox takes a bit of time for that downshift. There is a manual mode which helps though but paddle shifters would have been nice. The claimed mileage figure of the 1.0 DCT is more over the 1.2l petrol manual with 18.15 kmpl vs 17.5 kmpl. The 1.0 manual is slightly more efficient over the DCT at 18.27 kmpl. In real world expect 10-12 kmpl for the DCT.

We also drove the diesel manual and as in with other Hyundai cars, the Venue with the 1.4l unit is refined and punchy. The manual gearbox is light to use and so is the clutch which makes driving easier plus you do not need to use the gearbox much in the city due to the torque. It also cruises well in the highway.

In terms of ride and handling, the Venue has a good 190mm ground clearance and clears massive potholes easier over the Creta due to its compact proportions and upright look. The ride is well settled on the highways and in the cities too but like the Creta some bad roads makes it a bit bouncy. The Venue certainly feels compact and agile in the corners with decent grip- no complaining.

Which variant to buy?

There are four trims on offer namely, E, S, SX+ and SX(O). The base E trim is too basic hence the S trim is the one to buy if you want a Venue on a budget as it gets a good amount of features. However the best value is the SX+ which gets nearly all but you do miss out on a few features like side and curtain airbags, remote function etc. Of course those are in the top-end SX(O).

Vs rivals

The Venue is the most affordable alongside the Nexon with a starting price of Rs 6.5 lakh and which goes all the way to Rs 11.2 lakh for the top-end Venue DCT. The Nexon is priced between Rs 6.4 lakh- 10.9 lakh. The XUV300 is much more expensive at Rs 7.9 lakh to Rs 12.2 lakh. The EcoSport starts from Rs 7.8 lakh and goes till near Rs 12 lakh. The Brezza is diesel only and starts from Rs 7.7 lakh and goes till Rs 10.5 lakh. The Venue lacks the space of the Brezza or XUV300 while it is not as fun to drive as the EcoSport however in terms of quality, combination of the DCT/1.0 turbo petrol it surely comes out on top.

Verdict

There is plenty to like about the Hyundai Venue and it is a very good SUV. It looks fantastic, is well built, has good features plus the DCT and 1.0 makes it a very good buy. Yes, it has issues namely it does not have the SUV presence and rear seat space is too less but that aside this is a very good compact SUV… probably the best right now…