Hyundai Venue 2019-2022

Jump inside the Venue and the first thing that you will notice is the floating 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The touch response is slick and easy to use. It also gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but unlike its sibling, Kia Sonet, it doesn’t receive wireless connectivity option. Meanwhile, the BlueLink connected car technology shortcuts are available on the inside rearview mirror.

At the front, you will get an air purifier, automatic climate control, wireless charging, USB ports, cooled glove box and other features but you would also get a lot of metal finished plastics. The rear is not as spacious as the Maruti Brezza or the Tata Nexon. On the inside, the Hyundai Venue feels as spacious as most B1-segment hatchback and can comfortably seat 2 adults at the rear on long journeys. You squeeze in another occupant and the shoulder space will be missed by everyone. There’s, however, a good amount of legroom due to the 2,500 mm wheelbase. You do get rear AC vents and a 12V power socket while the electric sunroof adds to the premiumness of the cabin.

Hyundai Venue is available with three engine options - 1.0L turbo petrol, 1.2L naturally aspirated petrol and a 1.5L turbocharged diesel engine. The 1.5L diesel was added just last year when the country shifted to the newer BS6 emission norms. In the BS4 regime, the B-SUV used to be available with a 1.4L diesel motor. The 1.0-litre turbo petrol motor, which comes mated to a 7-speed DCT, comes across as an excellent performer. However, there is a significant amount of turbo lag at lower RPMs. Also, the transmission hesitates to downshift when you step on the gas in need of sudden acceleration. 

The 1.5L diesel comes from the Creta but has been detuned and now makes 100 PS of power with 240 Nm of peak torque. Despite a bigger engine, the NVH levels inside the cabin are well contained and the SUV picks the pace with a linear torque delivery. The 6-speed manual offers smooth shifts and light clutch action but we wish there was an AT unit just like its cousin, Kia Sonet.

The 1.2L unit is carried over from the i20 itself and generates 82 bhp of power with 114 Nm of peak torque. This unit may not be as powerful as the 1.0L turbocharged petrol but gets the job done for city as well as occasional highway runs.

The body roll in the Hyundai Venue is quite evident even when changing directions at moderate speeds. The suspension feels good, but the enthusiasts would wish for a stiffer setup to make cornering more fun. Also, the potholes can be easily felt at slower speeds because of the stiffer suspension but at higher speeds, the Venue offers a controlled ride. The brakes too are responsive and even on wet surfaces, the car comes to a standstill in no time. The steering is light but precise. The steering on the Venue feels agile but the body-roll makes hard cornering pretty unnerving. Overall, the Venue is not as fun as the Ford Ecosport or the Mahindra XUV300, but we like the direct steering.

Typical of Hyundai models, the Venue offers a pretty good ride quality. That said, the occupants are not immune from the jerks as the car takes on speed-breakers and potholes but things never get so bad that you hear any of the occupants complaining of discomfort. Even the bigger irregularities are evened out easily but the vertical movement is something that keeps us from rating the suspension setup very highly.

The Hyundai Venue has bagged a 4-star crash test safety rating in the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). It has scored well in both adult occupancy and child occupancy protection tests. In adult protection, the B-SUV has scored 91 percent while it has scored 81 percent in child occupant safety. While the Australia-spec model gets more features than the Indian version, the high score in the crash tests do speak volumes of the crash test performance provided by the platform.

The Hyundai Benue on sale India is available with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX child seat anchorage as standard features across the trim. The fully-loaded SX (O) variant even comes with side and curtain airbags, which takes the total count of airbags to six. This version even gets vehicle stability management, hill start assist and traction control. This simply puts the Venue at par with all other sub-compact SUVs except for Mahindra XUV300, which comes with an additional airbag for the driver’s knee.