2022 Hyundai Venue Road Test Review – Mature, Sporty, more Appealing
Hyundai launched their 1st Compact SUV model the Venue in 2019. Since its launch Hyundai has sold the Venue in huge numbers and has been a dominant model in its segment. Just last week Hyundai launched the updated version of the Venue. We travel to the city of Nizam’s Hyderabad to get behind the wheels of the New Hyundai Venue and to know it inside out for getting you all that information on the latest Korean SUV in town.
Food for Thought
The Hyundai Venue was first launched in 2019. The Compact SUV is built in India along with South Korea and Taiwan. The Venue uses the K2 platform that it shares with a few car models from the Hyundai and Kia brand globally. The Venue was Hyundai’s smallest SUV until the Korean car maker got the Casper which now is their smallest.
The Venue is sold by Hyundai apart from India in North America, Australia, South Korea and Taiwan. The Venue was the 1st car model in India to get the iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission). Hyundai has sold more than 3 Lakh Venue’s since launch and it accounts for 42% of their dispatches for 2021. According to the automaker, the Venue has a market share of 16.9 per cent in the segment.
Exteriors
The Venue has always been a smart looking SUV, with this update it gets more good looking and a lot smarter in appearance. The New Hyundai Venue in terms of exterior appearance remains the same in terms of dimensions and the basic silhouette but with many updates on the styling department. The typical boxy SUV look continues on the New Venue, what comes in is an all new face with a wide bold parametric design grille finished in dark chrome and surrounded by piano black frame that reminds you of the global Hyundai models like the Tucson and the Palisade.
The turn lights are neatly integrated kind of extending the grille into the lip area of the bonnet. The trademark on the bumper positioning of the headlamps is retained with now the they getting the projector type beams in them and a slightly sharper ring type DRL running around. The lower section of the bumper gets a thick black insert that runs across the face making the Venue look broader. You also get a wide silver faux skid plate. The face on the Venue is much bolder and looks a lot more mature. The bonnet retains the soft character lines which completes the tough SUV look on the face of the New Venue.
In terms of sides the New Hyundai Venue gets bigger door handles finished in chrome, larger 16 inch alloy wheels with all new design and dual tone finish, bolder roof spoiler, body colored shark fin antenna and an electric sun roof. The wheel arches come with unpainted fiber cladding and so does the lower section of the sides to complete the SUV appeal. Wing mirrors come with electric adjust and fold, LED turn indicators.
The rear profile is completely redone on the New Venue. You get new design tail lamps with a futuristic digital theme along with a light strip that connects both the lamps running across the boot area making a H pattern. The rear bumper is also totally new with a thick black insert along with stop reflectors placed on it and a meaty sized faux skid plate in solver that completes the tough SUV styling on the New Venue. The boot lid sports the Venue branding boldly in chrome along with the Hyundai logo placed in the middle.
Interiors
Step inside the New Hyundai Venue and you instantly realize the dual-tone theme now in place as against an all black theme on the outgoing model. The dashboard gets its top in black and the lower section done in beige. The AC vents get silver surrounds while the main attraction on the dash is the floating type 8-inch touch screen AVN system. This unit comes with all the connectivity features which include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth telephony, FM radio, GPS navigation etc. This AVN system also comes with an unique feature called as Sounds of Nature which plays different soothing ambient sounds.
You also get voice control features, Google Alexa and more than 60 connected car features on the New Venue. The Venue gets a single zone climate control unit with a smart looking digital dial control unit. The instrument cluster is an all new color display unit that is also seen on the i20 and the Verna. This unit is pretty crisp on its display and reads out all the tell-tale information. The display also changes colors as per the drive mode selected, Green in Eco, Blue in Normal and Red in Sport modes. The Venue gets one USB, one USB type C and a 12W power outlet in the front along with a wireless charger. At the rear you get two USB-C power outlets. The center console also houses the drive mode shift dial on the Turbo Petrol DCT trim.
The flat bottom steering unit is the same one seen on the Creta, Verna and the i20 which is a 4-spoke unit with leather wrapping and silver inserts on it along with MFD buttons placed. Manual height adjust is available but there is no adjust for reach on this steering. In terms of seats the New Venue gets segment first 4-wa electrical adjustable driver’s seat.
You can adjust this seat electrically for reach and back rest angle while adjusting its height is possible manually. Seats get beige upholstery with faux leather inserts on its edges along with hand stitching and piping pattern. Â Front seats offer excellent support, comfort headroom, shoulder room and offering excellent visibility ahead.
Between the front seats you have a closable storage space with integrated air purifier which has a AQI display on it. At the rear the seats now get a two-step backrest incline adjust along with twin adjustable headrest and a foldable arm rest. Rear passengers also get the comfort of AC vents and two USB C mobile charge ports. Seating here offers good comfort, space, legroom, knee room and headroom. Space and comfort is a lot better as compared to the older model. Â The New Venue has a boot capacity of 350 liters.
You also get voice control features where you can open or close sunroof, control the climate control and also the music system using voice commands.
Engine – Transmission – Drive
The engine options remain the same on the New Hyundai Venue. You have the 1.2L NA engine with 83PS of power and 114Nm of torque. Transmission options here is the 5-speed manual. The 1.0L 3-cylinder Turbo Petrol engine is also available which makes 120PS of power and 172Nm of torque mated to either a 7-speed DCT automatic or an iMT transmission options. The Diesel option is the tried and trusted 1.5L 4-cylinder unit with 100PS of power and 240Nm of torque.
We drove the 1.0L Turbo Petrol with iMT transmission for our review. The Turbo GDI engine has always been one of our liked units and still continues to be our favorite. The 3-cylinder unit is highly refined and loaded with power from the one go. The unique clutch-less manual shift is super fun to use and highly intelligent too. You have to be in neutral to start the car, just as in any automatic, and simply shift to the 1st gear take your foot off the brake and the iMT transmission intelligently delivers the power to the wheels gliding the car ahead.
You can up-shift or down shift manually but without the clutch as per the speed and drive requirement. If you start off from stand still in the third gear or higher, and you will get a beep and a warning on the cluster to shift to a lower gear. Similarly, if you accidentally are driving in a higher gear and the engine revs drop too low, you’ll get the same warning, but it still won’t stall, as eventually it will engage the clutch for safety.
Power delivery is highly refined and shifting the iMT 6-speed shifter is sheer pleasure. Hyundai has reworked the suspension setup and the Venue drives a lot better shooting ahead in a mature SUV fashion. The turbo hits in at the right time boosting power pretty handsomely. The steering feels lively and well balanced offering just the right feedback needed. The suspension setup that offers a very well sorted ride quality is the key USP of the Venue and full marks to them for this update. The cabin is very well insulated and is a very comfortable place to be for your drives. Â At high speeds the Venue now feels very secure and confident always planted.
Safety
In terms of safety the Hyundai Venue comes with upto 6 airbags, 2 air bags standard, ABS, EBD, brake assist, ESC, parking sensors, rear parking camera, TPMS, keyless entry, ISOFIX seat anchorage etc.
Competition
The New Hyundai Venue competes against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Brezza which is due for a major update very soon, Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet and the Mahindra XUV 3OO.
Verdict
The Hyundai Venue has always been a smart looking SUV and with this update the SUV has now become a lot more mature, bold & appealing. The styling on the New Venue does stand out and grabs lots of attention. The interiors also get loads of updates with a long list of features on its list. Engine options and transmission options are pretty many with the Turbo Petrol being our favorite. The buyer also has an Diesel and a Non Turbo engine option to choose making the Venue available to a wide spectrum buyers. With the timely changes and updates the New Venue is one of the better options in its segment to go for with prices starting at Rs. 7.53 Lakh.
Words – Ritesh Madhok
Photography & Video – Govind Gadekar
