Hyundai finally took the wraps off their new sub 4-meter compact SUV, the Hyundai Venue. Priced at ₹7,49,900 (ex-showroom) onwards, the Hyundai Venue comes with many improvements over the previous generation, including a new design, fresh interiors, more features and enhanced safety. The new Venue fixes many things that people demanded with the older version, but there are still a few things that leave you wondering how the car would perform.
Now yes, this is the car for the younger generation, meaning it has got all the tech and all the features one could ask for. However, there are things that I wasn’t able to tell in a glance over at the launch event and would take a rather extensive test to come to a conclusion for. But then again, I have first impressions – lots of them. So without much further ado, let’s get right into my first thoughts after experiencing the new and updated Hyundai Venue. Let’s go:
Hyundai Venue First Impressions: Exterior and Styling
The design of the new mini SUV has been updated quite substantially. It takes from Hyundai’s latest design language, which has done wonders over this size and dimension. The new Hyundai Venue looks really good in the new design language – it looks bigger and it looks meaner than the predecessor. The new Venue also has a slightly longer wheelbase than the previous version, which does its bit in making the new Hyundai Venue look bigger.
My favourite part is the rear. I absolutely love this new rear design of the Venue. There are scores of videos and funny memes online mocking the older Hyundai Venue’s rear design. With this new and improved look, I am pretty sure those will fade away because this rear-end design is probably the most striking in any sub 4-meter compact SUV in the market. Like I said in my videos also, the new Hyundai Venue looks very similar to the Range Rover Sport or the Land Rover Discovery from the back – a thought that echoed across the room amid the journalists and creators at the Hyundai Venue launch.
From the front, it looks aggressive with the new grille and the vertically-placed quad headlamps. It also comes with a connected LED light, something every manufacturer is putting in their cars. The wheels are also getting a new design. We are getting 16-inch wheels on the Hyundai Venue, with wheel arches that look proportional to the car – not like some other sub 4-meter cars in our market. The wheel design is typical Hyundai with the diamond-cut alloy wheels.
Overall, this is a great improvement over the previous model’s design. The Venue finally looks like a cool car that youngsters with a sense of style will pick over other options in this segment. My favourite design element is how the car looks from the rear. Not too good for Range Rover, great for Hyundai and Hyundai Venue drivers.
Hyundai Venue First Impressions: Interiors and Comfort
The interiors also look more premium as compared to the previous generation. Things look more refined and even the new materials used in the car fit in quite seamlessly into the cabin. I also like the blue and white colour scheme in the new Hyundai Venue’s cabin. There are trims inside made of recycled plastic, which also looks pretty decent. How long it will hold up is something that needs to be tested.
Otherwise things look much better inside. The fit and finish of everything in the cabin is very good and this feels much more premium than the previous variant. I love the design of the new steering wheel with the four dots in the normal variant, which represents an “H” in morse code. The steering wheel on the Hyundai Venue N Line is even better in terms of how it looks. This is the same steering wheel that we have also seen in the global variants of the Hyundai iONIQ 6 N so this is much more premium than the normal version of the Hyundai Venue. Even the center console design looks quite premium and gives a very Volvo-like look. The gear lever also looks good with a very minimal design.
The seats are comfortable. In the front we are getting seat ventilation with the driver’s seat being four-way electronically adjustable. The seats look comfortable but I believe there could have been better thigh support. The back seats of the Hyundai Venue are also pretty good. My favourite feature here is that we are getting 2-step reclining seats in the back. This makes things much more comfortable for the back seat passengers. The thigh support in the rear seats is also pretty good but not the best in segment.
So interiors look much better than the previous variant and we are getting some new colours and materials in the new Hyundai Venue, which goes quite well overall. There is enough tech, sufficient comfort, and the quality of everything is just fine in the new Hyundai Venue.
Hyundai Venue First Impressions: Engine and Powertrain
Now, we haven’t got the chance to drive the Hyundai Venue yet, so there is nothing we can say about the way it drives. But Hyundai has launched the car in multiple engine and gearbox options, so let us take a look at that.
First and foremost, we are getting a 1.2 litre naturally aspirated petrol engine which produces 82 bhp of power and 117 nm of torque. There is also a 1.5 litre 4 cylinder diesel engine which produces 112 bhp of power and 250Nm of torque. The third option is a three cylinder 1 litre turbocharged petrol engine which produces 118 bhp of power and 172Nm of torque.
In terms of the gearboxes, we are getting a 7-speed DCT automatic transmission, and a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission. In terms of manual, we are also getting a 6-speed manual transmission with the Hyundai Venue. This time around, we are getting a manual transmission even for the turbo variants of the Hyundai Venue. Furthermore, this time around there is also multiple options for those who want a diesel automatic, something that was missing towards the end of the previous Venue’s life cycle.
