Hyundai Venue

With three choices of upholstery – dual-tone black and grey, dual-tone black and denim, and all-black, the Hyundai Venue feels upmarket with nicely appointed elements and tight fit and finish levels. The cabin looks modern with the presence of new-age screens – a 4.2-inch supervision cluster behind the multi-functional steering wheel and an 8-inch standalone touchscreen infotainment system in the upper centre console. 

The infotainment system is flanked by round-edged AC vents, which along with the ones on the corners of the dashboard, have premium-looking satin silver surrounds. The lower centre console has rounded knobs for the automatic climate control and USB charging sockets. The Venue is also equipped decently with additional features like a 6-speaker audio system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, electric sunroof, rear AC vent, push start-stop button, and electrically-adjustable and foldable outside rearview mirrors.

Featuring a boxy and upright stance, the Hyundai Venue gets a front fascia inspired by the previous-generation versions of the more premium Hyundai SUVs. The fascia majorly comprises of a parametric grille with rectangular chrome inserts, with black touches on the sides and bottom edges. The split headlamp setup comprises of turn indicators in the upper part and a bi-LED projector headlamp within rounded rectangular housings in the lower part.

For an SUV-like touch, the Hyundai Venue also gets silver skid plates for the front and rear bumpers, side body cladding with body mouldings over wheel arches, and thick roof rails. While the Smart variant gets 15-inch steel wheels and body-coloured door handles, the Comfort variant has 16-inch machined alloy wheels and chrome door handles. The rear profile of the Hyundai Venue looks attractive, with squared combination tail lamps and parametric LED inserts, which are connected by an LED light bar across the boot lid’s width. 

Based on the same platform as the i10 hatchback sold globally, the Hyundai Venue has a suspension setup of Macpherson struts at the front and coupled torsion beam axle at the rear, with coil springs for both front and rear setups. The ride and handling balance are pretty decent, making the Venue an easy and comfortable car to drive in urban conditions. There are also multiple drive modes in the Comfort variant to make the driving experience more involving.

A 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is the standard powertrain in both the variants of the Hyundai Venue. This three-cylinder turbo-petrol unit claims 120 PS of maximum power and 172 Nm of maximum torque output, with the Venue capable of hitting a top speed of 180 kmph and doing 0-100 kmph in 11.4 seconds. 

The UAE-spec Hyundai Venue also misses out on the list of ADAS features as some of its versions that are sold in other global markets. However, the UAE-spec Venue covers all the basics of safety, with it having dual front airbags, ABS, reverse parking sensors and camera, electronic stability program, hill hold assist and tyre pressure monitoring system.

With a smart exterior design and a feature-rich cabin that feels premium for a car of this size and price, the Hyundai Venue doesn’t feel like a compromise for a compact car. The Venue is impressive as a city runabout for its finely balanced performance and ride quality.