2022 Hyundai Venue Review — A Shot In The Arm For the Venue To Keep It Going Strong

In fact, it was because of the Venue that Hyundai found itself featured in several 'Top 10 Bestselling Cars' articles. Though there were several compact SUVs on sale in the Indian market, the Hyundai Venue continued to hold its own. However, Hyundai decided it was time to up the ante and launched the 2022 Hyundai Venue.

Priced between Rs 7.53 lakh and Rs 12.47 lakh, ex-showroom, the new Hyundai Venue boasts new design and styling and several new features. Have the new features made a big difference? We drove the new Hyundai Venue at Hyderabad to find out. Read on to know more about it.

Design & Style

It is in this section that the new Hyundai Venue has received the most changes and right off the bat, you can say that it looks very refreshing indeed. What makes this really interesting is, that the new design changes are really simple while the silhouette remains the same. However, they have made a huge impact and the Hyundai Venue looks very different compared to the older model.

The new Hyundai Venue features a refreshed front fascia and this is largely courtesy of the new grille. It is a wider grille called the 'Parametric Jewel Grille' that looks fabulous especially if you are one who likes lots of understated bling. This grille gets dark chrome inserts and it looks rather fancy.

It still gets the split headlamp feature. However, there are a few changes on this front too. The upper part of the split headlamp is now thicker and more elongated. As a result, it is now connected to the grille element.

The lower half of the split headlamp too has been slightly refreshed. The design remains the same, but the chrome surrounds are replaced by LED DRLs. It also features LED projector and reflector headlamps to handle low and high beams respectively.

The bumper too has been redesigned and is now pretty straightforward with its horizontal lines and silver skid plate. The skid plate ends are finished in black and this goes on to form the body cladding on the side profile.

The old turbine-style diamond-cut alloy wheels have now been replaced by premium multi-spoke alloy wheels. They enhance the overall design and styling and makes the Venue look a little bigger than it actually is.

At the rear, the new Hyundai Venue features connected tail lamps that take the premium appeal to a whole new level. It looks much more premium than it really is. The bumper too has been redesigned and features horizontal lines akin to the front bumper. On top is a shark fin antenna and roof rails complete the package.

Cockpit & Interior

Tug on the new chrome door handles and swing the door open, and you will quickly realise that it is much nicer thanks to the new dual-tone black and ivory theme. The new dual-tone theme replaces the older single-tone grey theme and hence, the in-car experience is already elevated.

In terms of the cabin layout though, nothing much has changed. In front of the driver is a premium four-spoke steering wheel with mounted controls. Behind the wheel is a digital cluster with a full-colour TFT MID that displays lots of information for the driver to make use of.

Taking centre stage on the dashboard is an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It does feature wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Pairing a smartphone to the infotainment system is a breeze. However, we did feel it is a tad too small for the Hyundai Venue. A bigger touchscreen would have been appreciated.

In addition to this, there are lots of features that have been carried over from the older model. This includes automatic climate control, single-pane sunroof, wireless phone charging, etc.

However, there are a few new features that really make a difference. First and foremost is the powered driver seat. The feature is novel and makes life easier. The buttons to control the powered seat are on the side and operating them does take a bit of an effort. The new Hyundai Venue also features an automatic air purifier, ambient lighting, etc.

In terms of features, it is hard to miss out on the Alexa and Google Assistant devices support. You can now give commands to your Hyundai Venue. Hyundai has also updated the BlueLink software and it now offers over 60 connected features.

Comfort, Practicality & Boot Space

Hyundai has always been known to make comfortable and practical cars. The Venue, despite being relatively small in size is one of the most practical cars Hyundai retails in India. The seats are very comfortable and the powered seat makes things very comfy for the driver.

The air-conditioning is powerful and chills the cabin pretty quickly. The comfort bit is made very apparent at the rear with the new seat. The rear seat gets a first-in-segment 2-step recline feature. This enhances comfort for the passengers at the rear by a large margin. The seats are supportive and there is plenty of headroom, leg room and knee room.

The Hyundai Venue does well in terms of practicality too. The glovebox up front is pretty deep and it gets the cooling feature too. You also get wireless smartphone charging. The door pockets can swallow quite a bit too and that wraps up the practicality aspect of the new Hyundai Venue.

With a boot space of 350 litres, the Hyundai Venue can swallow quite a bit of your luggage and the rear seat can be folded down to accommodate some more.

Engine Performance & Driving Impressions

This section of the review is supposed to be the longest for the Hyundai Venue because of the sheer number of powertrain combinations it is available with. However, the engine and gearbox options remain the same as the outgoing model and as a result, the performance too remains the same.

The car we tested was equipped with the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine. We did experience both the iMT and DCT gearboxes and they remain as engaging to drive as they were before. This has always been a peppy engine and still remains fun to drive. There's barely any turbo lag, and performance is accessible across the rev range.

However, it does get a little noisy at higher engine speeds and this is an inherent trait of the engine as it is a three-cylinder unit. The DCT gearbox is quick and shifts gears seamlessly. It becomes even easier to use with the new paddle shifters.

The iMT gearbox remains an interesting transmission option. If you have been driving manual gearboxes for a long time, it will take some time for you to get used to the iMT way of life. The shifts are smooth and seamless if you lift off the throttle. If you shift gears while accelerating, the gearbox is a little notchy.

The suspension has been tweaked on the new Hyundai Venue to offer a supple ride. It is a little stiffer, but soaks up bumps very well. However, high-speed thuds are very evident. The new suspension setup has also helped in controlling body roll. This suspension setup is very likeable indeed.

The steering wheel feels nice to grip and offers a premium feel. It is light and easy to maneuver at lower speed while it also nicely weighs up at higher speeds. It does offer good amounts of feedback to the driver and this is felt even more while cornering.

The brakes are excellent and there is no room for any complaints. The initial bite is great and so is the progression. On the whole, the new Hyundai Venue continues to offer a great driving experience.

Safety & Key Features

Back when it was first launched, the Hyundai Venue was equipped with quite a few first-in-segment features. Now, with the new Venue, there are several new features that have made it to the list.

2022 Hyundai Venue Safety Features:

- Six Airbags
- Rear Park Assist Camera With Dynamic Guidelines
- Cornering Headlamps
- Automatic Headlamps
- Vehicle Stability Management
- Hill Assist Control
- Electronic Stability Control
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System

2022 Hyundai Venue Key Features:

- LED Lighting
- Ambient Lighting
- Steering-Mounted Controls
- 8.0-inch Touchscreen
- Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
- Digital Cluster With Colour MID
- Multiple Drive Modes
- Smart Electric Sunroof
- Powered Driver Seat

2022 Hyundai Venue Colour Options

- Typhoon Silver
- Titan Grey
- Denim Blue
- Phantom Black
- Polar White
- Fiery Red
- Fiery Red with Phantom Black Roof

Verdict

The Hyundai Venue has done really well in the Indian market so far and with the new update, we expect it to do even better. It now packs lots of features along with a more modern and mature design. It still remains a delight to drive and is a great package overall.