Hyundai Venue First Look Review — Brezza Killer?

South Korean carmaker Hyundai unveiled the India-spec Venue compact SUV last month. The Hyundai Venue enters a very hotly contested sub-4-metre compact SUV segment but with its looks and features promises to be the one to watch for. But does the new Hyundai Venue have what it takes to be the new style king of the sub-4-metre compact SUV segment? Let's find out in this first look review of the Hyundai Venue.

Design & Styling

The Hyundai Venue retains the overall silhouette of its larger sibling, the Creta. However, the new Hyundai Venue features a bold new design which mixes Hyundai's latest design language cues with the boxy styling of the Carlino compact SUV seen at Auto Expo 2016.

Up front, the Hyundai Venue sports an oversized version of the Korean carmaker's signature cascade grille. The grille itself features quite a bit of chrome which will appeal to the Indian buyer.

Another eye-catching styling feature of the Hyundai Venue is the split headlamp design, which is becoming popular among carmakers these days. The sleeker section up top features the turn indicators while the square-shaped unit placed lower on the front bumper features the projector headlamps and the LED daytime running lights.

Lower on the front bumper sit the projector type fog lamps. The lower section of the front bumper also features silver moulding that gives the lower section a more stylised look. The front bumper also features a faux silver bash plate in the centre section of the plastic cladding that makes up its bottom edge.

The sides of the Venue are quite sculpted with flared up wheel arches playing host to large diamond cut alloy wheels, which look quite cool. The sides of the Venue SUV feature quite a few character lines that connect the wheel arches together as well another line that connects the upper section of the headlights to the tail lights at the rear.

The two lines cut across the sides of the SUV and combine together to give the sides of the Hyundai a rather distinct look. The Hyundai Venue also features roof rails which are finished up in silver.

The rear end of the new Hyundai Venue is where the its Carlino origins are most evident. The square-shaped tail lights feature a distinct LED lighting pattern which looks rather cool. The rear windshield is also quite raked and the centre of the rear hatch sports the Hyundai badge and the Venue name in chrome.

Hyundai Venue Interior

The interior of the car features quite a restrained design for the dashboard with the only real eye-catching feature being the free-standing 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display. The infotainment display is placed in between the two A/C vents in the centre of the dash underneath which multiple buttons and dials that can be used to control various functions of the display. Underneath this sit three large dials for the climate control system.

The steering wheel of the Hyundai Venue features multiple controls for functions of the infotainment display and for the small colour MID screen that sits in between the analogue speedo and tachometer dials in the instrument binnacle.

The interior of the Hyundai Venue features a dual tone white and black theme, with the roof liner and the pillars draped in the lighter colour. The roof also features an electrically operated sunroof. The cabin itself is quite spacious and rear passengers will get more than enough space at the back to be comfortable even over long journeys.

Hyundai Venue Features

The Hyundai Venue will be India's first ever connected car and will come with a host of features including AI-powered voice recognition specifically tweaked to cater to Indian audiences. The Venue's Blue Link connected technology suite also features a host of other features like geo-fencing, vehicle tracking among many others (you can read about the Venue's connected car features here). The infotainment system will also allow owners to connect their mobile devices through Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

New Hyundai Venue Safety

The Hyundai Venue also sports a host of safety features including multiple airbags (up to 6), ABS with EBD along with electronic stability control, Hill Assist Control, Vehicle Stability management and ISOFIX anchors for child seats.

Hyundai Venue Engine Specifications & Gearbox Options

When it launches in India later this month, the Hyundai Venue will be offered with a choice of three engine options - two petrol and one diesel. The sole diesel engine is a 1.4-litre unit that produces 89bhp and 220Nm of torque. The diesel engine will be paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

The base petrol engine will be a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated powerplant that produces 82bhp and 115Nm of torque. The engine will be offered with a 5-speed manual transmission. The final and most potent powerplant that will be offered with the Hyundai Venue will be a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that cranks out 118bhp and 172Nm of torque. The engine is paired with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or an all-new 7-speed dual clutch transmission.

Hyundai Venue Rivals

The Hyundai Venue will enter the most hotly contested area of the Indian car market - the sub-4-metre compact segment. The Hyundai Venue will rival the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, and the Ford EcoSport. With its attractive design and the boatload of features, expect the new Hyundai Venue to storm the sales charts and give the Vitara Brezza a real run for its money.

Thoughts On The Hyundai Venue

The Hyundai Venue is the first sub-4-metre compact SUV from the South Korean carmaker. With a host of features, unique design and a variety of engines, Hyundai is going all out to attract the Indian car market which is continuing to move towards SUVs. Add to this the aggressive pricing of the compact-SUV in the market and you have something which has all the tools to knock out the Maruti Vitara Brezza.