At an event on a cruise ship (on which attendees actually sailed from Mumbai to Goa), Hyundai unveiled its all-new compact SUV, the Venue; a simultaneous unveil was held at the New York International Auto Show.
The Venue is the firm’s first sub 4-metre SUV in India, and will go up against competitors like the Mahindra XUV 300, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the Ford EcoSport.
In terms of design, Hyundai has gone with a bold, in-your-face look, with a massive front grille, split headlights (in the manner of its own Kona SUV), 16-inch alloy wheels and square rear tail lights. The car certainly has the basic characteristics of its elder sibling, the Creta, but is smaller and extremely compact. The cabin is typically Hyundai – neat, unfussy, comfortable and with all controls falling easily to hand; the centrepiece is the ‘floating’ 8-inch touchscreen. Space at the front is excellent, but at the rear, it’s not the best in class, feeling a little cramped. In terms of dimensions, the Venue is 3995mm long, 1770mm wide and 1590mm high.
Hyundai is really going to town about the SUV’s connectivity features, which are extensive. It’s the first Hyundai in India to receive its Blue Link connectivity technology, which has 33 features that cover areas like security, vehicle management, alert services, AI language inputs, safety, remote access and so on. It’ll run off an embedded e-SIM from Vodafone/Idea. Other features include a sunroof, rear A/C vents, a cooled glovebox, wireless charging and an audio system. The top end models will have electronic stability control, hill-assist control, brake assist and six airbags. On the base models, two airbags and ISOFIX child-seat mounts are expected to be standard fitments.
Available at launch will be three engine options – a 1-litre turbocharged petrol with 120 hp and 172 Nm of torque (with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox or a 6-speed manual); a 1.2-litre petrol with 83 hp and 115 Nm of torque (with a 5-speed manual gearbox); and a 1.4-litre diesel with 90 hp and 220 Nm of torque (with a 6-speed manual gearbox).
Launching on 21st May, the Venue will come with a 3-year/unlimited km warranty, and prices are expected to range between Rs 8 lakh to Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom), depending on the variant.
