Big-grilled new Hyundai Venue goes on sale in SA

Crossover SUVs have become hugely popular and the Hyundai Venue is among the prominent choices.

It’s the entry-point in the brand’s SUV line up, to which Hyundai SA has applied radical face-changes, the last being the larger Creta which gained a scaly snout similar to the new Tucson.

Now the company has launched a refreshed Venue and the change focuses on a large and cascading grille, and a revised line-up with Motion, Fluid and a new N Line derivative. The rear gets updated styling too with redesigned tail-lamps joined by a horizontal strip, and a rear hatch door that is wider at the bottom.

The N Line is identified by its unique alloy wheels and twin exhaust ports.

The cute and cuddly-looking Venue had no flaws when it launched and it remains an easy sell which has consistently shifted over 500 units a month, with more than 17,000 of them finding homes in SA since 2019.

The interior has been revised for modern times with an eight-inch audio touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functions, app-based navigation, streaming audio and voice control.

The trio of Venue Fluids and the N Line derivative come with 60/40 split folding rear seat backs, while the Motion gets a solid rear bench that can also fold forward to enlarge the luggage area.

In the Fluid and N Line you also get a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise control buttons, while USB and USB-C ports, a Supervision 4.2-inch TFT LCD display, rear-view camera, Bluetooth, glovebox cooling, rear air-condition ventilation ducts form part of the luxury and convenience items. A sunroof is standard fitment in the new N Line range-topper.

A naturally-aspirated 1.2l four-cylinder petrol engine with 61kW and 115 Nm paired with a five-speed manual transmission powers the entry-level Motion derivative, with fuel consumption rated at 6.5l/100km.

The remainder of the range is moved along by a pokier 1.0l turbocharged three-cylinder delivering 88.3kW and 172 Nm. You have a choice to couple it with either a six-speed manual shifter or a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission, with the N Line only available as a DCT. Fuel consumption is claimed at 6.5l/100km for the manual transmission and 6.9l/100km for the DCT.

I drove the DCT version at the launch and it’s a satisfying and competent show of power and refined cog changes. The Venue feels agile and the steering, brakes and the urge from the motor enable effective hurrying to somewhere, and it calms down well for a longer journey. The N Line variant also benefits from Eco, Normal and Sport driving modes.

It was a refined and cushy drive by segment standards and you’ll also get six airbags, Isofix child-seat attachments, hill-start assist control and electronic stability control if you opt for any model powered by the 1.0l engine. The Motion derivatives come with two airbags but all Venue models feature ABS brakes and electronic brake-force distribution and electronic stability control.

The Venue colour palette includes the Motion and Fluid in Typhoon Silver, Polar White, Titan Grey, Phantom Black, Fiery Red and Denim Blue. The N Line gets three two-tone colour schemes: Polar White with a black roof, Shadow Grey with a black roof, or Nicobar Blue with a black roof.

All Hyundai Venue models come with a seven-year/200,000km warranty, seven-year/150,000km roadside assistance and a three-year/45,000km service plan.

PRICES

Venue 1.2 Motion (manual) — R294,900

Venue 1.0 Motion (manual) — R354,900

Venue 1.0 Motion (DCT) — R394,900

Venue 1.0 Fluid (manual) — R389,900

Venue 1.0 Fluid (DCT) — R429,900

Venue 1.0 N Line — R449,900