Image: Hyundai

Image: Hyundai

Image: Hyundai

Image: Hyundai

Image: Hyundai

Image: Hyundai

Image: Hyundai

Hyundai’s popular Venue gets a new kit and captain mid-game, but competition has never been tougher in the league of Indian-built compact crossovers writes Braam Peens who got to grips with the updated newcomer during its launch.

Image: Hyundai

As premium family hatches and three-box sedans are now passé – either owing to pricing or demand shifts in the past few years – or both; at 37% of all passenger sales, the segment for compact crossovers has become South Africa’s most contested.

Essentially, premium C-segment hatchbacks like Golfs and Méganes have all but disappeared locally, leaving the R300 000 – R500 000 price bracket to be fought for by nearly 20 different models; most of them manufactured in India and sold in second-world countries.

Sharing common traits such as an elevated ride height (but still unsuited for off-roading), Excel-friendly interiors and smartphone-aping touchscreen-based infotainment systems; and to satisfy tax regulations of the various countries they’re sold in, they all measure around four metres in length and are primarily powered by turbocharged one-litre engines.

These players, then, are the war horses for the trench warfare of cash-strapped consumers’ incessant internet-breaking spec-versus-rand crusades.

Slotting in sales-wise for 2022 behind Toyota’s Urban Cruiser and VW’s T-Cross – as one of the category’s prime movers, Hyundai’s i20-based Venue introduced at the end of 2019 has to date moved just over 17 000 units locally. Three years on, the range has received a mid-life specification update and corporatised frontal treatment to align with that of the new Tucson and Creta, although all powertrain configurations remain unaltered.

Image: Hyundai

That means the Venue line-up continues to commence with the four-cylinder 1,2-litre Motion (61 kW/115 N.m; and a five-speed manual transmission – R294 900), followed by a quartet of 1,0-litre turbo (88 kW/172 N.m) derivatives graded as Motion or the higher-specced Fluid; available with the choice of either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The headline debut admittance; however, is that of the R449 900 N Line replacing the 1.0 Glide DCT to crown the range. It is externally characterised by a more aspirational appearance constituted by a smattering of performance-pretending N Line badges, unique wheel rim design, an electrically operated sunroof, rear spoiler and twin-exit exhaust.

At the rear, a light strip spanning the full width of the rear hatch now connects the LED tail lamps.

Inside, red stitching rounds off the leather-wrapped seats (of which the driver’s is electrically adjustable) and steering wheel; mood lighting, uhm, lightens the mood while aluminium pedals and a drive mode-select turn-dial serve to sell the sentiment of speed.

Outside, a side repeater is henceforth integrated in the side mirrors of all models; similarly all drivers are treated to a 4,2-inch digital instrumentation display (up from 3.5-inches previously) and rear ventiliation has been added to the turbocharged Motion models.

Image: Hyundai

Fluid derivatives, as well as the N Line, are henceforth equipped with LED-powered headlights and daytime running lights; additionally, the rear seatback angle is adjustable.

How does the N Line drive? Our first observation was the shallow-bolstered seats felt flat rather than cossetting and bordered on the less comfortable side of firm. The steering column is also only adjustable for rake and not reach, yet it has to be said that finding an ideal driving position was nonetheless an unchallenging exercise.

Floor the throttle and as with all small-capacity turbocharged engines, there’s a distinct delay before the Venue gets up to go. There aren’t any override paddles present (and neither does one expect them in this category) but the seven-speed gearbox is well suited to the torque delivery of the engine.

Unexpectedly, of all things the Venue’s brake pedal feel is excellent, providing the perfect balance between, bite, feel, and travel; lulling the driver into maneuvres wholly inappropriate for such a tall vehicle. The suspension is a little on the firm side, but that said the cabin is quiet (save for some wind noise), feeling compact but not cramped. The steering is light, if lifeless in feel. Still, the all-round visibility of the immediate surroundings is commanding and delivers on the elevated driving sensation that customers now crave.

So is the updated Hyundai Venue deserving of the Indian premier league trophy? Bearing in mind that value trumps all in this category, the N Line is stumped by its R450k asking price when there are smarter buys worthy of consideration slightly downstream in and beyond the Venue line-up. Against its rivals, the Venue’s strongest innings comes from its comparable features list and class-leading 7-year/200 000 km warranty as well as one of the most powerful engines in the category.

Image: Hyundai

For the cut-and-thrust of urban driving, where parking is tight and gaps small, the Venue credibly earns its keep as a Timberland-boot wearing office grinder. On the other hand, for those regularly covering marathons instead of mere school runs, it may be prudent to play the long game and look towards something a little less single-minded about number crunching.

After all, ownership is more like a five-day test than a Twenty20 match, but as a benchmark the Venue is a commendable place to start.

Hyundai Venue 1.0 N Line FAST FACTS

Price: R449 900

Engine: front-mounted, turbopetrol, 998cc, inline-three

Transmission: DCT Power: 88 kW @ 6 000 rpm

Torque: 172 N.m @ 1 500 rpm

Driven wheels: Front 0-100 km/h: 11,15 sec (Fluid specification, CAR March 2020 test)

Top speed: 187 km/h (claimed)

Fuel consumption: 8,3 l/100km (combined)

CO2 emissions: 148 g/km

Rivals: Volkswagen T-Cross, Toyota Urban Cruiser/Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford Ecosport, Kia Sonet, Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite, Opel Crossland, Honda HR-V, Mahindra XUV, Mahindra KUV, Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, Hyundai Kona

Keyword: Hyundai Venue 1.0T N Line first drive review

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