Hyundai has marked an entry into the sub-4 meter compact SUV segment with their upcoming Venue SUV. While the launch of the SUV will take place on 21 May, the dealerships of the company across India will start the official bookings for the SUV from 2 May. Not to mention that the unofficial bookings for the SUV have already begun at many dealerships of the South Korean maker. However, come the official date of the online bookings and one can book the sub-4 meter compact SUV directly from the official website of the company.
Upon launch, the Hyundai Venue will lock horns with Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Mahindra XUV300, Ford EcoSport, Honda WR-V, and Tata Nexon in the Indian market. What the company has lost on time, it aims to make up on the features aspect and there are enough bells and whistles here that have been brought to the segment for the first time. This ought to grant the maker the attention it wants for its latest entrant in the sub-4 meter compact SUV segment.
As far as the mechanicals of the upcoming Venue are concerned, the South Korean maker is offering a new 1 liter 3 cylinder turbo petrol engine rated to deliver 120 PS and 175 Nm, this engine has been developed by the company in-house. This new engine comes with a 7-speed twin clutch gearbox and a 6 speed manual. As far as the other engines are concerned, there are two more options with the first one being a 1.2L petrol rated for 82 PS and 114 Nm and mate to 5 speed manual gearbox. The second one is a 1.4L turbo diesel engine rated for 90 PS and 220 Nm and mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox. Both the latter options have been borrowed from the Elite i20.
Now coming to the features aspect, the company says that Venue’s ‘Smart Connect SUV’ tag will arm it with 33 features and among these, 10 have been developed especially for India and it will feature the brand’s ‘BlueLink Connected Technology’. The BlueLink technology in the Venue offers remote start, headlamp control, AC, windows and horn control. Other features include emergency assist, real time traffic alert, remote car immobilizer, car tracker, and support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Hyundai Venue also comes with an air purifier that aims to benefit the Indian customers specifically as the air pollution has become a major problem in India. Apart from this, Hyundai Venue’s AC comes with an eco-coating this keeps the odor out of the aircon unit and helps it self-clean. Hyundai Creta is famous for its wireless charging feature and the same has now made its way to the Venue sub-4 meter compact SUV as well. Hyundai has also gone a step further and has brought the HD version of infotainment display on the Venue. The improved resolution will mean better images during satellite navigation.
It remains to be seen as to how the South Korean maker prices their latest sub-4 meter offering in the market, although there have been estimates that the Venue’s base model’s ex-showroom prices could start somewhere between Rs. 7 and 8 lakhs and go all the way up to Rs. 11 lakhs. This will make the Venue a premium offering in the market and some its variants prices will also end up clashing with Creta. Hyundai has played its cards very well with several segment first features on offer. Now all depends on the pricing.