Hyundai Venue
Month 3 with the Hyundai Venue in lockdown has forced a certain maturity into my driving style that many will say is “about bloomin time”. Given the circumstances, runs to the fuel station are an ‘emergency-only’ protocol and best avoided for as long as possible. The need of the hour was to lighten my leaden foot and ignore the trappings of empty roads and instead turn my attention to the Venue’s on-board efficiency computer in an effort to make the most of every last drop of fuel. In the process, though, I did learn something about this particular pairing of a small turbo-charged 3-cylinder with a DCT. For starters, the 998cc 3-cylinder mill makes about 118bhp as high as 6,000rpm thanks to forced induction, conversely the 172Nm of torque kicks in low at 1,500pm staying at peak all the way through to 4,000 rpm, about when the turbo is spraying in. The short shifting DCT, does well to shift through the gears too, making for a tremendous spirited drive when you put your foot down. Here’s the catch though, when the inputs are gentler the DCT is still shifting short, that drops the revs lower and lower till it’s in the 7th slot cruising just under the 1500 rpm mark. In a way using the same torque that made it quick to make it more efficient. That said, 14kmpl with the aircon on is the best figure I’ve seen this month and that’s sans traffic! Which is more than respectable for a turbo-3-cyl that’s putting out in excess 115bhp, but maybe try the diesel if efficiency trumps performance in your books!
FOR STARTERS, THE 998CC 3-CYLINDER MILL MAKES ABOUT 118BHP AS HIGH AS 6,000RPM