Keen price for nifty little SUV
If Hyundai’s spicy marketing campaign is to be believed, you should consider its new Venue ahead of the Volkswagen T-Cross. The small SUV segment that offers adequate room and seating for four to five for not much cash is where the big sales action is occurring in SA right now as seen with an estimated 2,000 new T-Cross sales registered thus far. Hyundai SA relishes a piece of that action.
There’s a sizeable 350l boot, which is slightly smaller than the VW’s, and the rear seats flop down in a 60/40 split. The Venue isn’t universally stylish, but it boasts an expressive and assertive road presence created by a larger-than-life cascading grille and a boxy shape and large headlamps with DRLs.
The aesthetic enticement of Hyundai’s smallest SUV, as described by Juhyun Ha, designer at Hyundai Motor, doesn’t necessarily match expectations in size or what you get inside.
Measuring 2,500mm in wheelbase, the Venue is 1,770mm wide and 1,617mm high but, importantly, it’s only 3,995mm long. The rest of the quoted dimensions are in the ballpark area of its rivals and they are what give Hyundai the gumption to challenge the substantially longer 4,235mm TCross. The Ford Ecosport — the kingpin of the segment in terms of audited sales — is even longer at 4,325mm.
But the Venue has an adequately spacious cabin, where a 20.3cm bright display screen stars even in the middle-spec Fluid, which I drove first. There’s a heap of standard equipment to be had, from cruise control to park assist with a rear camera, electric window operation for the driver only, CarPlay readiness, Bluetooth, two USB ports, six airbags, cloth-and-leather seats and much more.
Interior ambience is spoiled by hard plastics with a distinct pong of no-frills adhesives in the mix. In the two-tone dashboard option, variety and contrast in colour visibly exposes substantial gaps and the cheap texture. A fully dark dash option I found on the top-range Glide model makes a better job of hiding this disappointment.
More importantly, the Venue is targeted for urban use, with owners benefiting from the zippiness of its dimensions to easily steer in and out of situations, plus the claimed low fuel consumption averages of 6.5l/ 100km for models equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox and 6,9l/100km for auto models.
I can’t say the more expensive model that’s fitted with a seven-speed DCT automatic is the one to go for above its threepedal cousin. The manual’s clutch and lever are both light enough to use daily and shouldn’t cause leg trouble in congested traffic.
The self-shifter heightens the experience and operation of the single range three-cylinder 1.0l turbo engine though. It’s a far more relaxed engagement, with intuitive, well-timed upshifts that effectively use the narrow power band for a more hushed and refined progression.
Power outputs are modest but competent: 88kW and 172Nm channelled exclusively to the front wheels. Again, not far off VW’s T-Cross, which punches out 85kW and a more tractable 200Nm. Hyundai claims 183km/h top speed for the manual and 187km/h for the auto and indeed, it was a fair _display of keenness with sufficient damping for comfort on long journeys.