HYUNDAI VENUE

Frolicking in the compact crossover market takes some doing. For while several advocates are playing in this space, style and overall value for money remain the overbearing elements in the buying decision. Volkswagen recently launched its impressive T-Cross to much acclaim and now Hyundai wants a piece of the market pie with its Venue crossover.

Hyundai has truly come a long way in a little over a-quarter-of-a-decade since it first arrived in SA. It was at the time an unknown entity to many a South African, pandering decidedly to the lower end of the market with its Accent and Elantra models. Fast forward to 2019, and I’m driving around the fairest Cape in the company’s latest model, the Venue, which squares up against the likes of the Ford Ecosport, Mazda CX3, Renault Captur, and the VW T-Cross.

WHAT IS IT?

Awkward name aside, the Venue’s styling takes cues from the company’s flagship Santa Fe with the cascading grille and slim indicator lights, while the main beam is located just below that tier. There are front and rear scuff plates and roof rails to round off the supposed off-road look. The 16” alloy wheels, in contrast, look a little lost in those wheel arches and that is perhaps the only criticism of an otherwise contemporary exterior design.

IS THE CABIN IMPRESSIVE?

Boasting an architecture like that of the Kona, the Venue has a modern cabin design, thanks to the 8” infotainment colour touchscreen in both the Fluid and Glide trim levels, while the entry Motion models make do with a 3.8” monochrome screen. Meanwhile, perceptive quality of the materials looks good, but tactility feels decidedly low rent with some plastic trimmings. That said, overall space packaging is good, perhaps pipped by the T-Cross in the leg and shoulder room departments.

POWERTRAIN

Hyundai’s decision to offer a turbocharged 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine across the range is commendable. Drivability and fuel economy are two highlights of this engine layout with this particular engine pushing out 88 kW and 172 Nm via either a 6-speed manual or 7-speed, dual-clutch automatic in both the Motion and Fluid variants, while the flagship Glide derivative comes exclusively with the automatic transmission.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?

Driving the model at its launch in Cape Town, the three-pot engine felt sprightly for the most

part, delivering plausible get-up-and-go once up the rev range. The manual gearbox is slick in operation but does seem to exacerbate the threepot thrum filtering into the cabin, something that was notably absent in the automatic version I later drove.

It is a smooth operator with well-judged ratios, and, personally, it is the overall refinement of this combination that won me over. Ride quality is also worth a mention as the Venue managed to overcome road imperfections succinctly, all the while feeling stable on the open road at the national speed limit.

HOW DOES IT STACK UP AGAINST RIVALS?

From a styling perspective, it is right up there with the best of them, even out shadowing the dated Ecosport in my books. The Captur will be replaced next year, but the current model can still hold its own in this company. Mazda’s CX-3 is arguably the most stylish in the segment, but space packaging is compromised, while its noneturbo engines are lacklustre in performance. The T-Cross is a great option in this segment, particularly when considering that it is built on the excellent Polo platform, with drivetrain- and cabin-sharing.

SAFETY ITEMS

All models save for the Motion trim level – that has two airbags - come standard with six airbags, while ABS, Electronic Stability, and Hill Start Assist Control are standard fare across the range. So, from that perspective, Hyundai seems to have most grounds covered, giving buyers added peace of mind.

LAST WORD

Speaking of peace of mind, the Venue, much like its stable siblings, comes standard with a classleading seven-year/200,000 km warranty and sevenyear/150,000 km roadside assistance. There’s also a three-year/45,000km service plan, while service intervals are pegged at 15,000km. Hyundai’s starting price point of R274,900 currently undercuts the T-Cross, which will only be introducing its own sub R300k advocate later this quarter. That said, the Venue is worth a second look if you’re in the market, but the T-Cross seems to just edge it in the desirability stakes.