Hyundai India launches the much-awaited Venue starting from Rs 6.50 lakh

Hyundai India has launched its sub-four-metre compact SUV, the much-awaited Venue, at a price range starting from Rs 6.50 lakh and going up to Rs 11.10 lakh. It will be offered in three engine options, a 1.2 kappa petrol variant priced at Rs 6.50 to 7.20 lakh, a 1.0 turbo-petrol priced at Rs 8.21 to 10.60 lakh for the six-speed MT, and Rs 9.35 to 11.10 lakh for the seven-speed DCT, and the 1.4 U2 diesel, priced at Rs 7.75 to 10.84 lakh. It would be competing directly with the Ford Ecosport (priced at Rs 7.83 lakh onwards), Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza (Rs 7.67 lakh onwards), and the Mahindra Xuv300 (Rs 7.90 lakh onwards) (all prices ex-showroom)

Let’s talk Design!

Just like the Kona Electric, the Venue features the split headlamp design. Hyundai’s designers have positioned the indicators and parking lamps horizontally at the edge of the bonnet, with the main headlamps and fog lamps sitting lower down. Surrounding the headlamps are the striking-looking square-ish DRLs. There’s, of course, Hyundai’s mesh pattern cascading grille. This design is part of Hyundai’s new design language, also seen on the latest-gen Santa Fe and the India-bound Kona. However, the silhouette of the Venue appears like a scaled-down version of the Creta.

Under the hood

In a first, Hyundai India is offering its Kappa 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine. The 1.0-litre T-GDI engine makes 118bhp at 6000rpm  and 172Nm of torque from 1500 to 4000rpm. Even though this engine is built for lively performance, Hyundai says that it won’t compromise on fuel efficiency, with a claimed 18.27kmpl for the manual and 18.15kmpl for the seven-speed DCT. Power is sent to the front wheels via the in-house developed seven-speed DCT, which will make its debut in the Venue. There’s also a six-speed manual on offer.

It also gets a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine and the 1.4-litre, four-cylinder diesel that currently powers most of Hyundai’s existing portfolio. The petrol makes 82bhp at 6000rpm and 115Nm of torque at 4000rpm while the diesel is good for 89bhp at 4000rpm and 220Nm of torque from 1500 to 2750rpm. These engines, however, will only be mated to five speed and six-speed manual transmissions.

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What makes it special?

The Hyundai Venue comes with a host of features never seen before on a made-in-India car. Most noteworthy is the Blue Link system that comes with 33 connectivity features, of which 10 are India specific. The in-built tamper-proof device uses a Vodafone-Idea eSIM and a cloud-based voice recognition platform. The system allows owners to command a host of features via a smartphone application and the vehicle’s touchscreen, including access to the climate control settings via the Blue Link app to warm up or cool down the cabin before even getting in. Also, if there’s trouble locating the car, owners can use the car’s horn or lights or even share the vehicle’s live location, all via the app.

It also features an SOS button on the IRVM. On pressing it, Hyundai’s call centre will contact the car and send immediate technical or medical assistance. This feature was available only on high-end luxury cars until now. It also features cornering lights, an electric sunroof, cruise control, an eight-inch touchscreen and glove box cooling. Safety features include six airbags, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, hill assist control and cornering lamps.

Detailed prices are as follows.

ESSXSX(O)––1.0 turbo petrol(7 speed DCT)–1.4 U2 diesel (manual)Rs 7,75,000Rs 8,45,000Rs 9,78,000

Variants

1.2 Kappa petrol (manual)

Rs 6,50,000

Rs 7,20,000

1.0 turbo petrol (manual)

–

Rs 8,21,000

Rs 9,54,000

Rs 10,60,000

Rs 9,35,000

–

Rs 11,10,500

(SX+)

Rs 10,84,000