Page 54 - Motor Trend (February 2020)

FIRST DRIVE
absorbers are different for the U.S.
Whereas the Australian cars rode on
summer tires, North American models
will have standard 15-inch and optional
17-inch wheels shod in all-season tires.
Designer Jae Bong Jang, head of
Hyundai’s exterior design group, said his
goal was not to create something cute
and toylike. Instead, his aim was small
and confident with a different look and
personality than the sporty Kona or the
boxy Soul. The Venue is more playful
with its own take on Hyundai’s cascading
grille. (The higher trims are chromed.)
The Venue, especially with a
contrasting roof, is an attractive, cheerful
vehicle. It sports a strong front with
an upright windshield and distinctive
headlights, but it has a more raked back
end. It offers thoughtful packaging with a
lot of amenities and safety features for an
entry-level vehicle.
Executives are not concerned about
the Venue stealing Accent sales so long
as customers stay in the Hyundai family.
Nor are they worried about too much
cross-shopping against the Kona given
the two vehicles’ distinct looks. “Once the
profile of a vehicle changes, the customer
changes,” Saikiran Nuli, the Venue’s
product planning manager, said.
Hyundai expects to offer the most
customization in the segment. Globally, it
will offer the Venue in 23 exterior colors
and three interior color schemes (plus
a handful of special looks) for 80 total
combinations. Canada will get all 80, but
the U.S. will (initially) limit its palette to
seven exterior colors and two interior
choices: black or gray.
But if you order the Denim package
with the SEL trim, you get a two-tone
Venue with a blue body and a white roof.
54 MOTORTREND.COM FEBRUARY 2020
It might not sound like much grunt, but
the little engine didn’t disappoint over a
full day of driving on assorted surfaces
and up some hills; it even carved around
2020 Hyundai Venue
some curvy roads. Fuel economy is esti-
BASE PRICE $18,000-$24,000 (est) mated at 32 mpg combined.
VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD, Road noise was minimal. It gets a bit
5-pass, 4-door SUV loud on the highway but isn’t unpleasant,
ENGINE 1.6L/121-hp/ especially for a car of this price. Whereas
113-lb-ft DOHC
many subcompacts opt for rear drum
16-valve I-4
brakes, Hyundai went for rear discs, and
TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual,
cont variable auto braking is smooth.
Being an entry-level car, suspension
CURB WEIGHT 2,550-2,750 lb (mfr)
is MacPherson struts up front with a
WHEELBASE 99.2 in
torsion beam rear axle. We drove over
LENGTH X WIDTH 159.0 x 69.7 x 61.6 in
rough pavement and many miles of gravel
X HEIGHT
roads and found the suspension well up
0-60 MPH 9.0-9.2 sec (MT est)
to the task. Some markets get Snow, Mud,
EPA CITY/HWY/ 27-30/34-35/
COMB FUEL ECON 30-32 mpg and Sand modes, but the U.S. will only
get Snow mode, which allows increased
ENERGY CONS, 112-125/96-99
CITY/HWY kW-hr/100 miles wheelspin for enhanced traction.
Inside, the 8.0-inch touchscreen is
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.61-0.64 lb/mile
nicely integrated into the dash. Knobs
ON SALE IN U.S. December 2019
adjust the volume, radio tuning, and
HVAC controls, and a storage bin sits
below the USB and 12-volt power outlets.
The Venue is Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto compatible; navigation is an option,
as is XM radio. Other options include
push-button start, remote start, and
Inside, the blue plastic looks fresh, and heated front seats and side mirrors.
blue leather covers the steering wheel Although it’s slightly smaller than the
and gearshift and trims the blue cloth Kona, the Venue’s upright shape gives it
seats. Even the doors are two-tone, and 18.7 cubic feet of cargo space. To make
there are other nice touches, such as the the cargo area even more functional, the
white bottom of the storage tray that cover can be removed and stored flush
resides above the glove box. We predict with the back of the hatch area.
customers will ask for the two-tone treat- A rearview camera, forward collision
ment with additional colors—something avoidance assist, lane keep assist, and
Hyundai is open to considering. driver attention warning are all standard;
Under the hood is the same 1.6-liter blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic
four-cylinder engine that’s in the Soul. collision warning are options.
The engine generates 121 hp and 113 lb-ft With sprightly looks and smart pack-
of torque. (The Soul adds a turbo, which aging, the Venue should be a strong value
boosts it to 201 hp and 195 lb-ft.) and a worthy first new car purchase. Q