Hyundai Venue

Hyundai has launched the Venue subcompact SUV in India and prices start at Rs. 6.50 lakh (ex-showroom India). The car will be available in 4 variants – E, S, SX and SX(O) and is the company’s first car in this very trending subcompact SUV segment. The Hyundai Venue is inspired heavily from the automaker's bigger offerings in terms of design including the Santa Fe and the Palisade. The massive cascading grille takes prominence up front with the chrome mesh grille, while the split headlamps look in place and come with projector lens on the top variants.

The SUV gets accentuated wheel arches that not only make the offering look wider but give it a rugged appearance as well, while the rear sports boxy LED taillights that look smart. The SUV also comes with projector fog lamps. In terms of dimensions, the new Venue measures 3995 mm in length, 1770 mm on width, and 1590 mm in height. The wheelbase measures at 2500 mm. Hyundai says the car is built using 69 per cent Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) and High Strength Steel (HSS), which have contributed to achieving dynamic stiffness and improved structural rigidity. The Venue also gets a host of segment first features including wireless charging, air purifier, HD Display screen, eco-coating, Arkamys Sound, wheel air curtains and more. In fact, the SUV comes with Hyundai's Blue Link connectivity tech that makes the Venue India's first connected SUV and adds 33 new features, 10 of which are India specific.The company has tied up with service provider Vodafone-Idea for the new system and brings features like auto crash notification, panic notification, SOS/Emergency Assistance, stolen vehicle tracking with immobilisation (only on the 1.0-litre version) and more. There are features like remote engine start/stop, remote climate control, voice recognition, vehicle relationship management among other tech.

The Hyundai Venue also comes with electric sunroof, cruise control, rear AC vents, cornering lamps and a cooled glovebox. The SUV also gets an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The cabin gets an all-black treatment for India, while the international spec could get a dual-tone finish, and there is brushed silver finish on the three-spoke steering wheel, gearshift knob, and the air-con vents. The instrument console is a dual-pod unit with a large MID unit in the centre. Power on the Hyundai Venue comes from three engine options including the new 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor that is tuned to produce 118 bhp and 172 Nm of peak torque. The motor is paired with an all-new 7-speed dual-clutch transmission in a first for Hyundai India, along with a manual gearbox. There's also the 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol that churns out 82 bhp and 114 Nm of peak torque, and is offered with a 5-speed manual. Lastly, there is the 1.4-litre diesel as well with 89 bhp and 220 Nm of peak torque, and is offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox. In terms of safety, the Hyundai Venue gets six airbags, speed sensing door lock, ABS with ESC, VSP, Hill Assist Control, BAS, ISOFIX seats and more.