Photo: Hyundai
The Korean newcomer has arrived in Australia this week. We're talking about the all-new Hyundai Venue, a tiny crossover which promises to make hatchbacks obsolete before you know it.
The Venue will be sold locally from AU$19,990, and at that kind of price, you know some corners have been cut. Its rivals come from all over the world. France brought over the funky C3 models while Mitsubishi's ASX continues to be very popular. Even China has a contender, the MG ZS. But the Venue's main rival is to replace the Accent, which starts from $15,490.
Its main selling point is probably the look. It's as chunky as it needs to be and the exterior can be further emphasized with crazy color accents. At under 4 meters long, the Venue is shorter than the Accent or Mazda2 hatch, but its interior feels much bigger thanks to a tall body. At 335 liters, the trunk is of a useful size as well.
Where things get dicey is in the engine department, where Hyundai opted to offer only a 1.6-liter making 90 kW (120 HP) and 151 Nm of torque. It's usually paired to a six-speed automatic sending power exclusively to the front wheels. The engine gets the job done around town but with fuel consumption of up to 7.2 l/100km, it's less frugal than its turbocharged rivals. The basic crossover is also probably going to miss out on the 5-star ANCAP rating.
The model that grabs your attention is the Venue Elite with its neon accents, 17-inch alloys, chrome front grille, LED tail-lights, two-tone roof finish and contrasting side mirrors, rear privacy glass, 'premium finish' leather-look seat bolster upholstery, in-built satellite navigation with SUNA live traffic updates, DAB+ digital radio, single-zone climate control, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. All this comes standard for $25,490.
However, equipment-wise, you're probably better off with the Active ($21,490). Its 15-inch wheels are big enough and you still have parking sensors, six speakers, LED daytime lights, a leather steering wheel and more.
Its main selling point is probably the look. It's as chunky as it needs to be and the exterior can be further emphasized with crazy color accents. At under 4 meters long, the Venue is shorter than the Accent or Mazda2 hatch, but its interior feels much bigger thanks to a tall body. At 335 liters, the trunk is of a useful size as well.
Where things get dicey is in the engine department, where Hyundai opted to offer only a 1.6-liter making 90 kW (120 HP) and 151 Nm of torque. It's usually paired to a six-speed automatic sending power exclusively to the front wheels. The engine gets the job done around town but with fuel consumption of up to 7.2 l/100km, it's less frugal than its turbocharged rivals. The basic crossover is also probably going to miss out on the 5-star ANCAP rating.
The model that grabs your attention is the Venue Elite with its neon accents, 17-inch alloys, chrome front grille, LED tail-lights, two-tone roof finish and contrasting side mirrors, rear privacy glass, 'premium finish' leather-look seat bolster upholstery, in-built satellite navigation with SUNA live traffic updates, DAB+ digital radio, single-zone climate control, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. All this comes standard for $25,490.
However, equipment-wise, you're probably better off with the Active ($21,490). Its 15-inch wheels are big enough and you still have parking sensors, six speakers, LED daytime lights, a leather steering wheel and more.
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