Hyundai Venue Car Review: Should You Buy the New Sport Trim?
- Jyotish Shetty
- Nov 24, 2020
- 7 min read
Earlier this year, Hyundai attempted to give its Venue some adjustments. As a result, the prices on some variants hiked quite a bit. From the newly-added Sport trim to the iMT gearbox variants, please consider this Hyundai Venue car review before you go for a new variant.
Hyundai Venue Sport Trim Overview
Despite being lucrative, the compact SUV is considered one of the most fiercely competitive segments in India. Competing in a crowded market with models from well-established automakers such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata, and Mahindra, Hyundai made its move and launched the Venue in the hope of breathing fresh air into the segment in May 2019.
Despite arriving a little late to the party, the Hyundai compact SUV immediately became a runaway success for the Korean automaker. Within three months of its first introduction, the Hyundai smallest SUV climbed its way to be the best-selling subcompact SUV in India with 9,342 units sold. Remarkably, the Venue outranked the former segment leader, the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga that recorded a total sales volume of 8,391 units back then. By the end of 2019, the Venue attracted a total of over one hundred thousand bookings. Interestingly, the turbo GDI petrol variants registered the highest demand with a sales tally of 44,600 units.
In 2020, the Hyundai Venue continues to enjoy the height of its success. From January and March, it recorded a remarkable sales volume of over 24,400 units. The figure further strengthens its position as the highest-selling subcompact SUV in India.
Initially introduced to the domestic market with six trim levels, namely the Venue E, S, S+, SX+, and SX(O), the Korean carmaker has recently added the Sport trim along with the brand new iMT gearbox in July this year. Here is a thorough Hyundai Venue car review for the iMT Sport, which we believe might be of great help if you are planning to obtain the new trim.
Hyundai Venue Sport Trim 360 View: Exterior Review
Generally speaking, the new Venue Sport trim has experienced a few subtle cosmetic tweaks. While the equipment list witnesses no such dramatic modifications, the new Venue model does add sportier red accents to the exterior which makes it stand out from standard variants.
Front View
Upfront, it seems that Hyundai is satisfied with the cool, funky design of the regular variants that hardly any change is seen on the new Venue sport trim except for the gloss-back grille. Coming with the new red accent badging on the left of the mesh-pattern grille, the new trim of sub-4-meter looks much more stylish and handsome in the flesh.
On the other hand, major features remain unchanged. The headlight unit continues to be positioned on the front bumper and surrounded by the LED DRLs while the turn indicators are placed above.
Side View
The side profile of the Venue Sport trim shares the premium 16-inch machined-cut dual-tone alloy wheels as seen in the old variants. While the size of the wheels does a good job of emphasizing the compactness of the SUV in general, it is the red accents on the wheel arches that set the new trim apart. Besides, the Venue Sport also comes with an exclusive “SPORT” badge on the right side between the C and D pillars. Additionally, to enhance the sporty appearance of the new trim, Hyundai will also paint the front brake caliper accented to split the difference from the regular.
Rear View
Moving to the rear profile, the new trim gets a roof-mounted spoiler. There exists the big Venue badge right on the tailgate and the SX variant badge on the left. A rear parking camera along with sensors and adaptive guidelines are also featured to keep the driver at bay when it comes to parking in tight spots, especially in city driving.
Hyundai Venue Sport Trim Dimensions: Length, Width, Height & More
The new sport trim shares the versatile dimensions with the regular variants. It is 3,995 mm in length, 1,770mm in width, and 1,605mm in height. With humble overall measurements, from afar, the Venue is sometimes mistaken for a hatchback. The wheelbase of 2,500mm also allows owners to enjoy a more comfortable ride quality. Meanwhile, the standard 350-litre boot space provides a compact SUV sufficient room to carry luggage for four people.
Hyundai Venue Sport Trim Interior Review: What Does Hyundai Venue Sport Trim Have To Offer?
On the inside, it is easy to notice that the new Hyundai Venue has been given a few changes as well. First of all, the all-black interior now comes with enhanced premium and sportiness thanks to the added red accents. Apart from that, the Venue also boasts a roomier cabin with a wide list of up-to-date features.
Seating capacity
Overall, the front seats are just as wonderful as the previous model. In other words, they are comfortable and perfect for city driving. While the seats remain to be manually adjustable, the under-thigh support and side bolstering helps keep the driver in place during turns. The only difference is the dual-tone color denim-like fabric seats coated in black with red accents stitching on and the Creta-inspired flat-bottom leather-wrapped steering wheel. Besides, the red accents are seen on the AC vents and around the climate control dials, as well.
Coming to the second row, the rear bench provides enough space for three people. However, to take the utmost advantage of such features as the center armrest, two adults are ideal.
Safety Features
For safety concerns, the Hyundai Venue is among the safest SUVs in India. In the ANCAP Crash Test, the model scored a four-star safety rating out of five. For that reason, the new Venue Sport also gets the highly appreciated safety list from the current model. This includes such features as the ABS with EBD, 6 airbags, ISOFIX rear seats, parking sensors with a reversing camera, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), and Hill Assist Control (HAC).
Comfort Features
The new Venue Sport continues to boast of diverse segment-first features in the BlueLink system. Some of the nifty features that the new trim brings in include the Indian-accented English voice assist system, remote engine-start-stop function, climate control operation, a paddle shifter, electric sunroof, wireless charger, automatic AC with rear vents, cooled glovebox, cruise control, Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, a seven-inch infotainment touchscreen system, and many more.
Hyundai Venue Sport Trim Performance: Engine Review
The most noticeable thing about the new Hyundai Venue Sport trim is the intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) transmission under the hood. Firstly introduced by the Korean automaker in July 2020, the iMT is basically halfway between a manual and the most basic automated gearbox, the ATM.
Essentially, the new model is powered by either the Kappa 1.0L Turbo GDi Petrol BS6 or a 1.5L U2 CRDi Diesel BS6 engine. While the turbo-petrol unit can rev up 120PS of maximum power at 6,000rpm and 171Nm of peak torque at 1,500-4,000rpm, the latter one is capable of producing 100PS of maximum power at 4,000rpm and 240Nm of peak torque at 1,500-2,750rpm.
Regarding the transmission, fans of the diesel engine will not be able to enjoy what the iMT has to offer to the new Sport as the iMT is exclusively available in the petrol variants. Instead, the diesel unit will get a six-speed manual transmission.
With the iMT technology, Hyundai offers a clutch pedal-free but with a standard H-pattern manual shift level with the ease of a 2-pedal transmission. In other words, the new gearbox allows the driver to shift seamlessly like a vehicle with a manual transmission without experiencing any lag. Apart from the iMT, the petrol Sport also gets a choice of a seven-speed DCT.
It is also worth noting that the clutchless manual transmission option is only offered in the Venue SX and SX(O) variants and the new Venue Sport SX and SX(O) trim.
Hyundai Venue Sport Mileage: Is It Fuel Economy?
While the ARAI claimed mileage of the Hyundai Venue ranges from 17.52 kmpl (for the petrol MT) up to 23.4 kmpl (for the diesel MT), the fuel economy of the new Sport trim stands at 18 kmpl (for the petrol iMT). With the figures in place, the new Sport trim is considered one of the best mileage SUVs in India.
Hyundai Venue Sport Cost: Is It Affordable?
Ever since its first launch, the Hyundai Venue has attracted a massive amount of bookings thanks to its affordable prices in the segment. Particularly, the base variant of the Venue starts at Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). For the all-new sport trim, the prices start at Rs 10.27 lakh and go all the way up to Rs 11.57 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi).
In the Indian compact SUV segment, the Venue continues to take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon, and the Kia Sonet.
Hyundai Venue iMT Colors: How many Options?
Traditionally, the Venue comes in eight different colors for its variants as you can see in the following list:
Deep Forest
Polar White
Typhoon Silver
Fiery Red
Denim Blue
Titan Grey
However, the new Sport trim is only available in two color options which are grey and a white two-tone.
Verdict: Is 2020 Hyundai Venue Worth Buying?
The Hyundai Venue has been one of the best performers in the compact SUV segments since its first entrance to the market. The coming of the new Sport trim along with the leading iMT technology appears to firmly strengthen the top position of the first connected SUV in the country. If you are looking for a small, compact vehicle for urban driving, the new Sport trim is definitely worth a try. It combines iconic design, a spacious and comfortable cabin, a long list of cutting-edge features, and, most importantly, the new-age technological gearbox. All in all, with the addition of just Rs 25,000, you are entitled to enjoy the unique, fun driving experience that the all-new model has to offer.
That concludes our Hyundai Venue car review for the all-new Sport trim. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comment section below.
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