Hyundai’s new nifty thrifty crossover: We test the 2020 Hyundai Venue SEL
The 2020 Hyundai Venue is the latest and smallest crossover from Hyundai. It’s even smaller than a Honda HR-V or Toyota CH-R (by a significant margin). It preceded the 2021 Kia Seltos, which, like the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade, are kissing cousins.
The Venue debuted at the 2019 New York International Auto Show. It fits below the Hyundai Kona in Hyundai's international lineup, and below the Hyundai Creta in India and other markets where the Creta is sold. The Indian manufactured Venue is internally coded as QXI, while the Korean-made Venue is coded QX0.
Yet the Venue packs a lot of punch, as far as value and interior space. Its proportions are tall and wide, considering its compact nature. At 159.1 inches, the Venue it’s nearly half a foot shorter than the Honda and Toyota, yet ear leg room is greater, so fitting 6-footer adults front and back isn’t an issue. The tall hatchback provides good outward vision, and its boxed-off end offers 18.7 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. However, there’s no automatic tailgate.
Vehicles like the Venue are inherently limited by their size, yet Hyundai maximized what can be done within those limitations. There are essentially two floors in the cargo space. Below the first floor is a donut spare. When seats are folded flat, that panel can be moved up about four inches into grooved slots to create an even load floor.
With the rear seats up and hauling a load of groceries, you don’t have to find someplace to stow the cargo cover. By popping the loops off, which connects to the liftgate, it slides down vertical grooves to rest flush against the rear seats. So simple but so brilliantly clever.
The Venue’s small proportions, tall ride height, and light curb weight of about 2,700 pounds.
In addition to the excellent 5-year/60,000-mile warranty, the Venue comes standard with advanced safety features including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and active lane control.
The only drivetrain available is a 1.6-liter I4, rated at 121-hp. Shoppers who want all-wheel drive will be disappointed, because the Venue is front-wheel only. However, I found the ride and drive to be entertaining, especially for a crossover. A Trail-Rated Jeep Renegade it’s not.
During this Coronavirus pandemic I’ve elected to be cloistered at home, so driving now is a luxury, more than a necessity. That said, the little I drove the Venue, the fuel gauge barley moved; that’s partly because of the Venue’s fuel economy, which it’s EPA rated at 30 city, 34 highway, 32 combined.
The Venue comes in three trim levels: SE: $18,470, SEL: $20,370, and Denim: $23,170. It’s considered the cheapest crossover in America, however there is a caveat; the SE version comes with a standard manual transmission and very few “fancies” features. However, the CVT transmission is optional.
The top-of-the-line Denim model gives you a white-painted roof with unique exterior accents, as well as leatherette upholstery with white trim. There aren't any significant options, but every Denim is loaded with desirable equipment.
My tester was the SEL model, which is $1,900 more than the base SE, but less than the Demin, at $2,800, provided you don’t choose the Convenience and Premium packages, which seems a little prudent. In order to get the SEL model with all the niceties the Demin offers (sans the white roof color), one would need to fork over an extra $100, because Hyundai requires shoppers to add the Convenience and Premium packages (that’s $2,900 combine). However, the Climate control is automatic, not manual, but only single zone.
My tester came in a pleasant Stellar Silver with a gray tone on tone interior. All controls are easy to use. Build quality is superb, and switch gear is top-notch. The only constructive criticism is that the infotainment screen seems tacked on, located between two air vents. But at least it doesn’t have the illusion of being stuck on.
Overall, the Venue makes an ideal car for millennials, young families, as well as empty nesters. It doesn’t hurt the pocketbook, which could be a serious issue for all these scenarios.
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2020 Hyundai Venue SEL
Base price: $19,250 (including $1,120 destination)
Price as tested: $23,405
Drivetrain: 121-hp 1.6-liter inline-4 with a CVT in front-wheel drive
EPA fuel economy: 30/34/32 mpg
