History/Overview
All-new for the 2020 model year, the Hyundai Venue is a subcompact crossover that slots in below the existing Kona to become one of the brand's least-expensive models.
Available Trims
Hyundai sells the Venue in Essential, Preferred, Trend, and Ultimate trims. Common to all is a 1.6L four-cylinder engine. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission in Essential trim, which can be optioned to a continuously variable automatic; the automatic is standard in all other trims. Despite being marketed as a crossover utility vehicle, the Venue is strictly front-wheel drive; there is no AWD option.
Standard Features
Essential trim comes with 15-inch steel wheels with covers, auto on/off headlights, heated/power-adjustable side mirrors, black grille and side trim, variable intermittent wipers, heated front seats, cloth upholstery, a six-way manual driver's seat, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, air conditioning, tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, power windows, and keyless entry.
Preferred trim adds 15-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, a sliding front centre armrest, leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift lever, a heated steering wheel, cruise control, drive modes, passive keyless entry with push-button start, lane keeping assist, forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic braking, driver attention warning, automatic high beams, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert.
Trend trim gets 17-inch wheels, an extra front USB charging port and a sunroof. This package deletes Preferred's sliding armrest, lane keeping assist, forward automatic emergency braking, driver attention warning, and automatic high beams.
A Trend Urban package builds on Trend, adding LED headlights and daytime running lights, a two-tone paint job, and upgraded cloth upholstery.
Finally, Ultimate trim combines features from Preferred and Trend Urban, bringing back the former's driver assists and keeping the latter's LED front lighting. Unique to Ultimate trim are LED taillights, chrome grille trim, an HD touchscreen, navigation, automatic climate control, BlueLink vehicle communication, and rear disc brakes (replacing rear drums in all other trims).
Fuel Economy
Hyundai's fuel consumption estimates are 8.0/7.0 L/100 km (city/highway) with the continuously variable automatic transmission, and 8.6/6.8 with the stickshift.
Competition
As you read this, Venue's only direct competition comes from the Nissan Kicks. Watch this space, however, as the market for small crossovers is expected to grow quickly in the coming few years.
