Introduction

Proficient. That's the exact superlative that came to my mind when I first drove the Venue. And naturally so, as the Venue is the newest kid on the block, in what would be the most constricted vehicle segments in India. So, when my bossman - Santosh - handed over the keys of the Hyundai Venue to me, I was more than willing. You see, the Venue is hard to fault, or so I thought.

The Venue has been in CarWale’s long term fleet for over a month now, and it is the go-to car for all our shoots. This is the top-spec diesel manual version and in this Candy Blue shade, it looks rather sober than some of the other options available in Hyundai’s colour palette. Now, the Venue may be a smart-looking car, but what doesn't work in its favour is that it doesn't come across as a butch SUV. It does get an aggressive front end, but the understated rear styling makes it look like a crossover, at best.

That said, the Hyundai Venue scores highly when it comes to its interiors. The all-black cabin adds a sporty touch to the interiors. You get a large eight-inch touch-screen infotainment system, complete with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink. It is one of the few cars in the segment to get leather upholstery. While this sure adds a premium feel to the cabin, it would be interesting to see how it fares in the hot and humid Mumbai weather.

The Package

What we have here is the top-spec SX(O) trim. The Venue is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged diesel motor that makes 89bhp and 220Nm and is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. Hyundai has you covered in terms of safety features. So, besides the usual bits, the Venue also gets six airbags, hill hold control and electronic stability program.

What's more, the Venue is the only SUV in its segment to get a suite of smart connectivity features, which lets you switch on/off the AC, set a geo-fence, check vehicle status and much more. And, this is in addition to features like an automatic climate control system, electric sunroof and cruise control.

What it lacks, though, is an automatic option for the diesel powertrain and a few feature misses like rain-sensing wipers and traction control system. While these may seem insignificant for some, we would want to find if these lacking features take away from the 'living-with' experience.

Task at Hand

So, we are looking forward to how the Venue performs as we put it through a litmus test. Next up, we would be gauging its performance in the confines of the city. So, we would be looking at its easy of driving, drivability and performance in the crowded urban jungle. More on the Venue next month. So, stay tuned.

Vehicle log

Odometer - 7,522

KM this month - 2034 km

Fuel - 104.84 litres

Fuel Efficiency - 19.4 Kmpl

Pictures by Kapil Angane