Facelifted Hyundai Venue: Is It Worth Picking Over Its Rivals?

While one of the top-selling premium offerings in the sub-4-metre SUV space is getting its first major refresh, should you wait for it or opt for alternatives?

The subcompact SUV segment is getting its second big shake-up of 2022 with the launch of the facelifted Hyundai Venue. It has been a popular model and has already found its place in over 3 lakh homes in India since launch.

Now, the Venue, as part of its midlife update, is getting some styling tweaks and feature changes. But, is it worth waiting for over its readily available rivals? Let’s find out.

Kia Sonet: BUY for premium features, choice of torque converter diesel-automatic

While it is the cousin to the Venue, the Kia Sonet is a distinctively premium competitor. It has already been updated for 2022 and now comes with four airbags and a tyre pressure monitor as standard. The Sonet continues to lead the segment in terms of screen size with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Other premium features on offer include ventilated front seats, built-in air purifier, connected car tech with remote operations, and a sunroof. The powertrain options are still the same: 83PS 1.2-litre petrol (5-speed MT), 120PS 1-litre turbo-petrol (6-speed iMT/7-speed DCT) and 100PS (6-speed MT)/ 115PS (6-speed AT) 1.5-litre diesel.

Tata Nexon: BUY for spacious cabin, 5-star safety, choice of EV

The Nexon has become one of the best-selling models in the segment. It is still among the few mass market models in India to score a 5-star safety rating from GNCAP while still only offering dual front airbags. Recently added top variants have included more comforts such as ventilated front seats and an air purifier too. The Nexon gets a choice of 1.2-litre turbo petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines with manual and AMT options, while there is also a pure-electric version of the car on offer. Crucially, the Nexon EV has been the leading figure for EV adoption in the country.

Maruti Vitara Brezza/Toyota Urban Cruiser: BUY for mild-hybrid powertrain, spaciousness and large aftersales network

The Maruti Vitara Brezza is a stalwart of the subcompact SUV segment as it ticks all the boxes for being an easy car to live with without necessarily compromising on basic comforts. It is equipped with cruise control, a touchscreen infotainment system, rain-sensing wipers, auto AC and push-button start-stop. The Vitara Brezza comes with a 1.5-litre petrol-hybrid engine only. The Toyota Urban Cruiser is a cross-badged version of the same with subtly different front-end. Both models benefit from the reliability and serviceability of the Maruti Suzuki mechanicals.

Note:- The next-gen version of the Maruti SUV is due to be launched on June 30. So, you might want to hold out for that and stay tuned for our story on the same.

Mahindra XUV300: BUY for high safety rating, premium features

The XUV300 is the most aged model in this list after the Vitara Brezza and the only other model here to score a 5-star GNCAP safety rating. Its feature list includes rain-sensing wipers, a sunroof, connected car tech, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, and up to six airbags. Mahindra offers the subcompact SUV with the choice of 1.2-litre turbo-petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines, both available with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed AMT. The diesel is particularly punchy in the segment with an output of 117PS and 300Nm.

Renault Kiger: BUY for a large boot and affordable automatic option

The Kiger is among the most affordable options in the sub-4m SUV segment. It is offered with the choice of a 72PS 1-litre naturally-aspirated petrol and 100PS 1-litre turbo-petrol engines, both with 5-speed manual transmissions. The NA engine gets the choice of a 5-speed AMT, the most affordable in the segment, while the turbo engine has the choice of a CVT automatic. The Kiger has the largest boot in the segment at 405-litres, but the features list includes an 8-inch display for the touchscreen infotainment system and a 7-inch driver display. It also gets four airbags from the mid-spec variant onward.

Nissan Magnite: BUY for 360-degree camera and value-for-money pricing

The Magnite has the same mechanicals as the Kiger in terms of engine options, but it does not get an AMT for the 1-litre NA petrol unit. It is priced similar to the Kiger while offering more features across the variant range and some that are not offered on its Renault cousin at all. The Magnite comes with a 360-degree camera, 8-inch infotainment system, 7-inch digital instrument cluster, LED headlamps with LED DRLs and auto AC with rear vents. Its list of safety equipment includes hill start assist, traction control, electronic stability control, and hydraulic brake assist.

2022 Hyundai Venue: HOLD for modern styling, premium features and clutchless manual transmission

The facelifted Venue is coming with refreshed styling and some feature updates, but has not received any mechanical upgrades. The engine and gearbox options will include 83PS 1.2-litre petrol (5-speed MT), 120PS 1-litre turbo-petrol (6-speed iMT/ 7-speed DCT) and 100PS 1.5-litre diesel (6-speed MT). It continues to lack a diesel-auto option and the turbo-petrol unit loses its regular 6-speed manual.

Also read: Hyundai Reveals Variants And Colours Of Facelifted Venue

The known features list of the new Venue will continue to include an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, but now with support for Amazon Alexa, connected car tech with remote vehicle controls, a digitised instrument cluster and drive modes too. However, since bookings have already been open for a while, the 2022 Venue is expected to attract a waiting period of 12-16 weeks by the time it is launched on June 16.