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Writer's pictureAlain Kuhn Von Kuhnenfeld

2020 Hyundai Venue

Updated: Aug 31, 2020

This week we are reviewing the 2020 Hyundai Venue. Our vehicle was assembled at the Ulsan in the South Korea and has an MSRP of $24,899 CAD.



Fun Factor: 7

Can it Family: 6

Fuel-Friendly: 9

HWY-warrior: 6

Karaoke Friendly: 6

Baby-friendly: 6

City Cruising: 8



Hyundai's smallest and most affordable SUV offering doesn't disappoint, and like many Hyundai products, it packs a lot of kick in a small package. From the outside, one could think the interior space is limited; however, Hyundai put every inch inside to use to make the interior feel as roomy as possible. With its compact size and small wheelbase, we had a pleasant driving experience, particularly in the city or on small country roads, even though it's not the fastest car. The 1.6L engine under the hood produces 121hp and 113 lb-ft of torque, coupled with a CVT transmission. The lightweight of the Hyundai Venue makes it feel quick and agile, giving you the possibility to get around the city hassle-free.



We had no trouble fitting our whole family; three kids can fit in the back. Ideally, to find the most comfortable seating for your rear occupants, it would be best to limit to 2 passengers. The seats in our Ultimate trim were well-bolstered for a vehicle in this price range and will feel comfortable on shorter drives. Driving hours on may become painful. With all the technology that our Venue was infused with, it felt like a bargain, heated seats that are available even in the base trim. These are manually adjustable. If you're looking for automatic seats, you'll need to jump into the Kona. Our version also included a heated steering wheel. The driver can easily find a good seating position, allowing them to have excellent visibility for taller or shorter drivers. They and the co-pilot have plenty of space; headroom for taller adults is a little limited; however, most will never realize how roomy it feels inside when looking from the exterior.



The fuel efficiency of the Venue might be the main argument to get it. During our 450km test, we averaged 7.6L/100km. In the city, we averaged 9.5L/100km, and this was mainly due to traffic. While on the HWY, we averaged 5.6L/100km. We could see the fuel economy drop even more if the Venue came with a stop/start function. Hyundai announces the following fuel economy 7.5L/100km combined, 7.0L/100km on the HWY and 8.0L/100km in the city. Our test was done while exterior temperature oscillated between 21C and 32C.



On the HWY, the Venue surprised us with its fuel economy and how efficiently it kept its momentum. In such a compact vehicle, it's nice to see that the security features such as forward collision avoidance are available, lane departure warning and blind-spot collision warning. On the flip side, road noise getting inside the cabin is quite high the HWY, to be realistic, at this price point, we can't fault it for not having the fancy sound deadening.



The sound system within the Venue is quite decent for its price, the base version comes with 4 speakers, and all trims above the Trend will get 6 speakers. As for the infotainment, an 8inch touch screen is standard even in the base model, and yes, you get Android Auto, and Apple Car Play in that base version too! The camera is pixelated but, we have to keep in mind this is a very affordable SUV.



We are now getting to the car seat installation. Once the door opens, you'll find that the doors open quite wide; the frame does eat into the space available to get larger car seats into the cabin. Once the car seat is in place, the ISOFIX ports are slightly hidden underneath the seats. The seats are made of fabric, making it somewhat easier to latch than leather seats with a similar setup. The rear anchor requires a little fiddling around as the parcel shelf blocks access to the back part of the bench. Once we opened the trunk and removed the parcel shelf, we were able to attach the anchor without too much difficulty. As a rear-facing seat will require additional space, it will eat up into the front passenger's legroom; we would suggest using a more compact car seat in the Venue; otherwise, it may reduce feet comfort for your children. Finally, younger children will find it easy to open the door, jump in, get out of the cabin. The seat belt and belt buckles, and are positioned in a way that will be simple for them to get buckled in.



The Venue is a little urban crossover, incredible but true we had quite the enjoyment when driving it in the city. It was such a relief to drive such a compact car and never worry about finding a big enough parking spot. The rear camera is of decent quality for a vehicle at this price point, and yes, we've had cars that were more expensive with a camera of questionable quality. Visibility out the front and around the cabin is good, always practical in the city.


2020 Hyundai Venue

Why would we buy the 2020 Hyundai Venue, or what we liked about it? Its great fuel economy on the HWY and back roads, easy and relaxing to drive, touch screen available in all trims including smartphone integration, it's starting to fully equipped pricing.



Why we would not buy the 2020 Hyundai Venue, or what we did not like about it? Road noise getting into the cabin. The paint on the vehicle is thin and has limited space for the rear passenger.



Hyundai has lent us this vehicle one week as a press vehicle. We have no affiliation with Hyundai Canada. The above is a recollection of our personal opinion of the car referred above.



Below are additional picture from our road trip with the Hyundai Venue.




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