Who Wins The Tech Battle Among Sub-Compact SUVs?

India has been witnessing a gradual shift in customer preference towards sub-compact SUVs. Having sub-compact SUVs in its line-up has become a ‘must-have’ for OEMs looking to capture a piece of this ever-growing market pie. Hyundai was the latest to add its name to a list of manufacturers offering sub-compact SUVs in India, and has left no stone unturned to ensure its success. But how does it compare to its competitors – the Tata Nexon and the Mahindra XUV300? Let’s find out.

- Joshua David Luther

The latest entrant in the sub-compact SUV club is the Hyundai Venue, a product that seems to be defying market trends to set new sales records. The Hyundai Venue not only offers the highest power figures among its competitors, but also offers all this on a smaller engine that is stated to be more efficient. Adding zing to the car, the company has offered a host of connected features that set it apart from the herd.

To assess the capabilities of the Hyundai Venue we decided to test it alongside two sub-compact SUVs that offer triple digit power figures. For this comparison we lined up the Tata Nexon powered by a 1.2 l, three-cylinder, turbo petrol engine and the Mahindra XUV300 with a 1.2 l, three-cylinder, turbo petrol engine alongside the Hyundai Venue with a 1.0 l, three-cylinder, turbo petrol engine. We conducted multiple runs to assess the acceleration and braking performance of all three sub-compact SUVs. Further, we also measured the air-conditioning performance of the Nexon, XUV300 and the Venue.

ENGINE & PERFORMANCE

It is interesting to note that all three manufacturers have made use of an in-line three-cylinder layout on their turbocharged petrol motors fitted to these compact SUVs. But where the 1.0 l petrol engine on the Hyundai Venue is different from the larger 1.2 l mills on the Nexon and the XUV300 is the fuel delivery system. While the engines on the Nexon and XUV300 use multi-point fuel injection (MPFI) systems, Hyundai has opted to use the gasoline direct injection (GDI) technology in the 1.0 l unit powering the Venue. The primary difference being a multi-point injection of fuel in the intake tract or cylinder port versus a high pressure direct injection into the cylinder at a much higher pressure for better combustion efficiency and lesser emissions.