When You Need a Change of Venue

The facelift Hyundai Venue has arrived and it retains what it does best while bringing a whole lot more to the table. It's received some very specific-and timely-updates that make it better than it has ever been. We had a go in Hyderabad

- Jim Gorde

A REFRESHING CHANGE IS ALWAYS WELCOME, especially when it has been some time the grind has been carrying on and on. The party has now moved to a new venue. The new Venue.

Visually brilliant 8.0-inch touchscreen works well

Type-A and Type-C USB ports at hand plus wireless charging

The Hyundai Venue is a compact crossover SUV that has been doing rather well for itself and the company. Even though it has aged, a mid-life update, heart transplant, and refreshed transmissions helped keep the momentum going. Now, though, Hyundai have made some even bigger changes, inside and out, and under the skin. The new Venue looks sharp and drives even sharper than before, and packs some very usable tech advancements and convenience features inside the cabin. We got our hands on the Venue Turbo SX(O) DCT, the top-spec turbo-petrol with a dual-clutch automatic transmission, for this review.

First up, the parametric grille. Coated in "dark chrome", it has a medieval. age plate mail armour vibe to it and looks boldly stylish while being just as eyecatching as well, set in a black-mask base. The headlamps are as before with the main LED projector units set below the daytime lights in a split set-up. Below the grille is a wide rectangular expanse of black plastic that Hyundai hope will give the Venue a larger, more elevated stance. Along the side, the Venue has some juicy creases, especially over the wheel arches. The new 16-inch wheels with a new design get 215-sec rubber on this SX(O) trim. The chrome door handles stand out as do the thick black cladding and the silver roof rails. The rear has sharp new vertical LED tail-lamp clusters with the same black plastic bar design running on below them accentuating its height.

Neat cabin has typically exquisite fit-and-finish and great ergonomics