The Indian market is a value-centric one. Most Indian
customers make their buying decisions basis value for money factor derived
from a product or service. The Indian car market is one of the best places to
witness such consumer behaviour and buying patterns. The Indian car market has a
wide variety of cars on offer from Rs.1.5 lakh all the way to upwards of Rs.5
crore…yet cars below the Rs.12 Lakh mark make up the bulk sales. Car
manufacturers who consistently provide value for money cars at a competitive
price have been reaping rewards in the Indian market – just ask Maruti Suzuki
and Hyundai! Both Maruti and Hyundai have championed the value for money factor
with cars such as the Santro, Alto, Swift, i10, Wagon
R, Ciaz, Creta etc. The latest addition to this amazing list of cars
is the Hyundai Venue compact-SUV. The Venue is a superb value for
money car with all the ingredients to make it one of Hyundai’s most successful
cars of recent times. We find out what makes the Hyundai Venue a superb
package for the Indian customer.
Thorough market
research and customer feedback are the stepping stones for making a successful
product. Ever since the launch of the Santro, Hyundai’s first car for
the Indian market…the Korean car giant has excelled by listening to the
demands, wants of the consumers and successfully implementing the same in their
cars for India. The Hyundai Venue is a compact-SUV which is positioned
under the Creta and is Hyundai’s entry-level SUV offering for the Indian
market. Your first impressions of the Venue might be that it looks like a
smaller Creta; however, though there is quite a bit of resemblance the Venue
does have subtle differences. The Venue has a neat front end with a
sleek LED strip in place of the headlamps, just below are the projector
headlamps with an LED DRL (daytime running lamp) surround. A large hexagonal
grille takes centre stage, giving the Hyundai Venue a good stance and
road presence. At the rear, the Venue has a rather simple and clean
design which complements its compact dimensions well. The compact dimensions of
the Venue make it a great companion to have in the city, urban
environment where traffic and parking woes are a major concern. Moving inside
the Hyundai Venue has a practical and well laid out cabin. Quality of
materials used is pretty good, with the fit and finish scoring well. Yes, odd hard plastics
are present but that’s not a deal-breaker. The Venue shares quite a few
design elements and features with other Hyundai cars, which is not a bad thing
as the cabin is quite modern and inviting. The Venue has good space in
the backseat, fitting 3 adults sitting abreast will be easy. Though on long
journeys, with respect to passenger comfort the backseat space is ideal for 2
adults. The addition of a charging socket for the rear passengers is a
practical addition. The Hyundai Venue when launched was the first
‘Connected’ car in the country, equipped to the brim with a whole host of tech
and connectivity features. Sitting atop the centre console is an 8-inch
floating touchscreen infotainment system which comes with Android Auto and
Apple CarPlay. The connected features on the infotainment system of the Venue
blow the competition apart! The system comes with its own dedicated embedded
sim-card which allows the user and car to be connected always. Ever wanted to
start your car and air conditioning to your desired temperature before you sit
in your car? Well, Hyundai has made this possible! Using Hyundai’s BlueLink
app, a user can remotely start or stop the car, start the air conditioning,
unlock/lock the car. Now that’s some amazing practicality all at brilliant
value for money proposition! Other tech features include – navigation, voice
recognition, geofencing, vehicle information, driving data etc. On the safety
side, the Venue is well equipped with features such as ABS, ESC,
Hill-Start Assist, parking cameras and sensors, dual front airbags for the
front passengers and the top-end variant also gets side and curtain airbags.
The BlueLink system comes equipped with on-call emergency assistance and
Road Side Assistance (RSA). The Venue comes with a good high driving
position and great visibility. When you drive the Venue, you will be
assured and confident of nipping in and out of small gaps while evading the
gruelling traffic hours. The compact dimensions also play a crucial role in the
city as ease of parking is enabled. The Venue also comes equipped
with an electric sunroof and wireless charging (available in the top-end spec
variant). The Venue gets decent driving dynamics well suited for city
driving conditions, good balance and stability on the highway. The Venue
is not a car to drive in a spirited manner, best driven in a leisurely manner.
The Venue is powered by a choice of 3 engines – a 1.2 L petrol engine
producing 82 bhp of max power, a 1.0 L turbocharged petrol engine producing 118
bhp of max power, a 1.4 L diesel engine producing 89 bhp of max power output. All
engines are mated to a manual gearbox with the 1.0 L turbo petrol engine
getting a 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox. The DCT gearbox is absolutory
effortless to drive and our pick of the lot in the segment. We drove the petrol
automatic variant and were convinced that this is a great marriage perfect for
our traffic-laden driving conditions. All customers looking to get a great
petrol automatic under Rs.13-14 lakh should consider the Hyundai Venue.
In the Venue, Hyundai really has a winner on their hands!
Hyundai
does seem to have a knack of getting things spot on with their cars for the
Indian market. With the Venue, they seem to have hit the correct nerves
yet again. So, in a nutshell, what does the Hyundai Venue offer a
customer? – A well designed compact urban SUV, with superb value for money
proposition, loaded to the brim with all the bells and whistles you can ask
for, a connected car system which leverages technology to make driving a breeze
for the user…all this at an extremely competitive price point! We at AutoGuru
are quite certain the Hyundai Venue is one of the best value for money
cars you can buy in the Indian market today.
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