The 2020 Hyundai Venue has a lot going on to get you excited about and not just that it’s a completely brand new model or Hyundai. The 2020 Venue is billed as Hyundai’s “charismatic crossover” for good reason, due to its unique styling that helps it stand out in a crowded market segment.
CHARISMATIC EXTERIOR
Bold lines, interesting design features and a unique shape come together to create the charismatic exterior of the 2020 Hyundai Venue. Up front showcases the sleek and super-narrow headlights above the large and boxy fog lights, which surround the large, chiseled, mesh-like grille sporting the Hyundai logo front and center. The active cornering control feature focuses the beam of light around the corner for better visibility when turning. The head on view also shows the Venue sitting on wide haunches and a relatively low ground clearance.
The side view of the 2020 Venue shows the design’s straight-lined boxy design but modernly sleek with the slightly sloping roofline. The two-tone exterior with colour accents creates a uniqueness and helps the Venue stand out in the crowded compact crossover market. 17” alloy wheels are a perfect size for the Venue and the unique rims designs provide another distinguishing detail.
PLAYFUL INTERIOR
Stepping inside the 2020 Hyundai Venue reveals a fun-inspired design with big round control knobs and large vents surrounded by a white highlight to really make them come to life. The white highlight also surrounds the climate control knobs and the center console shifter and controls and matches the white contrast stitching on the seats. Altogether this bright highlight helps the interior come to life and makes certain design elements pop with flair.
Despite the Venue’s small size, Hyundai has managed to fit in plenty of storage spaces for personal items including a space above the shifter and an area above the glovebox. There’s also a versatile interior for efficiently transporting various combinations of cargo and passengers via the split-folding and sliding seats. Additionally, a rear shelf helps subdivide the cargo area, while the trunk floor adjusts to accommodate taller items
The 2020 Venue comes equipped with all the latest creature comforts like heated front seats, heated steering wheel and an 8” touch screen display that sits in the center of the dash and looks almost as if it’s floating instead of being integrated into the dash. A proximity keyless entry allows for entry with the push of a button on the door and then the push of a button to start the car or use the FOB to start remotely.
Overall, the interior of the 2020 Hyundai Venue is put together in a high quality build with decent soft-touch materials, which all come together to showcase a unique, functional and fun interior design.
PERFORMANCE & SAFETY
The 2020 Venue is powered by a smaller 1.6L four cylinder engine that outputs just 121hp. This is plenty of power to get you around without any problems, but slightly underpowered for a full load of passengers and cargo. Placing the priority on saving gas, this engine makes perfect sense for daily commuting, which is the majority of the average person’s time spent driving.
Paired with the 1.6L engine is either a 6 speed manual transmission or an Intelligent Variable Transmission which replicates the natural acceleration of typical automatic transmissions but has better fuel efficiency and a smoother acceleration compared with clunky gear shifts. Overall, this powertrain delivers a calm and smooth ride with a focus on efficiency. Drivers can also use the drive mode selector to adjust traction depending on exterior road conditions and set the optimal tuning for snowy conditions
The 2020 Venue is equipped with all the latest driving safety technology, including a blind spot warning system combined with a lane changing assist which notifies you if the vehicle in the lane you are trying to merge into is approaching too fast. Other more passive features focus on driving patterns being monitored and analyzed, so the Driver Attention Warning feature can be triggered to suggest the driver take a break.
Automatic high beam and low beam switching is provided via the High Beam Assist feature and forward collision avoidance is also available which will alert the driver of any potential frontal collisions and even apply braking when necessary. A Lane Departure Warning system will alert the driver when drifting outside their lane, while the Lane Keeping Assist can even provide some corrective steering to help you remain in your lane.
Finally, a Bluelink connected vehicle system brings it all together and allows you to control certain features of your car from the app on your mobile phone. Lock and unlock the doors remotely, remote vehicle start and even adjust the climate controls remotely. In the event of an emergency, you can even have an automatic notification sent for assistance.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This compact crossover is packed full of the latest driving technology and basic creature comforts and starts at a very affordable $17,099. The 2020 Hyundai Venue is sure to turn heads with its unique exterior design and its fun and versatile interior. Since 2020 is the first year to offer the Venue, you should take one for a drive to get the full experience.
