Fresh faced Hyundai Venue officially revealed

Fresh from being teased in a series of images last week, Hyundai officially unveiled the heavily updated Venue in India on Thursday (16 April), ahead of its likely debut in South African later this year.

Displaced last year by the still-to-enter-production Casper as Hyundai’s smallest SUV, the already mentioned updates are extensive and comprise a unique take on the Tucson’s Parametric Lights and grille, whereby the latter receives a gloss black surround so as to make the upper section of the split headlight appear “embedded”.

For its part, the mentioned cluster has been lengthened and upgraded with new LEDs, while the lower main beam benefits from projector-type LEDs on higher-end models.

In addition to the restyled front bumper, complete with a new full-width lower air intake, Hyundai has redesigned the 16-inch alloy wheels on top-spec models, but retained the satin silver skidplate underneath the bumper itself.

Just as prominent, if not more, are the changes to the rear facia, comprising new light clusters connected by a LED light bar running the full width of the tailgate, and a new bumper with stacked side reflectors as well as a black central section housing the number plate.

Unseen till now, the Venue’s interior tweaks come in the shape of the same steering wheel as the Tucson, Creta and Alcazar/Grand Creta, rear air-conditioning vents, a 10.25-inch digital instrument, dual-tone interior colour option and an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with over-the-air updates, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

ALSO READ: Extensively facelifted Hyundai Venue teased ahead of 16 June debut

In India, four trim levels are offered; E, S, S+ and SX with optional packages available on the S and SX. A new addition on the latter is a drive mode selector with three settings; Eco, Normal and Sport and paddle shifters on automatic models.

Up front, the Venue retains the normally aspirated 1.2-litre petrol that pumps out 61kW/114Nm, the 1.0 T-GDI rated at 88kW/172Nm and the 1.5-litre turbodiesel that makes 74kW/240Nm.

While the five-speed manual remains on the 1.2, the previous six-speed manual on the T-GDI departs in favour of the six-speed iMT that does without a clutch, but still requires the manual shifting of gears. Once again optional on the T-GDI is the seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box with the aforementioned manual being retained as the sole option for the oil-burner.

In total, the Venue’s colour palette spans six hues; Polar White, Phantom Black, Typhoon Silver, Titan Grey, Denim Blue, and Fiery Red and a two-tone option set to be offered on some models as well.

Already the recipient of a reported 15 000 orders before being revealed, pricing in India kicks-off at INR 753 100 (R154 139) for the 1.2 E with the 1.0 T-GDI SX DCT closing the range at INR 1 257 000 (R257 274).

For South Africa, expect the Venue the retain the Motion, Fluid and Glide trim level denominator, as well as the pair of petrol engines mated to their respective transmissions. Speculative pricing is expect to start between R280 000 to R300 000.

Additional information from www.indiacarnews.com and www.rushlane.com.