Hyundai Venue the place to be when you’re on budget

Politics lesson for today. Old money was used to keeping their expensive toys away from prying eyes, and probably Sars too.

New money not so much, never have they flexed their wealth more than they do now with supercar clubs and breakfast runs being posted all over social media. The rich are getting richer.

On the opposite end of the scale, we have the poor and they are suffering more now than ever as everyday living conditions worsen and service delivery continues to fail.

The poor are getting poorer, but what is also happening, the middle class are getting poorer each day too. This means that they must be penny wise when it comes to making big items purchases like their homes and cars.

ALSO READ: Hyundai puts sticker on refreshed Venue

Business lesson for today. The SUV and crossover segment at 46 percent is the biggest motoring segment in the industry and this segment has seen a growth of 37 percent since 2021. So, this is where you want to be playing if you want to be to be player in South Africa.

The Hyundai family

This is where Hyundai South Africa fit in. Locally, the Korean carmaker offers the Creta that starts at R419 900, the Grand Creta from R467 900, the Kona from R489 900, the Tucson from R539 900, the Santa Fe from R839 900 and the Palisade from R1 045 900.

The new Hyundai Venue model range that was updating this month starts at just R294 900.

Motoring lesson for today. The Venue has been one of Hyundai’s top sellers since it was introduced in 2019. And now for 2022, it has received a bit of a spruce up on the outside and inside, while a N Line variant has been added.

You still get the entry level Motion models in 1.2-litre naturally aspirated MT along with the 1.0-litre turbo MT and Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT).

The Fluid is next up in 1.0-litre turbo with MT and DCT and the old Glide spec is now replaced by the funky little 1.0-litre N Line DCT.

All model grades offer improvement in spec. I am not going to go into detail about the styling, you can see this in the pics, other than to say the new Hyundai Venue looks good. But I am going to talk a bit about the top-of-the-range N Line that The Citizen Motoring got to drive at the vehicle’s launch event.

Spec galore

Jumping inside you are greeted by a leather covered interior including steering wheel with audio controls and cruise control buttons.

The infotainment is taken care of by an Apple CarPlay and Android Auto eight-inch touchscreen system and rear-view monitor. “Old fashioned” Type B USB and newer Type C ports are both available to go with automatic air conditioning to keep you cool.

The Venue boasts a comprehensive list of standard safety features that features the likes of six airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners with force limiters, Isofix child seat attachments, ABS, EBD, ESC and hill-start assist control.

The engine and transmission offering remain the same at the top with the 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder that delivers 88 kW and 172 Nm doing a decent job keeping the Venue on the boil. And the seven-speed DCT makes for effortless driving.

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The claimed number for fuel consumption comes in at 6.9 litres per 100 km which is pretty good.

You can choose between three different driving modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – that can be selected via a dial in the middle console between the front seats. I am not too sure many owners will ever use this feature again after the first few weeks of ownership, but who cares, it is there if you want to play around on the fly.

Hyundai Venue pricing

• Venue 1.2 Motion – R294 900
• Venue 1.0 Motion – R354 900
• Venue 1.0 Motion DCT – R394 900
• Venue 1.0 Fluid – R389 900
• Venue 1.0 Fluid DCT – R429 900
• Venue 1.0 N Line DCT – R449 900

Included in the price of every Hyundai Venue is a seven-year/200 000 km warranty, seven-year/150 000 km roadside assistance, and a three-year/45 000 km service plan.

For more information, visit the manufacturer’s website.