2020 Hyundai Venue review: A breath of small-car fresh air – CNET

There actually are not any dangerous brand-new automobiles anymore. Even the most affordable, smallest new automobiles are all fairly good.

Not practically sufficient new automobiles have a definite character and character, although, particularly on the smaller, cheaper finish of the spectrum. In that regard the Hyundai Venue — and particularly this Denim version — is a much-needed breath of recent air. 

Singing the blues

The Denim model of Hyundai’s littlest crossover is, you guessed it, impressed by denim denims. It solely is available in one shade, a pleasant blue referred to as — anticipate it — Denim. The white roof is definitely hand-painted, which implies you possibly can’t get the Denim with a sunroof (it is an possibility on the Venue SEL). There are a selection of different white accents on the outside, too, together with the rear badges, some trim items on the bumpers and the wheel arches.

However the true star of the present is the inside. Sure, the denim-inspired leatherette and cloth seats have a stunning texture and a cool striped sample, however that is probably the most boring half. All the things contained in the Denim is blue, aside from the parts of the dashboard and door playing cards which can be a pleasant cream accent shade, which is echoed in issues just like the distinction stitching.

What actually makes the Denim distinctive is that all the plastic items are blue, even components which can be often by no means color-matched in different automobiles. Most different autos, even ones with half a dozen inside shade choices, solely use boring black or beige plastics. However within the Venue Denim, the window switches are blue, the seatbelt shops are blue, the carpets are blue, the plastic surrounding the cargo space and door sills is blue — I may go on. It makes the Denim really feel particular, like one large cohesive design as a substitute of an “oh, let’s give it blue seats or one thing” afterthought. Just about solely the highest-end manufacturers like Rolls-Royce and Bentley do shade matching to this stage, which makes it particularly stunning to seek out in a automobile as cheap because the Venue. I chatted with senior design supervisor Elizabeth Curran from Hyundai’s shade and supplies division to be taught extra in regards to the Denim inside and what’s developing sooner or later, which you’ll be able to learn right here.

None of this tough plastic feels low-quality, both. The door panels, for example, appear to be molded from one huge piece of plastic, however they’ve a pleasant grain and the armrest is padded with stitched leatherette. All of the bits that you simply contact probably the most have a pleasant tactile really feel, and knobs and switches transfer and click on with satisfying actions. The Denim additionally provides a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, in addition to a middle armrest that slides fore and aft.

Peppy, not highly effective

Just like the Venue’s different trims, the Denim is powered by a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter inline-four making 121 horsepower and 113 pound-feet of torque. Positive, the Venue may do with extra energy, but it surely’s gentle and sufficiently small that it nonetheless feels zippy round city and by no means too gradual when merging onto the freeway. Though in case you’re studying this, Hyundai, I would not say no to a turbocharged N mannequin with round 200 horsepower.

The one transmission selection for the Denim is a constantly variable computerized, because the Venue’s six-speed handbook is reserved for the bottom SE mannequin. It is a testomony to the CVT’s competency that I did not notice it was a CVT till I would already been driving the automobile for a couple of days. The transmission matches gear ratios with engine pace, nearly all the time holding revs down low to scale back engine drone and enhance effectivity. Like all Venues, the Denim is front-wheel-drive solely.

Direct steering motion and a well-tuned suspension make the Venue fairly enjoyable to wheel round, and it rides surprisingly nicely over rougher roads, even with its 17-inch wheels and quick wheelbase. It will get blown round by sturdy winds at freeway speeds and there is not a whole lot of sound deadening, however the Denim’s six-speaker sound system is definitely fairly bangin’ to make up for street and tire noise. Over the course of my week with the Venue I averaged a bit over 28 miles per gallon in principally metropolis driving, falling in need of the EPA’s 30-mpg metropolis estimate.

On a couple of slushy Michigan days I did get to reap the benefits of the Venue’s Snow driving mode, which adjusts traction between the entrance wheels for higher grip on slick surfaces. It actually does appear to make a noticeable distinction, particularly with my Venue being shod with Nexen N Priz AH8 all-season tires and never devoted snow tires.

Heaps to like

The Denim does not simply convey the distinctive shade scheme, both. Because the range-topping trim stage, it additionally provides quite a few options, a few of which you’d solely count on on higher-end autos. LED head- and taillights, heated entrance seats, navigation, proximity key, push-button begin, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are all customary tools on the Denim. (Most of that stuff can be non-obligatory on the SEL by means of a few packages.) 

Even the bottom $18,470 Venue comes with a ton of stuff. There’s an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, computerized headlights, energy home windows and mirrors, lane-keeping help, a driver-attention monitor and automatic emergency braking. The midrange SEL is $20,370 and provides two USB ports, computerized local weather management, an auto-up driver’s window, and Bluetooth with voice recognition.

The Denim begins at $23,170, practically $5,000 greater than the bottom SE, which could seem to be lots for a automobile as tiny because the Venue. Positive, you possibly can simply purchase a Honda Civic hatchback for $22,705, like a whole lot of my associates instructed once I introduced up the Venue. Or you possibly can get Hyundai’s personal (and really nice) Kona crossover, the Venue’s bigger brother, which is $21,420 in its base kind and is accessible with all-wheel drive.

However there isn’t any different small automobile that has made me smile just like the Venue Denim. It is actually extra characterful than direct rivals such because the Nissan Kicks or the Ford EcoSport. It additionally comes with a ton of options, and it has genuinely recent design particulars discovered nearly nowhere else within the business. The Hyundai Venue Denim is the form of inexpensive small automobile that the world deserves extra of.

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