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| Katleho Mahapa - Marketing Manager - Hyundai Automotive South Africa with the Venue. |
THE first thing I checked in Hyundai’s latest small sports utility, the Venue, was whether it had a full size spare.
For I was about to embark on two-day, 1500 km road trip along the R56, a stretch of tar road through three provinces in South Africa that has all the scenic potential to become a legendary tourist drive like Route 66 in the U.S.
I must confess, I had my misgivings. The all-new Venue looks chunky, but it is a small A-segment car with a three-cylinder petrol mill “aimed at urban adventurers”.
Would its whine drive me dotty on the long Karoo roads?
Will the cruise control maintain speed up and over the Eastern Cape’s mountains?
Before answering these questions, let’s explain that name.
Hyundai has been in the habit of naming its SUVs after a city or place. With the “Venue” they decided to go generic, naming the car “the place to be” while reaching the final desired destination, wherever that may be.
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| The venue for old cars in Graaf-Reinett is the Recollection Rides museum, which opened in 2018. |
“The Venue is an exceptional small SUV that offers a powerful and very efficient turbocharged engine, outstanding comfort and convenience levels and many safety features,” says Stanley Anderson, sales and operations director of Hyundai Automotive South Africa.
He launched the Venue in three specification levels: the entry-level Motion on 15-inch wheels, and on 16-inch wheels, the middle section Fluid and the range-topping Glide, which I got to drive.
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| Driving at night, in fog, with 50 metres visibility is never a good idea. |
That extra inch helped to absorb the shock of a large pothole outside Richmond. All three versions have Electronic Stability Control, while the Glide has side lamps that light up the pavement, or side of the road when turning.
All three models come with electronic stability control electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, all of which work in a simulated emergency stop.
All Venues also come with Hill Start Assist Control. Inside, there is enough leg, head and shoulder room for four adults and a 350-litre boot for their luggage.
Even with four adults on board, the overstroked little engine’s 88 kW and 172 Nm happily growled over hill and dale with the cruise control set at a 100 km/h — thanks to those Newtons kicking in from a low 1 500 r/min.
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| During the Boer War, sharp-shooting boere shot English soldiers through the shooting holes of these block houses. |
At 100 km/h, the on-board computer reported a best consumption of 6,1 l/100 km, which beats Hyundai’s official 6,5 l/100 km.
The Glide has a seven-speed DCT gearbox, which are ideal for hard riding, but overkill for a car aimed at urban drivers and it cannot decide which gear to be in at constant low speeds. I did like that the infotainment system’s 8-inch Display Audio touchscreen does not reflect the sunlight, as many of these screens do, and that my ancient phone easily paired with Hyundai’s system.
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| A level road and a low speed delivered reasonable consumption from the Venue's 3-cylinder petrol mill. |
In the very dry Eastern Cape, glovebox cooling kept fresh the excellent chutney biltong from a tiny butchery in Eliot, while rear air conditioning ducts — rare in small cars — kept the passengers in a similar state.
The Venue has many worthy competitors, including the Renault Duster, Ford EcoSport, Haval H1, and VW T-Cross, but the seven-year or 200 000km warranty, seven-year or 150 000 km roadside assistance, and a thee-year or 45 000 km service plan trumps ’em all.
Venue 1,0 prices
Motion (manual) R274 900
Motion (DCT) R 304 900
Fluid (manual) R 309 900
Fluid (DCT) R 339 900
Glide (DCT) R369 900
