The 2020 Hyundai Venue Raises the Bar for Compact SUVs As It Wows New York

Hyundai's new entry-level SUV, the Venue, made its global debut at the 2019 New York Auto Show. Slotted under the Kona, the Venue isn't notably smaller, but Hyundai aims to attract customers with cool features and an affordable sticker.

The Hyundai Venue is a tiny, boxy SUV

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As expected, the Venue shares many design features with other Hyundai SUVs, especially the Kona and the Nexo. It has a similar cascading grille, slim upper headlamps, and rectangular lower lights. But while the Kona is actually a sporty looking crossover, the Venue adopts a boxier shape.

Although it slots under the Kona, the Venue is only marginally smaller. Specifically, it's 5.1 inches shorter overall, 1.2 inches narrower, and its wheelbase is 3.2 inches shorter than the Kona's. But the boxy body makes up for that so the Venue looks just as big as the Kona. In all, it's a proper competitor for the Kia Soul and I'm pretty sure that these vehicles share the same underpinnings.

2020 Hyundai Venue vs. Hyundai Kona exterior dimensions

Overall Length	158.9	164.0	(5.1)
Overall Width	69.7	70.9	(1.2)
Overall Height	61.6	61.0	0.6
Wheelbase	99.2	102.4	(3.2)

A quick look at the Venue's color palette is enough to notice that Hyundai is aiming the Venue at young drivers. On top of the usual black, white, grey, and silver, the Venuie is also available in live colors such as Scarlet Red, Intense Blue, Green Apple, and Denim. What's more, you can opt for contrasting colors for the roof, mirror caps, and trim.

The Hyundai Venue is loaded with modern tech

The Venue may be small and affordable, but it comes with plenty of modern tech. An eight-inch infotainment display provides access to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as navigation and all the cool apps you need. An available 3.5-inch TFT screen displays digital data in the instrument cluster. You can also opt for a rear-view monitor, heated front seats and mirrors, and remote start with climate control.

The interior is very similar to the Kona, but it has unique features as well. It's far from premium, but it doesn't look very cheap either. Opt for the Denim exterior and you get denim cloth and leatherette for a cool vintage look.

The Venue comes with an impressive amount of active safety features too. However, most of them are optional. The list includes Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind-Spot Collision Warning, Driver Attention Warning, and Rear Collision Cross-Traffic Warning.

The Hyundai Venue is almost as practical as the Kona

Although it's a bit smaller than the Kona, the Venue is a practical crossover. Full specs aren't yet available, but Hyundai did say that the Venue has a total interior volume of 110.6 cubic feet and a total passenger volume of 91.9 cubic feet. That's a marginal decrease of less than three cubic feet compared to the Kona. When it comes to trunk space, the Venue offers 18.7 cubic feet with the rear seats up, that's only half a cubic feet less than the Kona. With the second-row seats folded flat, the Venue can swallow up to 31.9 cubic feet. Although it's 13.9 cubic feet less than the Kona, the Venue is big enough for a short vacation with the family.

2020 Hyundai Venue vs. Hyundai Kona interior dimensions

Total Interior Volume	110.6	113.3	(2.7)
Passenger Interior Volume	91.9	94.1	(2.2)
Cargo Capacity, Rear Seats Up	18.7	19.2	(0.5)
Cargo Capacity, Rear Seats Down	31.9	45.8	(13.9)

The Hyundai Venue has a 1.6-liter four-cylinder

As speculated, the Venue comes with a small-displacement four-cylinder engine under the hood. However, it seems the crossover won't share the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter with the Kona, as only the 1.6-liter Gamma engine will be offered. Hyundai didn't how powerful it is, but we do know that the Kona's unit cranks out 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. But the Venue might come with less oomph. As an entry-level model, it has to be less powerful than the Kona, so a 130-horsepower rating is more likely here. The crossover will be available with either a six-speed manual transmission or on Hyundai's IVT, short for intelligent variable transmission.

2020 Hyundai Venue drivetrain specifications

Type	Gamma II 1.6 MPI
Materials	Aluminum block and head
Bore & stroke (mm)	75.6 x 89.0
Compression ratio	11.2 :1
Displacement	1.6 liters / 1598cc
Horsepower	121 HP @ 6,300 RPM (est.)
Torque (lb-ft.)	113 LB-FT @ 4,500 RPM (est.)
Transmission	6-speed manual

The Hyundai Venue will be the company's cheapest SUV

Hyundai has yet to unveil pricing information, but the Venue will cost less than the Kona. With the latter priced from $19,240, the Venue should retail from around $17,500.