The Kona won’t be Hyundai’s entry-level crossover for long. That’s thanks to the new 2020 Venue, a tiny crossover that essentially fills the void left by Hyundai’s decision to stop offering a four-door hatch version of the Accent subcompact. We took a close look at the 2020 Hyundai Venue at the 2019 New York auto show and talked with the automaker’s head of design to get the full story—keep reading for seven magnificent features of the new 2020 Venue.
Hyundai’s First A-Segment CUV!?
Venue is the brand’s smallest and first-ever A-segment crossover for the U.S. The new model is positioned under the B-segment Kona in Hyundai’s lineup, despite being built on the subcompact (B-segment) Accent platform. Hyundai claims the competitive set is primarily the Ford EcoSport, because of similarity in size, and Nissan Kicks; Kicks and Venue are front-drive only and will compete on price (roughly $20,000). Interesting to note, the Kicks is relatively huge; a full 10 inches longer than the Venue and 5 inches longer than the Kona.
Entry-Level, But Not Cheap
After the reveal of the 2020 Venue, Hyundai head of design SangYup Lee told us, “The whole idea of this car is that it’s entry level, but it has unique character. It doesn’t look cheap. It’s all in the small details.” To accomplish this, the Hyundai team appears to have emphasized design and tech-forward content over performance and off-road capability. For all its roof racks and rugged cuteness, Venue is essentially a front-drive city car with a 1.6-liter engine optimized for fuel efficiency and economy.
Range Rover Inspired
Lee said he looked at the British icon of luxury off-roading when sketching the Venue. “I studied Range Rover a lot. If you take a look at this car in the side view, [it] almost has [that] silhouette,” Lee told us, before repeating the question he asked himself: ‘Can you make a Range Rover in this small A-segment?’ Profile and stance-wise, we see shades of recent Rovers (Range and Land), but it’s not overt. Lee agrees. “The face and graphics are very distinctive. The windshield is upright, but the rear is a little faster for a unique look.”
World First Lenticular Light Show
As Lee mentioned, his design philosophy is heavy on premium details, and Venue has a “world first” in its rear taillight execution. Instead of utilizing the traditional combination of bulbs, lenses, and reflectors, the strips of light above the central lamp utilize lenticular lenses. This thin, translucent film has a special printed pattern that appears to move as you do. When backlit by a simple bulb, an optical illusion of depth is created. Lee says, “You’ll see a lot of different patterns in our entry-level cars in the future.”
Loaded with Goodies
At the debut in New York, Lee called the Venue’s interior a “personal sanctuary,” and it appears to be one loaded with goodies not often found in entry-level vehicles. Venue offers heated seats and side mirrors, push-button ignition, power sunroof and driver assistance systems like lane keeping assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, and blind-spot monitoring systems. Up front, there’s an 8.0-inch touchscreen display, which pairs with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The latest version of Hyundai’s proprietary BlueLink mobile phone app is also on board.
Venue Makes a Magnificent 7
With the 2020 Venue, Hyundai claims to have a total of seven SUVs and CUVs in its U.S. lineup if you double-count Kona and Kona EV: Venue, Kona, Kona EV, Nexo, Tucson, Santa Fe, Palisade. If you call it seven, then Hyundai has the broadest SUV lineup of any single car brand. Toyota also claims seven SUVs, without the CH-R, but counting RAV4 and Highlander hybrid variants separately.
When? How Much?
Official pricing has yet to be announced, but we expect it to start under $20,000. Hyundai says Venue will arrive in U.S. dealerships by fall of 2019.
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