2021 Hyundai Venue Review

　　

2021 Hyundai Venue Review

byChristian WardlawCorrespondent

　　Christian Wardlaw has worked in the automotive industry since 1994. He has written nearly 10,000 car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 2,000 vehicles over the course of his career. Chris is a correspondent at zzdcar and was the first editor-in-chief of zzdcar.com in the 1990s. He has also contributed to Autotrader, CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, NADAguides, New York Daily News Autos and WardsAuto. His mom claims that his first word was “car,” and Chris believes that Miata is always the answer.

　　Nothing screams value quite like the 2021 Hyundai Venue. An extra-small crossover SUV that serves as the entry point for the automaker's SUV lineup, it is the second least expensive Hyundai after the Accent sedan. Even so, it's ready to carry up to five people and as much as 31.9 cubic feet of cargo. That's less than half of what you get from the next size up SUV — a Honda CR-V, for example — but it's still sufficient for most daily tasks.

　　This year's updates add standard equipment, especially for the midgrade Venue SEL. A spiffy set of 17-inch alloy wheels improves the SEL's look, and it now includes a blind-spot collision avoidance system, further cementing the Venue as a true value leader among extra-small SUVs. The only deletion for 2021 is that the six-speed manual transmission previously offered with the SE trim has been dropped. As such, every Venue now comes standard with a continuously variable automatic transmission.

　　Though it doesn't offer much in the way of power and performance, the 2021 Venue nevertheless brings significant style and tremendous bang-for-the-buck to the extra-small SUV segment. Check out our Expert Rating for our in-depth take on the pros and cons of this pint-size Hyundai.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Average

　　7.4

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

7.0/10

　　How does the Venue drive? From behind the wheel, the Venue is perfectly adequate across the board. You'll have no issue commuting, running errands, or taking a cruise to the beach or lake. Acceleration is about average for this class, which is not fast by most accounts. At our test track, the Venue needed 9.4 seconds to get up to 60 mph.

　　But it's good where it counts for a small city runabout, responding quickly right off the line, with its CVT automatic and easy brakes providing a pretty smooth driving experience overall. It's definitely not an athletic SUV, but its small size keeps it nimble and kind of fun to zip around corners.

　　

Comfort

7.0/10

　　How comfortable is the Venue? You might assume based on its small size and low cost of entry that the Venue lacks comfort. Thankfully that's not the case. It's far from a luxurious experience, but the Venue fares well even compared with some larger rivals in its class. The front seats have a nice balance of cushion and support. The rear bench cushion is a bit flat, but there's a good recline to the backrest. Ride comfort can be tricky to maintain in smaller vehicles, but the Venue's won't beat you up even on longer trips.

　　The climate control is single-zone only, which makes sense given the Venue's size, and we found it sufficient for keeping the cabin cool. There is some wind and road noise at highway speeds, but it's nothing out of the ordinary for this class.

　　

Interior

7.5/10

　　How’s the interior? The Venue's interior is practical, and passenger space is better than expected given its short length. It achieves this relative spaciousness through its upright seating. As long as you're not much taller than 6 feet, you should find the Venue relatively accommodating in front and cozy but livable in back. The squared-off doors make it pretty easy to get in and out of.

　　The simplicity of the Venue keeps it easy to use. The 8-inch infotainment touchscreen is bright, responsive and easy to use. All other controls, buttons and knobs are clearly labeled and arranged logically. Forward and side visibility is pretty good, but your over-the-shoulder view is hampered somewhat by the thick rear roof pillars. The available blind-spot monitoring system certainly helps alleviate this issue when switching lanes.

　　

Technology

7.5/10

　　How’s the tech? The Venue has just the right amount of technology, and it's easy and straightforward to use. The available six-speaker sound system produces surprisingly good sound that's clear and has a nice amount of punch. The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment/navigation system comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. The navigation system is very reminiscent of today's smartphones in look and feel, and real-time traffic information is nice to have.

　　The advanced safety and driver aids work but seem a bit oversensitive. It's worth noting that adaptive cruise is not offered on the Venue in case that's an important feature on your list.

　　

Storage

7.0/10

　　How’s the storage? The Venue is small, so there's only so much you can physically fit inside. We think it makes excellent use of the space it does have, however. There's 18.7 cubic feet behind the rear seats (31.9 cubic feet with rear seats folded), which we found sufficient for everyday use.

　　The cargo area offers a couple of cool things: an adjustable load floor and a stowable cargo cover. The loading area has a wide opening and low loading height to make it easy to get things in. Up front, there's a sufficient amount of storage space for your personal items. As for child duty, the Venue's car seat anchor points are clearly marked on the seatback and easy to access. But the lack of rear legroom will make it hard to fit a larger rear-facing child safety seat.

　　

Fuel Economy

7.5/10

　　How’s the fuel economy? The EPA estimates the Venue's fuel economy at 31 mpg combined (30 city/33 highway), a pretty efficient estimate for this class. But we found it tough to match that in our real-world driving. On our highway-heavy 115-mile evaluation route, we averaged a mere 29 mpg. Perhaps it's due to our need to keep up with the flow of California traffic, but we suspect the EPA figures are a bit optimistic for a Venue roaming in the wild.

　　

Value

8.5/10

　　Is the Venue a good value? Good value? No. We'd call this an excellent value. The Venue is well built and relatively practical. For what you pay, Hyundai packs in a lot of features. Some vehicles start where the Venue tops out on price and don't have the same amount of tech.

　　Hyundai's warranty is best in class. It includes five-year/60,000 bumper-to-bumper and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranties. Roadside assistance is provided for five years with no mileage limit, and all Hyundais now come with free scheduled maintenance for three years/36,000 miles.

　　

Wildcard

7.0/10

　　Is it fun to drive? Not really. The Venue is very utilitarian and that seems to be the core focus. The styling of the Venue is also rather nondescript, blending into the sea of subcompact SUVs. If you want something more distinctive, look elsewhere, at perhaps Mazda's CX-30 or even Kia's Soul or Seltos.

　　

Which Venue does zzdcar recommend?

Because the Venue Denim provides less in the way of choice, we recommend the SEL trim level. It offers the greatest blend of value, equipment and color choice. For 2021, the Venue SEL further sweetens the deal with 17-inch alloy wheels and a blind-spot collision avoidance system with rear cross-traffic collision avoidance warning as standard equipment.

　　

2021 Hyundai Venue models

The 2021 Venue is the most affordable SUV in Hyundai's already value-oriented lineup. It comes in three trim levels: SE, SEL and the stylish Denim trim. Highlight features include:

　　SE

　　Starts you off with:

　　121-hp four-cylinder engine Continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) Front-wheel drive Automatic headlights 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels 8-inch touchscreen display Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration Four-speaker sound system Automatic emergency braking (warns if a front impact is imminent and applies the brakes if the driver doesn't respond in time) Lane keeping assist (steers the car back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker)SEL

　　The midtier SEL includes the SE features and adds:

　　17-inch aluminum alloy wheels Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob Center storage box with sliding armrest Automatic climate control Additional USB port Six-speaker audio system Normal, Sport and Snow drive modes Blind-spot monitoring (alerts you if a vehicle in the next lane over is in your blind spot) Rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle behind you is about to cross your vehicle's path while in reverse)One option package is available on the SEL:

　　Premium package

　　LED front and rear lighting Heated front seats Heated side mirrors Power sunroof Keyless entry and push-button start Navigation system Hyundai's Bluelink Connected Car system (includes a variety of communication functions, such as remote locking and automatic emergency assistance)Denim

　　The Denim trim includes almost all of the above. It also has:

　　Two-tone blue and white paint (the only available color) Simulated leather and cloth seating

　　

2021 Venue Highlights

Trim: SESELDenimSE

　　

Base MSRP	$18,750
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	31 MPG
Cost to Drive	$121/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	18.7 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	5 years / 60,000 miles