Hyundai Venue Facelift Review - Can this Compact SUV take on 2022 Maruti Suzuki Brezza?

With the launch of the 2022 Hyundai Venue facelift, it is understandable that Hyundai is trying to pave a path to the top rank on the sales tally. But how capable is the compact SUV in its updated avatar? Let's find out.

Kickstarted in 2013, the sub-4m compact SUV space has now inflated itself to become the largest-one in the Indian market. The country’s second-largest carmaker - Hyundai, made a successful attempt to dive into this sales-friendly ocean with the Venue in 2019. The compact SUV made headlines as the first connected SUV of the country. It even held the best-seller spot for a long duration. Now in 2022, the Venue was due for a makeover in order to look fresh all over again. Hyundai addressed the need, launched the Venue facelift in our market, and made us spend some time with it. All of it to tell you folks if the 2022 Hyundai Venue facelift is worth buying or not. So, read on to find the answer.

2022 Hyundai Venue Facelift Review: New clothes!

Design is subjective, they say. Therefore, it is tough to please a large target audience with a car’s looks. However, we feel that Hyundai has got a lot of things right for the Venue this time. The new radiator grille is humongous. It is wider than ever and is finished in dark chrome theme. Interestingly, it merges into the upper portion of vertically-split headlamps, which is revised as well.

Look around the chin, and you'll see that the bumper is a new unit. Also, the wider lower air dam helps in cutting the visual bulk. Sadly, the only change on the side profile is the new design for the 16-inch alloy wheels. They look nice but will be hard to clean and maintain. In fact, they feature a diamond-cut finish for added bling.

Step towards the rear end, and it surprisingly is beautiful. Gone are the old squarish tail lamps, and come in new sharp-looking units. Neatly infused with piano-black elements, the tail lamps are connected via a light bar. Together, these three individual elements form the letter ‘H’. The bumper follows a similar theme as the front one to kill the visual bulk. Collectively, all the visual changes on the Venue facelift add some fresh air to the compact SUV’s exterior.

2022 Hyundai Venue Facelift Review: Revamped cabin!

Step inside the cabin and the Hyundai Venue facelift greets you with more colours this time. Of course, the feature list is longer too. Starting off with the cosmetic updates first, the interior is now finished in a two-tone theme. The lower half of the dashboard uses a lighter shade, which is also visible on the upholstery. It ostensibly makes the cabin feel airy. A sense of more space is also apparent.

The front seats are scooped-out to carve out more legroom and knee room for the rear seat occupants. We believe the change will be welcomed by taller occupants when they decide to get chauffeured. Also, the rear bench’s seat back now brings a two-step recline function, making long hauls a tad bit more comfortable.

Coming to the feature list, add-ons include a new all-digital instrument cluster, which is legible in all sorts of lighting conditions. And as you switch driving modes, the interface shows up with different themes as well. Other additions to the feature list include an increased number of connected car features, Alexa and Google's voice assistant, ambient lighting, 4-way powered driver seat, and fast-charging Type-C ports.

Hyundai has also added 6 new ‘Sounds of Nature’ ambient music to the updated Venue. Moreover, Hyundai’s keen eye for safety helps the compact SUV get a host of safety features as standard across all variants except the entry-spec E trim. The list includes - dual-front airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system, ABS with EBD, vehicle stability control, brake assist system, hill start assist, automatic headlamps and more.

The addition of ventilated front seats, although, would’ve been great as well. In summation, these changes do make the Venue facelift offer a posher in-cabin experience. The feature-loaded cabin tries to score high on safety, tech, and aesthetics in the new avatar of the Venue.

2022 Hyundai Venue Facelift Review: Improved performance?

In this regard, Hyundai hasn’t changed much on the facelifted Venue, except for two major updates. Firstly, the Venue now gets driving modes. A total of three in fact, namely Eco, Sport, and Normal. Secondly, a new-gen DCT is what the Venue facelift gets with the 1.0L turbo-petrol motor.

The overall experience of the driving modes remains uncluttered. The Eco is best suited for urban runabouts to save fuel with a mileage-friendly gear shift pattern, as shifts happen early in the rev range. Move to Normal, and the Venue starts behaving rather progressively. In this mode, it is apt at making progress and delivering a decent fuel economy.

The Sport mode is only about extracting the most out of the turbo-petrol motor. Tuning is on the crispier side, and picking up pace and making quick overtake manoeuvres in this mode is an easy job. Also, Hyundai has managed to offer enough distinction between the three modes.

Talking of the new-gen DCT, it is relatively smoother than the outgoing unit. Shifts also feel quicker on the new transmission. However, only those with a keen eye will be able to take note of the distinction. Engine options and gearbox choices remain unchanged on the 2022 Hyundai Venue facelift, and this also makes us say that Hyundai could’ve utilised this opportunity to offer the option of an automatic gearbox with the capable 1.5L oil burner.

2022 Hyundai Venue Facelift Review: Buyable in 2022?

The 2022 Hyundai Venue facelift doesn’t look boring, and it is indeed a feature-packed car now. There are enough upgrades to help it stay fresh for the next couple of years. Since it always had a predictable handling and comfortable ride, it manages to tick another box on an Indian compact SUV buyer’s list. With prices starting from Rs 7.53 lakh (ex-showroom), the Venue facelift doesn’t disappoint as being a value-for-money offering either. The entry point to the turbo-petrol and diesel trims is kept at roughly Rs 10 lakh, ex-showroom. With all of this, it feels right to say that the 2022 Hyundai Venue facelift is worth considering in the updated avatar. However, if you need a diesel-automatic compact SUV, look elsewhere.