While not a direct replacement, the Venue effectively takes the place of the now discontinued Accent hatchback in the lineup. It shares a lot of hardware with the Accent but in a taller, more upright stance that fits in with what American consumers are after today
The Venue’s design is more conservative than the Kona which may appeal to some customers. It’s about 5-inches shorter overall and has about 2 cubic ft less passenger volume at 91.9 cu ft. Despite that, its taller stance makes it comfortable for 4 adults as long as they aren’t NBA stars
Under the hood is the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 121-hp found in the Accent. It’s paired with a CVT. It’s no powerhouse but with just 2,700-lbs to move, it’s adequate for use as a daily driver and it won’t struggle to merge on the highway.
An 8-in touchscreen is standard even on the base trim and supports Android Auto and Apple Carplay. Forward collision and lane keeping assist are standard and the SEL I drove also had blindspot monitors. There’s also 18.7 cu ft of cargo space behind the back seat. Seats are comfortable and the plastics are hard but nicely executed.
Unfortunately, it’s front-wheel-drive only, if you want AWD, you’ll have to step up to the Kona or Tucson. The 2020 Hyundai Venue is good, solid basic transportation that should serve well for many years.
The starting price is $18,750 and the loaded SEL I drove was $23,405 including delivery and it’s rated at 32 mpg combined.
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