Spec comparison: Hyundai Venue Vs Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza

It’s the clash of the titans. Well sort of. The compact SUV segment has got a new contender in the form of the Hyundai Venue. It’s a sub-4 SUV and has been launched at Rs 6.50 lakhs (All India ex-showroom) and its major rival is the segment leader- the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Maruti’s compact SUV has been smashing records with aplomb since being launched a few years ago and it is this success that Hyundai wants a piece of for the Venue.

Exterior
Hyundai has been going crossover crazy with its new line up and given that the Venue is a global product it was bound to look the way it is today. It follows design lines similar to that of the new Creta/ix25 as well as the larger new generation Santa Fe.
One of the oddest but eye-catching elements of the vehicle are the position of the headlamps which are set lower down on the face and their standard position has been taken up by the LED DRLs. Other noticeable elements include the design of the alloy wheels as well as the shape of the tail lamps.
The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is a mix of old SUV but with crossover lines. It is a conservative approach but has paid dividends for the Indo-Japanese automaker as this car is now the segment leader. It was launched in late 2015 and received a major update in 2018 that comprises new glossy black alloy wheels and a new paint schemes. The new body paint can also be had in the dual tone scheme combined with a contrasting white roof.

Interior and features 
Hyundai has always been known to offer a heavy feature list and the Venue carries on that theme in terms of the features and the interiors. There is the usual stuff like climate control, high quality plastics, projector headlamps, cruise control, sunroof and plethora of useful storage spaces but it also includes a very comprehensive infotainment system.  Dubbed BlueLink Connectivity technology, it is being offered in India with 33 new connected car features, of which, 10 are specific to our country. The company has divided 33 services in seven categories – safety, security, remote, VRM (vehicle relation management), LBS (location-based services), alerts services and voice recognition services.
The Vitara Brezza gets dual front airbags and ABS with EBD as a standard fitment.  Also standard on the Maruti are safety features such as ISOFIX, high-speed warning alert, reverse parking sensors and front seatbelt pre-tensioners and force limiters. There are two 12V outlets, automatic head lamps, single-zone climate control, a comprehensive trip computer, and a reversing camera along with a new and updated touchscreen infotainment system.

Engine and gearbox
The Hyundai Venue is being offered with two petrol options and one diesel. The petrol engines comprise a 1.2-litre unit and a turbocharged 1.0-litre gasoline direct injection unit. The former is the unit found in the Grand i10 and Elite i20 and produces 81bhp/114Nm while the GDI unit produces 118bhp/171Nm. There’s only a five-speed manual for the 1.2-litre engine while the latter is offered with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual clutch automatic. The diesel is the 1.4-litre unit offered with the base Creta models as well as the Elite i20. It produces 89bhp/219Nm and is offered only with a six-speed manual.
The Vitara Brezza has no petrol engine on offer. The 1.3-litre DDiS is the same one that powers the rest of the Maruti family. The four-cylinder diesel generates 89bhp/200Nm and is mated to a five-speed manual as standard. The Vitara Brezza gets a five-speed automated manual transmission. Maruti has hinted that it will discontinue the 1.3-litre diesel next year and the Brezza is likely to switch to Suzuki’s 1.5-litre diesel and may even get a petrol option by 2020.

Pricing
The Hyundai Venue is priced in the range of Rs 6.50 lakhs to Rs 11.10 lakhs (All-India ex-showroom) while the Maruti Brezza’s range is from Rs 7.93 lakhs to Rs 10.64 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).