Spec Comparison: Hyundai Venue vs Tata Nexon

Hyundai has finally launched the all-new Venue in India. The Venue is Hyundai’s global product and the Korean carmaker’s first entry into the popular sub-four-metre segment. Hyundai has priced the Venue very attractively with prices starting at Rs 6.5 lakhs (ex-showroom) and topping out at Rs 11.10 lakhs. This puts the newcomer right up the alley of the Tata Nexon, which is similarly priced. Let us see how the newcomer compares against Tata’s runaway success.

Design and styling:

The Venue arrives with Hyundai’s newest design philosophy. As seen on the new-gen Santa Fe, the sub-four-metre SUV gets a two-tier design with sleek LED DRLs and low-placed squared-off headlamp units with surrounding LEDs and integrated projector unit. The cascading grille is laden with chrome and the bumper gets a faux skid plate to finish the overall design. The Venue’s silhouette makes it look like a scaled-down Creta. Adding to the SUV’s appeal are the roof rails and stylish alloy wheels. At the back, the upright tailgate has square taillights. The tailgate is decorated with the Hyundai logo and Venue lettering. 

Compared to the boxy and upright stance of the Venue, the Nexon has a curvier design. With its squat stance and bulging wheel arches, the Nexon appears far more voluptuous than the boxy Venue. In terms of dimension, the Nexon measures 3994x1811x1607mm compared to Venue’s 3995x1770x1605mm. The wheelbase of Venue (2500mm) is slightly more than Nexon’s 2498mm. Overall, the Venue looks more SUV-like compared to the radical looking Nexon. 

Interior and Features:

On the inside, the Venue gets an all-black treatment with faux brushed aluminium inserts. The centre console has an eight-inch infotainment system and gets Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Moreover, the Venue debuts BlueLink connectivity features which comes with 33 connected services, of which, 10 are specific to India. In terms of features, the Venue comes loaded with a cooled glove box, rear AC vents, wireless charging, electric sunroof, cruise control, leather seats, engine start/stop button and six airbags with a range of standard safety features. 

The Nexon comes with a three-tone interior. It too is loaded with features like climate control, touchscreen infotainment system with floating display and eight speakers, push-button start, drive mode selection, Harmann infotainment system with USB, Bluetooth and AUX connectivity. The Nexon misses out of things like sunroof, wireless charging, leather upholstery and all the connectivity features that the Venue comes with.

Powertrain:

Under the hood of the Venue, there are two petrol and one diesel engine options. The petrol engines include a 1.2-litre unit and, for the first time, a turbocharged 1.0-litre gasoline direct injection unit. The former 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 comes mated to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual clutch automatic. The diesel, on the other hand, is the 1.4-litre unit which produces 89bhp/219Nm and is offered only with a six-speed manual. 

Powering the Tata Nexon is a 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 108bhp of power and 170Nm of torque. The diesel motor, on the other hand, is an all-new 1.5-litre unit with an output of 108bhp/260Nm. Both engines are offered only with either a six-speed manual transmission or AMT automatic gearbox.