This Side Up

Hyundai knows a thing or two about how to move the goalposts out of reach. The venue is a case in point.

- Raunak Ajinkya

See the gaping chasm there? Hyundai does. It’s probably been asking itself what it’s been doing all this while, as the Brezza, the Nexon and the Ecosport have all stolen a march on it, in a segment that’s been reporting some rather grotesque growth figures over the years. Don’t feel too bad for the country’s second-largest car manufacturer, though. It’s been doing ruddy well all this while. Ever the opportunists, though, Hyundai now has an answer to the question, ‘Is there an SUV I can fit into my pocket?’, and I think it’s answered it quite emphatically.

This here is what Hyundai calls the Venue, and I think it’s a slam dunk. Not the name, mind. That could do with a bit of, um, complete eradication. Also, that grille is a bit much. Sure, it helps, when you’re looking at it head-on, give the Venue a rather bold, daring face. And I get the need for that in a car that’s, for all intents and purposes, small for an SUV, but I still feel it’s overkill. Should make for a fine deathbed for highway insect roadkill, though.

Anyway, those are my biggest gripes with the Venue. Let that sink in. If a person whose job it is to review cars like the Venue has only two issues with a car (both of which are nothing more than a slap on the wrist. I could probably even see myself getting used to the name. Venue. Yeah, I think it’s already happening...), it’s an excellent assessment of just how far Hyundai’s raised the bar with this little one.