SEGMENT SHAKER

Smarter, sharper and ready to take back the compact-SUV crown

- Kurt Morris

When Hyundai first introduced the Venue to India five years ago, it didn't just enter the compact SUV segment — it reshaped it.

With its blend of style, practicality and technology, the Venue quickly became a household name and one of the country's top 10 bestselling cars. But in today's fiercely competitive market — where Tata, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra have carved out commanding positions — Hyundai is gearing up for a comeback. The brand wants to reclaim market share and reassert its dominance in a segment it once helped define.

Since its 2019 debut, the Venue has found over 7 lakh customers — an impressive feat by any standard. Yet, when placed next to its larger sibling, the Creta, which continues to outsell rivals with ease, the Venue’s success feels somewhat muted. That’s about to change. The all-new second-generation Venue is here — the first model to roll out of Hyundai’s new Talegaon plant and a key pillar in the company’s renewed growth strategy. The mission is clear — to take the fight back to the top of the compact SUV space. To see if it delivers, we sampled three variants — the turbo-petrol manual, the sportier N Line and the diesel automatic — on the narrow winding roads of Goa.

The new Venue has been redesigned from the ground up, emerging with a confident street-smart attitude that perfectly suits its urban SUV persona. Its once-friendly curves have made way for a sharper, more athletic suit of armour — defined by taut lines, sculpted surfaces and a bolder stance. The front end, inspired by the larger Tucson, now features a dramatic dark chrome grille framed by sleek LED signature lighting that gives it a commanding road presence. Look closer, and you'll spot a neatly integrated front camera — a subtle yet telling sign of how much smarter this new Venue has become, thanks to the addition of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that bring big-car tech to the compact segment.