Driven: 2024 Hyundai Venue Is Brilliantly Basic

Hyundai calls the Venue a compact SUV, which is an odd classification when it’s demonstrably smaller than the Tucson, which is the brand’s compact crossover contender. We’re going to call it a sub-compact SUV, which feels accurate, and isn’t a bad thing – particularly if you’re looking for a utilitarian new car on a budget. The 2024 Hyundai Venue starts at $19,900 and arrives well-built and easy to drive; the limited space available is well-used, and its little engine easily gets 31 miles per gallon combined. The Hyundai Venue may file under the term “utilitarian” here in 2024, but the feature list is nicely crafted for everyday life and safety.

For our week-long test, Hyundai sent us the Limited trim model, which sits at the top of the range but still coming in at just $23,050 on the spec sheet.

Exterior: Cute.

The Venue leans into the idea that small cars need to be cute, and does a reasonable job in a Hyundai kind of way – meaning, the brand tends to either smack the ball on exterior design way out of the park, or it hits you on the head in a love-it-or-hate-it kind of way.

The Venue is just five inches longer than the Mazda MX-5 we had on test prior to this, but it’s around 23 inches shorter than the Tucson. Its overall size means it’s also light, weighing in at just 2,612 pounds – assuming you’re driving the base SE model with its 15-inch wheels. The other two trims, including our Limited tester, come with 17-inch wheels.

The Limited model comes with LED headlights rather than halogen units and is the only trim that comes with daytime running lights. All models come with body-colored bumpers and mirrors, but the Limited comes with a separate roof color. The SEL trims have a sunroof, which isn’t available elsewhere in the range.

Interior: Snug But Functional

Inside the Hyundai Venue, there’s seating for five, but we would avoid cramming people in – keep it to four. It’s small, but there’s enough elbow room with two in the front and two in the back. Inside the Venue doesn’t feel overly cheap, but its price point is obvious.

The SE and SEL models have cloth seats, while the Limited has cloth and leatherette seats and a real leather steering wheel covering. It’s also the only model available with heated front seats. Of course, the base model is rather spartan – it’s the only version that doesn’t have power windows with auto-up/down. At least all models come with a six-way adjustable driver seat and a sliding armrest with a storage cubby.

We took the Venue out on some three-to-five-hour drives and found the interior surprisingly comfortable. Over the years, we’ve known automakers to cheap out on the seats in budget-oriented cars, but Hyundai has done a great job with the this one, and passengers won’t have to complain about discomfort on longer road trips.

Cargo space is understandably limited for a vehicle of this size. Still, you’ll manage your weekly grocery runs, provided you don’t have a car full of passengers and their school bags.

Infotainment: Just Enough

The infotainment system is based around an eight-inch touchscreen, which we’re fine with. Sure, it’s not a very big screen, but it is enough: our main concern is that the screen displays properly so that navigation prompts can easily be followed. HD radio is standard, but things get a bit weird with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

It’s wireless as standard on the base trim, as it should be, and on the SEL. However, the Limited trim is wired CarPlay And Auto only. On top of that, the Limited comes with wireless charging, which defies logic – you can have wireless Auto and CarPlay, but you have to plug in to charge, or wired Auto and CarPlay, but you can charge wirelessly. You do get built-in navigation with the Limited, but that’s worse than Apple or Google’s navigation solutions, and SiriusXM is a poor substitute for your own easily accessible on-the-move music apps.

Under The Hood: Nice And Simple

There’s just one engine available for the Venue, and that’s a Smartstream 1.6-liter four-cylinder unit making 121 horsepower and 113 lb-ft of torque. Power is routed to the front wheels through a CVT. The SE doesn’t get any drive modes, while SEL and Limited get Normal, Sport, and Snow modes.

It’s not a powerful engine, but the Venue is light – and we’re talking Mazda MX-5 territory here. That means it’s brisk enough for general life and gets out of its own way when necessary, although it does need a heavy right foot to get into fast moving traffic on the freeway. Sport mode is useful for that, but not a lot else.

On The Road: The Shortest Section

There isn’t a huge amount to say about driving the Venue as it’s not a nuanced machine. It’s absolutely fine in every are you’d expect an inexpensive daily-driving vehicle to be. The steering is light, it’s small and maneuverable, easy to park in tight spots with good visibility helping, and the ride is perfectly reasonable.

Cruising at freeway speeds brings no drama, and interior noise is acceptable. There’s little to fault and little to praise, but that’s what we want in a small, affordable vehicle. It needs to do its job day in and day out without giving complaints.

Conclusion: A Bargain

With the SE starting at $19,900, the SEL at $21,900, and the top-end Limited going for $23,150, the Venue is a bargain. It does its job well, and it’s frugal to run with small brake units and tires and a small engine with no added complexity from turbocharging. Its main selling point is just that: affordability.

With this in mind, we would go for the base model or let ourselves be talked into the SEL: Automakers overrate motorized auto up/down windows as a feature; cloth seats are fine; and tires for a 15-inch wheel are inexpensive. We flat-out wouldn’t choose the Limited due to its lack of wireless Auto and CarPlay. And with $23,150 in the budget, we would be looking at the Nissan Kicks very carefully – the mid-range SV trim goes for $23,200.