One of the biggest car launches of the year took place earlier this week with the arrival of Hyundai Venue. With this car the Korean carmaker is making its debut in the very popular sub-compact SUV segment. The segment already has the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV 300 and the Ford Ecosport. But starting at Rs 6.5 lakh (ex-showroom) Hyundai has already made a big move that too for a car that is loaded with features and has some segment first offerings. Let’s tell you the variant details of the Hyundai Venue, the engines, the mileage and how does the pricing stack against the competition.
Segment first features
Before we talk about the prices of all the variants a word on some of the segment first features the Hyundai Venue comes with. Biggest amongst them is “Blue Link” which is Hyundai’s global technology introduced in the Indian market with 33 features out of which 10 are India specific. The system takes care of issues regarding safety, security, vehicle management, artificial intelligence, alert services and location based services. Apart from this the car also gets a wireless phone charger, air purifier, wheel air curtains, arkamys sound and eco coating. Best-in-segment features include a 7 speed DCT, projector fog lamps, a 20.32 cm touchscreen, chrome door handles and 3 years/ unlimited kms warranty.
Engines and variants
There are three engine options in the Hyundai Venue. It is the first Hyundai product with in-house developed 7-Speed advanced dual clutch transmission (DCT) technology. The SUV will see the debut of Kappa 1.0 Turbo GDi petrol engine apart from getting with well proven 1.2 l Kappa petrol and 1.4 l diesel Engines. The 998cc petrol engine churns out 120 PS and 17.5 kgm of torque. Apart from the 7-speed DCT there’s also a 6 speed manual transmission. The 1,197 cc petrol gives a maximum power of 83 PS and 11.7 Kgm. It comes with just a 5-speed manual transmission. Finally the 1,396 cc diesel churns out 90 PS of power and 22.4 kgm and has a 6 speed manual transmission. While Hyundai is claiming a mileage of around 18 kmpl in the new engine on 1.2 l petrol the claimed mileage is 17.52 kmpl. The diesel promises the best mileage of 23.7 kmpl.
Prices & competition
Looking at the competition Hyundai needed to be really aggressive with the prices of the Venue and they have indeed done that. And that is something they haven’t done with many of their cars including the hugely successful Creta. They start at Rs 6.5 lakh (ex-showroom) for the 1.2 litre base petrol. In fact the 1.2 litre petrol comes in only two base variants. If you need a higher variant in petrol you’ll have to go for the 1.0 litre turbo variant which starts at Rs 8.21 lakh (ex-showroom) for the manual variants and Rs 9.35 lakh (ex-showroom) for the DCT options. The top variant will set you back by Rs 11.1 lakh. This starting price is higher as the base E variants are not available with this engine. Finally the diesel is available across the entire variant range and the prices here start at Rs 7.75 lakh (ex-showroom). In the segment the Tata Nexon is the only car that is more competitively priced starting at Rs 6.49 lakh and going up to Rs 10.20 lakh. In contrast the segment leader Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza starts at Rs 7.68 lakh and goes up to 10.10 lakh but it only comes with a diesel engine. The Ford Ecosport meanwhile is priced between Rs 7.83 lakh and Rs 11.90 lakh. Finally the recently launched Mahindra XUV 300 starts at Rs 7.90 lakh and its top variant is priced at Rs 12.14 lakh.
Suzuki 2 new bikes
Moving from 4 wheels to 2 Suzuki motorcycle India has entered the 250segment this week with the Gixxer SF 250—a sport touring motorcycle. Along with it, the Japanese bike maker also introduced the all new Gixxer SF 150. The series is available in fully fared versions. The bikes also get a dual exhaust muffler and sporty wheels. Both motorcycles feature compact and thin LED headlights along with a rear combination light. The 250 gets a newly developed digital instrument cluster which provides a lot of information.
The newly launched SF 250 is powered by 249 cc single-cylinder fuel injection engine which produces 26.5 PS and 22.6 Nm. The SF runs on a 155cc single-cylinder fuel injection engine that generates 14.1 PS and 14.0 Nm. While the former gets a six-speed gearbox the SF gets a 5-speed one. The 250 gets wide front and rear tires along with dual channel ABS. The SF gets single channel ABS. According to Suzuki a lightweight frame with higher rigidity maintains a good balance. And a specially developed front suspension provides steadiness to riders while braking and cornering on bumpy roads and sharp curves.
While the SF is priced a Rs 1.09 lakh (ex-showroom), the Gixxer 250 SF is priced at Rs 1.70 lakh (ex-showroom).
Shams Naqvi is an anchor/producer for the News X motor show Living Cars