HYUNDAI TEAM PREVIEWS NEW VENUE SUV FOR SOUTH FLORIDA AUTO JOURNALISTS

A Hyundai team of executives and publicists were in Miami January 15 to preview the latest edition to their fleet of SUVs/crossovers, the new 2020 compact Venue, for an audience of Southern Automotive Media Association members who gathered at a local restaurant.

It becomes the  seventh SUV model in the South Korean manufacturer’s U.S lineup that includes its hydrogen fuel cell Nexo.

Why come to Miami?

“The Venue is ideally suited for folks that are here in Miami,” said Mike O’Brien, Vice President, Product, Corporate and Digital Planning. “They’re young people, they’re people just starting out, and they generally have what’s called a ‘side hustle’.”

In addition to their day job, they are writers or musicians or artists, the kind of folks who want a vehicle they can be passionate about as well as versatile and affordable, O’Brien said.

“But most importantly, something that’s easy to park and maneuver in dense urban environments like Miami,” he said. "And it’s a car that allows me to express myself like I can’t with other vehicles.”

That may be the primary target for the Venue, but it’s not the only one.

“We’ll get empty nesters, too,” O’Brien said. “People who are looking to downsize with the kids off -- they’ve got their own jobs, they’ve got their own life and don’t need a big car any more.”

The Venue also gives those who have only been able to shop in the used car market before a viable option.

“Last year there were 41 million used cars sold in the United States,” O’Brien said. “Out of that 41 million cars sold in the United States, almost a third of the buyers tried to buy a new car.

“Maybe their FICO score hadn’t been good enough, maybe they didn’t have enough down payment, maybe their trade-in value had not been good enough. For whatever reason, they were forced instead of buying a new car that they started out shopping for they ended up buying a certified preowned car or a used car.”

A 2- or 3-year-old car doesn’t have all the features like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, pre-collision braking or Smart Phone connectivity found on new cars today.

“That’s a key theme with our engineers and designers that they really tried to stick with when they were developing this car,” O’Brien said.

Thus technological features found on the new Venue include an 8-inch display screen featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth hands-free phone system and next-generation Blue Link Connected Car System, dual-charging USB ports, a rear-view monitor, and heated front seats and side mirrors.

Safety features include Forward Collision Avoidance system, lane-keep assist, blind-spot warning, driver attention warning, and rear cross-traffic alert.

The new Venue comes in three trim levels starting at $17,350 for the base SE trim with a 6-speed manual transmission mated to the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine. For $18,550, the SE also is available with a new “Smartstream” Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) that is standard on SE ($19,250) and top-of-the-line Denim ($22,050) trims.

Fuel efficiency in the SEL with the IVT is rated at an impressive 30 miles-per-gallon city, 35 highway, and 32 combined. The SE gets numbers of 27/35/30. The Venue is offered with front-wheel drive only, but a new, advanced “snow mode” gives the Venue near the capability of all-wheel drive without the extra cost or fuel penalty that comes with all-wheel capability.

Essentially, the IVT is the latest version of a Continuously Variable Transmission and in our brief driving experience had more the feel of a standard automatic than the older versions of the CVT.

There are all sorts of reasons for that and O’Brien can give you the briefing if you ever have the opportunity to speak with him. You can take our word that was no lag to throttle response when getting away from an intersection.

As O’Brien noted, the Venue is also a good vehicle for high traffic environs. 

Not that Hyundai has forgotten about shoppers looking for a bigger SUV.

“If you want a bigger vehicle, we’ve got it,” O’Brien said. “If you want something that’s more exciting and more affordable and easier to maneuver and part for people who seek that, we’ve got that covered, too.”