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.”
REDESIGNED FOR 2019, AUDI Q3 RATES AMONG BEST LUXURY COMPACT CROSSOVER/SUVS
If you’re looking for a reason for the rise in popularity of SUVs/crossovers and the corresponding slumps in sedan sales, you need look no further than the 2019 Audi Q3, a compact SUV that drives and rides like a traditional car while offering the roominess and hauling capacity that today’s buyers appreciate in an SUV.
Redesigned for this year, the Q3 has it all.
It has two rows of seating to accommodate five passengers comfortably, and its 23.7 cubic feet of cargo behind the second row is 7-10 more cubic feet than you usually get from the traditional sedan trunk. Fold the second row and there is up to 48 cubic feet behind the front row. Even sedans that allow you to fold the back seat can’t match that.
Legroom for second-row occupants is 36.1 inches, which is more than your usual sedan offers. Those in the front get a healthy 40 inches.
Yet you can squire the Q3 with ease through mall parking lots and slide it comfortably into the tightest of spaces without fear of door dings (unless occupants of the adjacent cars are exceedingly careless or rude or both).
Behind the wheel, you get the feel of driving a midsize sedan, whether in urban environs or on the highway. In either case, the ride is smooth and quiet.
The new 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and delivers 228 horsepower from 5000-7500 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque from 1700-4400 rpm.
The zero-to-60 mph clocking is 7.0 seconds, not neck-snapping but certainly not sluggish. With Audi’s all-wheel drive quattro system, fuel mileage is 19 miles-per-gallon city, 27 highway, and 22 combined.
Those are not particularly impressive numbers for the class, especially with some of its luxury competitors boasting highway numbers into the low 30 mpg. But if you’re shopping in this segment, I doubt that would be a deal-killer.
The 2019 Audi Q3 comes in two models with three different trims.
The base Q3 starts at $35,695 (including destination and delivery) with Premium trim and $38,795 with Premium Plus.
The Q3 S Line runs $36,995 in Premium mode, $40,095 in Premium Plus, and $43,995 with Prestige Plus trim.
The S Line rides on 19-inch wheels with 20-inchers as optional, while the base Q3 gets 18-inchers.
In addition to differences in standard equipment, some option packages are also offered only on the upper trim levels on S Line models. A Sport Interior Package available on S Line Premium Plus and Prestige trims includes S line sport seats in black or gray leather with contrast stitching, steering wheel shift paddles and brushed aluminum, matte inlays.
With that Sport Interior Package, you can also add an Alcantara® Interior package which enhances the interior with orange Alcantara accents on the dash and door armrests.
What I liked about the 2019 Audi Q3 S Line quattro: It's a great looking car and the inside is packed with high quality materials. The ride is firm but not not too firm, and performance lively for the segment. A wealth of technological features are very user friendly. Audi's “virtual cockpit” gives you the option of having the navigation map projected into the instrument panel right in front of the driver’s eyes. Setting it to Google Earth view over the standard map also enhances the feature view. Standard all-wheel drive is nice, too.
What I didn't like about the 2019 Audi Q3 S Line quattro: Fuel efficiency could be improved. It seemed like I blinked and the gauge was down to half a tank.
Would I buy the 2019 Audi Q3 S line quattro? Yes. If are wary of giving up your sedan to get an SUV, don’t be. The Q3 will ease that transition for you.
2017 ROGUE SPORT A SMALLER VERSION OF NISSAN’S POPULAR ROGUE CROSSOVER
Perhaps in an effort to capitalize on the popularity of the Rogue, which was the company’s No. 1 seller in 2016, Nissan has come out with a slightly smaller version of the compact crossover that it has dubbed the Rogue Sport.
It shares the same platform as its big brother and offers several of the same convenience and safety features — like Nissan’s Intelligent Cruise Control, Forward Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure and blind spot warning, and rear cross traffic alert — as the Rogue.
LED headlights, a power sliding moonroof, Apple’s Siri Eyes-Free system, heated front seats, remote start, and Nissan’s Around-View monitor system are available on the Rogue Sport, just like on the full-size Rogue, and you also have a choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive.
But this is no knockoff. The interior has a nice ambiance about it. There was no skimping on the Rogue Sport when it comes to styling or cabin comfort.
So what are the differences?
The most obvious, of course, is the size.
At 172.4 inches long, the Rogue Sport is about a foot shorter than the Rogue. This results in slightly less legroom in the second row for the Rogue Sport (33.4 inches to the Rogue’s 37.9), though the front legroom is virtually the same (42.8 in the Rogue Sport, 43.0 in the Rogue). At 104.2 inches, the Sport’s wheelbase is just over two inches shorter.
The rear cargo area in the Rogue Sport is smaller, but actual capacity depends on the model.
The Rogue Sport S trim offers up to 22.9 cubic feet with the second row of seats upright and 61.1 with it folded compared to the Rogue’s 32.0/70.0, respectively.
The Divide-and-Hide stowage system, which gives you an area underneath the rear cargo floor to store items, is standard on SV and SL trims and trims storage capacity to 19.9 and 53.3 cubic feet overall.
The Sport’s width is virtually the same as the Rogue (72.3 and 72.4 inches), but the Rogue is about six inches taller than the 62.5-inch Rogue Sport.
All that said, you’d probably have a hard time singling out the Rogue Sport in the parking lot were it not for the “Rogue Sport” labeling at the left rear.
Even the wheels are close enough in size. The Rogue Sport S gets 16-inch steel wheels and the SV and SL get 17- and 19-inch alloy wheels. The Rogue offers 17s and 18s depending on the trim wth 19s as an option on the top-of-the-line SL.
Under the hood, the 2017 Rogue Sport comes with a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine that is rated at 141 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 147 pound-feet of torque at 4400. Numbers for the 2.5-liter 4-banger in the Rogue are 170/175, respectively, so yes, you’re going to get less of a kick from the Rogue Sport.
Mated to a CVT (continuously variable transmission) with sport mode, fuel economy for the Rogue Sport is 25 miles-per-gallon city, 32 highway and 28 combined with FWD, 24/30/37 for AWD. Those are nearly the same numbers as the Rogue (which with the mid-year enhancements it received is listed as a 2017.5 model).
As you might expect, the Rogue Sport does have an advantage when it comes to MSRP.
The Rogue Sport S with FWD starts at $21,420, and the most expensive Rogue Sport is the SL with AWD that opens at $27,420 before the $960 destination and delivery charge and options are added on.
MSRP for the full-size 2017.5 Rogue starts at $24,420 for the S FWD and runs on up to $31,710 for the SL AWD. Hybrid versions of the Rogue in all three trims run from $26,640 to $32,910.
What I liked about the 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport: The Rogue Sport shares its bigger brother’s attractive looks both inside and out. The front cabin is roomy, and operation of the NissanConnect system with navigation is easy enough, though responses to voice commands sometimes faltered. (No, I don’t want SXM 70s on 7. I want my Blue Collar guys on Channel 97!)
What I didn’t like about the 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport: It’s nice to have simulated manual gear shift points to provide a Sport mode with the CVT, but without paddle shifters, it’s somewhat of a wasted feature. A larger screen for the navigation monitor also would be nice.
Would I buy the 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport? Probably. I realize that’s a rather flimsy endorsement, but it’s not because the Rogue Sport isn’t a quality vehicle. It’s just that the subcompact SUV segment features some pretty stiff competition. There’s enough storage and room for five passengers, all right, especially for an empty nester, which is what the genre is all about, but I’d like a little more in the way of performance. It did seem to labor when I pushed it a bit.
