2022 Hyundai Venue N Line Review: ” It Handles!”

What’s the catch in the Venue N Line? We drive one to find out…

Photography: Sarath S

Hyundai’s second N Line car is out- the Venue N Line! You would seldom need a preface to the Venue. This mass-market compact SUV has been quite popular since its debut, years ago. The car is mostly loved for its compact proportions, SUV-ish stance, ride quality and practicality. The N-Line treatment adds more flavour to it and gives you more reasons to buy one. The N-Line suit brings along upgrades identical to what we had previously seen on the i20 N Line– minor cosmetic tweaks and a sportier suspension. Here’s everything we have to say, after having driven the Venue NLine for a day…

Hyundai Venue N Line: Design Changes

The overall shape and exterior layout remain identical to those of the facelifted Venue. However, several N-Line spec design enhancements can be seen on the outside, much like the ones we’d previously seen on the i20 N Line. Multiple ‘N Line’ badges adorn the car. The front grille looks sportier with its darker chrome finish. The bumpers have been tweaked fairly and now look quite sporty with touches of Red on them. The rear gets Chrome-plated twin exhaust tips- quite a sporty touch. The 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels get slightly different designs and N Line logos on the hub caps. Quite reassuringly, all variants get four disc brakes as standard. Further, the front callipers are painted Red.

Venue N Line colours: The Venue N Line can be had in a total of 5 colourways- 2 monotones and 3 dual tones: Thunder Blue (Only available as a dual tone with Phantom Black roof), Polar White, Polar White with Phantom Black roof, Shadow Grey, and Shadow Grey with Phantom Black roof. It is the Shadow Grey that you see in the pictures here, that we think is the best colour for Venue N Line. The compact SUV looks very hooking in this shade. On a rather personal note, I think the Blue is a bit too loud for the car.

Hyundai Venue N Line Features And Cabin Design

The overall layout and design of the cabin remain identical to the regular Venue. However, unlike the regular car that gets its cabin in a lighter, more pleasant shade, the N Line has it in all-Black- for added aesthetics. There are multiple instances of Red inside. You can find it on the dash, air vents, gear knob, door pads and more. The seats get stylish Black leatherette upholstery with contrasting Red piping and stitches. The downside, however, is that this is a ‘not so breathable’ material and there is no seat ventilation either. The steering wheel too is leatherette-wrapped and features Red contrast stitches as well. N Line badges can be found on the gear knob and steering wheel. Paddle shifters are finished in Gloss Black. The car also comes with metal pedals with grippy rubber ribs.

Most of the equipment/features remain unchanged from the standard Venue. However, a neat, noteworthy addition is the dual dash camera that is offered as a standard fitment on the top-spec N8 variant. The module has two different cameras- one for the roads ahead and the other for the cabin, that can be operated using a mobile application and offers 64 GB storage. This is a great thing to have in the Indian road conditions. There is, however, no air purifier offered on the N Line variants.

ALSO READ: 2020 Hyundai I20 Review: ‘Good Things Come With A Price!’

Hyundai Venue N Line Specifications: Engine, Gearbox, And Performance

Hyundai Venue N Line doesn’t offer many powertrain choices. It is just available with the familiar 1.0 TGDi turbo petrol engine, which continues to produce identical power/torque as the standard car- 120 hp and 172 Nm. Quite frankly, the overall delivery and engine behaviour remain unchanged from the regular Turbo petrol variant. However, the exhaust gets a raspy note on the N Line. Listening to this is quite a heartwarming experience. But does it really invoke the vibes of a proper N car? Well, maybe not! There could be times when I’d wish for a louder yet more raw soundtrack. It is available with a DCT gearbox, the shifts of which would give you no surprises at all. If you’ve owned a Hyundai DCT yet, the allegedly ‘slow-shifting’ nature of this box would be fairly relatable.

Performance: The 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine delivers its juice between 1500 and 4000 rpms. It stills loves to be revved high, and would want you to as well. However, we wish it offered slightly more power and torque, especially in the low and mid ranges, considering its sporty persona.

Ride And Handling

The reworked suspension makes a huge difference in the way the Venue N line drives. It is 34 per cent stiffer and the steering is heavier too. The regular Venue’s suspension was slightly on the stiffer side and offered fairly good handling without compromising on the ride quality. The N-Line pushes this further and translates the stiffness fairly into improved road manners. This, however, comes at the cost of ride quality. You will have a bumpy ride on bad patches, and deep potholes could greatly unsettle the occupants.

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The flip side to this could be felt on smooth winding roads. The Venue N Line would drive unbelievably well on good roads and around corners. This is not something you’d have expected from a Venue yet! The stiff dampers keep the car in absolute control as you carve corners fast. The driver feels more connected to the front wheels. There is more weight to the steering and significantly less body roll. What we’d like to add here, is that the high ground clearance does have its impacts on the overall dynamics. When we had driven the i20 N Line, we loved it for being sharp around corners and hugging them well while being pushed in and out. The Venue N Line does this too but in a deeply downtoned form. The high ground clearance does put curbs on the overall corner manners- but not as much to be a deal breaker. I mean, you can definitely have fun with it!

Another thing to love about this is the braking performance. The Venue N Line gets disc brakes on all its wheels, which honestly, offer good bites and feel. Overall braking efficiency is excellent. You can brake later into corners with the N Line Venue.

Hyundai Venue N Line Variants And Price

Hyundai Venue N Line is available in a total of two variants- N6 and N8. Even the lower-spec N6 offers all-wheel disc brakes, stiff suspension, and a better steering setup. At 12.16 lakh ex-showroom, the N6 is around Rs 1.19 lakh more expensive than a similarly specced variant of the regular car. The fully loaded N8 variant is dearer than the regular Venue SX (O) TGDi by Rs 58,000. It gets additional features like a reclining rear seat, connected car tech, auto-dimming IRVM, Alexa and Google integrations, OTA support, 4 way powered driver seat, and side and curtain airbags. Below is the detailed price list:

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Vehicle courtesy: Popular Hyundai, Kochi