Hyundai Venue 2019 Review -- International

Arriving in Korea for an exclusive preview drive before its global debut, nobody is taking to carsales.com.au about the Venue. That name is still secret, and insiders at the pre-drive briefing are focussed on what they are calling it: the (with apologies to Infiniti) QX.

It’s a vital car for Hyundai, which has already dipped into the compact SUV class with the Kona but with the Venue wants -- and needs -- to go a step further.

Hyundai sees huge potential among youngsters looking for something small and city-focussed, but also with the potential for weekend getaways and for them to injection their own personality.

It also believes there is untapped worldwide demand for something more cost-effective than a Mazda CX-3 from just over $22,000 or a Honda HR-V from $25,000.

In any case, it has that price point covered with its own Kona, which starts at $23,500 and promises more space -- particularly in the boot -- than its Japanese rivals.

Checking the measurements, the Venue comes up only slightly shorter than the CX-3, but a little taller and wider. At 903 litres, the Hyundai’s total cargo volume is less thanks the CX-3’s (1174 litres), but its boot capacity is almost certain to eclipse the latter’s paltry 264 litres.

“With Australian consumers shifting further and further away from sedans and towards SUVs, [Venue] offers us a unique product in the market not currently catered for by other manufacturers,” said Hyundai Motor Company Australia spokesman, Guido Schenken.

The Hyundai Venue is powered by a non-turbo 1.6-litre Gamma-series four-cylinder petrol engine, although no-one is talking outputs. It will come to Australia with both six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes.

No-one is talking specifics on the platform package, but -- unlike the Mazda2-based CX-3 and Jazz-based HR-V -- it has more in common with the bigger i30 than the outgoing Accent.

It’s a four-seater with an upright seating position and Hyundai Australia is probably going to have three trim levels, all with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

The first sign of custom options is three choices of roof colour -- the predictable black and white, but also yellow -- to contrast or complement the bright body paint colours.

All sorts of safety stuff will be available, including autonomous emergency braking, but the number of SmartSense technologies that will come here as standard or options -- and their price premium -- is something for later in the day.

Local testing and tweaking of the Hyundai Venue is well underway in Australia, where the car is set for sales in the second half of this year -- most likely around September.

That means the suspension team at Hyundai’s headquarters in Sydney is busy tuning its steering and suspension and, based on its previous work and despite the compact dimensions of the prototype, the Venue should set a new standard in its class.

Building on the work done in Korea at Hyundai’s giant Namyang proving ground, the first round of local chassis testing has already set the baseline set-up for the compact SUV, before a final tweak closer to the launch date.

My time with the Hyundai Venue in Korea was more like a taste than a test, and took place on the giant open-air arena at Namyang, which is driving the future for both Hyundai and Korea.

What was once a basic proving ground is now a giant research and development centre with everything from state-of-the-art design studios -- in which Hyundai is well separated from Kia -- to a network of roads that is crowded with hundreds of test cars from the Venue prototype to self-driving mules and well-disguised luxury designs for Genesis.

There was heavy camouflage on the Venue we drove, but the basics were obvious. It’s boxy in a typically SUV style, but looks more substantial than either the CX-3 or HR-V.

There are creases to break up the boxiness and the white-over-grey paintwork shows it is not intended to blend into the pack. It’s the same with the roof rails, which should be standard to convey a getaway focus and provide strapping for high-level luggage.

Luggage space looks good, with two levels for the boot floor, but there is no chance of a full-size spare.

Jumping into the Venue, the first impression is good. This is a pre-production car, which means some parts are still at the prototype stage and missing the final colour and grain for their plastic parts. But nothing looks primitive or under-done.

The dashboard has a mandatory infotainment screen at its centre (but may not be standard at base level) and the rest of the package is functional without being exceptional. Perhaps there is an after-dark ambient lighting system to give it more impact.

The 1.6-litre engine is quiet and smooth, with enough punch for the job, and the front-wheel drive system works effectively and efficiently.

It’s tough to get a real read on performance, as this prototype has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and not the six-speed automatic we’ll see in Australia.

After a few twists and squiggles, and a big belt on the brakes, my drive time is done and there is nothing to complain about.

The Hyundai Venue could be a game-changer in Australia.

It’s definitely the biggest development by Hyundai since the i30 and has the potential to reshape the small-car scene the way the Toyota Corolla did back in the 1960s by providing something completely new at a genuinely affordable price.

The Venue will be built in Korea, too, which should ensure quality and price stability.