We knew the second-gen Venue had come a long way. Spending time with it told us exactly how polished it is now

I have done thousands of kilometres in the first-generation Venue. One of those was a 1,000km-plus road trip in the turbo petrol, and I came back liking the car but never quite forgetting the thrum of that engine. So when the second-generation Venue showed up for two weeks, I knew exactly what to listen for.

A QUIETER ENGINE

The motor is the same 998cc three-cylinder turbo petrol, making 120hp and 172Nm. Hyundai hasn’t changed the numbers, but the way it delivers them is a different story. Around town it is whisper quiet, with barely any vibration filtering through the pedals or the steering. Push it, and you get a faint, sporty growl, just enough character without becoming tiresome on a long drive. There is a mild lull below 2,000rpm, but once the turbo wakes up, the Venue pulls cleanly through the mid-range.

A MANUAL ANYONE CAN DRIVE

My car had the six-speed manual, and it is genuinely easy to live with. The clutch is light, the bite point sits exactly where your foot expects it, and the lever slots into each gate without fuss. The gearing also feels a touch more tractable than before, so you can hold a higher gear in traffic without the engine protesting. First-time buyers will appreciate how forgiving it is, and those of us who have been driving for years will appreciate that it never gets in the way. Hyundai claims 18.74kpl for this combination.

BIGGER, AND BETTER BUILT

The new Venue sits on the K1 platform it shares with the Kia Syros. It is 48mm taller and 30mm wider than before, and the wheelbase has grown by 20mm to 2,520mm. You feel it most in the back, where knee room has improved, and in the boot, which goes from 350 to 375 litres. Three abreast is still a squeeze, though.

Inside, the step up in quality is obvious. The plastics are still hard, and I won’t pretend otherwise, but Hyundai has used a variety of textures and colours well. The dark navy and dove grey scheme lifts the cabin, the dashboard gets a terrazzo-textured finish, and the overall build feels a class above the old car. The steering wheel is all new, with four dots in place of the Hyundai logo, which is the letter H spelt out in Morse code. The two 12.3-inch screens sit under one curved panel and are larger than the ones in the Creta. The touchscreen is quick and sharp, best appreciated when the 360-degree camera is guiding you into a tight spot. Hyundai has also kept physical buttons and knobs for the essentials, something I wish more manufacturers would do.

SOFTER RIDE, LIGHTER STEERING

The old Venue always felt a little firm. This one is noticeably softer and absorbs low-speed bumps far better, which makes it a much more comfortable city car. It isn’t perfect. A sharp pothole will still send a thud into the cabin, and the Nexon and XUV 3XO iron out broken roads a little better. My bigger complaint is the steering. It is light, which is great for parking, but it stays light and lifeless at speed. This is not a car you will seek out a winding road for.

THE SUM OF ITS PARTS

Safety is now a strength. Six airbags are standard across the range, the top versions get Level 2 ADAS, and the Venue earned a five-star Bharat NCAP rating in March 2026. Buyers seem convinced too; it crossed one lakh bookings within about four months of launch. Prices run from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 15.65 lakh, ex-showroom, which puts the upper variants among the pricier cars in a crowded segment.

What stays with me after two weeks is how cohesive it all feels. The Venue doesn’t do any single thing exceptionally well. It isn’t the most spacious, the most comfortable or the most fun. But everything works the way it should, naturally and intuitively, whether that is the infotainment, the engine and gearbox, or something as basic as the driving position. That sounds like a low bar. In this segment, it is not as common as you would think, and it makes the new Venue the most polished all-rounder of the lot.

SHOT BY: MANTHAN VEDEPATIL FOR DAG INDIA