Faults:

Nothing to this date.

General Comments:

The review is for a base Canadian model equipped with automatic CVT transmission.

This is a surprisingly equipped, small and inexpensive vehicle. It's the same as the QX and QXi models sold in other countries, but it comes with a non GDI (non direct injection) engine.

POSITIVES

* Inexpensive base model sells for $22,000 Canadian dollars with electric everything inside, heated seats, rear park sensor and camera, air conditioning and even tire pressure sensors (I'm not a fan of these). The base model also comes with a 6 speed manual transmission still offered in Canada as of 2022 (but no longer available on the US market).

* Peppy engine with the CVT transmission, including at low speeds.

* Good space at the pedals even for 6ft tall drivers (1.83cm). The driver's seat has height adjustment so you can sit almost like in a minivan high. Unfortunately, the front passenger seat does not have height adjustment and sits quite lower to the floor.

* Good driving position including the steering wheel position.

* Because of the high front seats, entering the car is easy, large front doors.

* Good steering feel for such a cheap and small car. It has a better feeling than the Sonata and Elantra, and somehow similar to the Kona but lighter. Easy to park and the steering wheel itself is quite small, grippy and has a nice texture. Typical Hyundai it doesn't have road feeling, but it's stable and for once, not completely numb.

* Good space around for the front passengers and the interior design is rather pleasant and buttons are easy to reach.

* It does come with a donut size spare tire and tools.

* Good trunk space for such car. Liftgate rises high enough to clear my skull sitting at 6ft tall.

* It has good crash ratings, but keep in mind, these ratings are tested against a vehicle of same weight; if you hit a much heavier full size sedan, then the outcome will be different.

* Some interesting features such as a low fuel level light with warning text display upon starting the car.

NEGATIVES

* Be aware that the base trim comes with mechanical start key. It seems Hyundai didn't put immobilizer chip in these keys. Theft may be an issue.

* A negative appears to be the reliability of the automatic CVT/IVT transmission. I read forums and there have been already members mentioning CVT noise or complete failure, even with low mileage/kms. Maybe Hyundai has fixed the issues for the future production, but only time will tell. Fluid change is only at 60000 miles, so you may want to do this early on. I also heard about issues with the DCT transmission as well.

* I consider the rear visibility very poor in this vehicle - almost non acceptable. I also drove the Kona which also has limited visibility to the rear, but for some reason the rear and side view in the Venue is terrible. The shape and size of the rear side windows clearly show this car was not designed with rear view visibility in mind. Even if you remove the rear head rests, the situation is still appalling.

* Absolutely no arm rest at the doors, it's tiny and made of hard plastic. The door frame is also too high to hang your arm outside.

* No center arm rest on lower trims. Also, usually Hyundai center arm rests are slightly softer than a brick (another Korean weirdness).

* Rear leg room becomes limited with tall front passengers, but OK for children.

* Seat comfort is slightly below average for this price segment. I find the bottom cushion to be very flat and quite hard. Not a relaxing car for several hours of driving.

* I know many people enjoy having a black interior, but for some reason this interior feels almost like a tomb. It needs just a little brighter plastics here and there.

* Ridiculous looking 15 inches wheels. Upper trims get bigger wheels. But it's only for looks, ride is fine if a bit harsh over road cracks.

* High tire noise inside this car on rough surfaces. The problem is there is no wheel arch insulation, in fact there is not even a plastic liner inside the wheel arch, just bare metal. Which brings the question about wheel arch rust when hit by tiny road stones, in the long term.

* Infuriating tiny and difficult to operate exterior trunk lid release switch. For some reason, Hyundai just cannot get these trunk switches right on their vehicles. Either these are tiny, or they break prematurely. The one on this car is too tiny and hard to find, it's illogical. And in cold days with gloves it becomes mission impossible. Funnily enough, despite the extensive equipment in this vehicle, an interior dashboard liftgate release button doesn't appear to be offered. I'm saying it again, Koreans do you have an issue with trunks. Could it be they are afraid a North Korean spy may hide in there at some point?

* City driving fuel consumption is on par with other cars of this size, however highway/road fuel consumption is higher because of the square and tall shape of this vehicle. I know many owners will dispute this, but be aware that there are many people who exaggerate their fuel savings. It's almost a trend on Internet for most cars.

CONCLUSION

If you are looking for an inexpensive car that actually gives you more for the money and may even be quite reliable in the long term (except maybe for the automatic transmission), then I suggest giving the Venue a good look. You will have to lower your standards in terms of seat comfort, but other than that this is one surprisingly generous and comfy package for the price tag, and the car feels quite stable on the road. If I was to compare the Venue with the Kona, the Kona clearly feels like a more substantial vehicle and has more front space around, but the Kona fabric seats are also poor - actually perhaps worse than the ones in the Venue. Make no mistake : the Venue does look cheaper inside when compared to the Kona. What I also like about the Venue is its overall simplicity. I would recommend the manual transmission for better long term reliability and also the 1.6 SmartStream non GDI engine. This may be one of the last not complex vehicles, without fancy direct injection engine, without fancy AGM batteries, without radars in the lower trim (these cost a fortune to fix when they break); just an old school basic car.