2023 Hyundai Venue Elite Review

Within the range, the Venue Elite stands as the range-topper, which begs the question of whether to lash out on the most expensive version of an affordable platform, or something different entirely.

Competing in the hotly-contested small SUV segment, the Venue has its work cut out to stand out from the crowd, so let’s take a look at how well the Venue Elite gets the job done.

Hyundai Venue Competition

Starting Price: $28,750

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How Much Does It Cost?

The Hyundai Venue Elite automatic stands at the top of the range with its price tag of $28,750.

For reference, the Venue manual is priced at $22,000, while the Venue automatic is priced at $24,000 and its nearest sibling, the Venue Active automatic is priced at $26,250.

Keep in mind that these prices do not include on-road costs, and are subject to change.

How Much Can OnlineAuto Save You?

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Hyundai Venue - ELITE (DENIM) TWO-TONE ROOF Specifications

For more details and other variants, check Hyundai Venue car page.

What Features Does the Hyundai Venue Elite Have?

The Venue Elite comes with all the features currently on offer in Hyundai’s smallest SUV package.

That means that you’ll receive 17-inch alloys, a chrome grille with body-coloured highlights, LED daytime running lamps and rear combination lights, cruise control, a rear-view camera with parking sensors, cloth upholstery with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, climate control, a sunroof, 8.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging and a six-speaker sound system.

You’ll also receive an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a pair of USB-C ports in the rear of the cabin and a five-year subscription to Hyundai’s Bluelink service.

Range Features:

• 17-inch alloys

• Chrome grille with body-coloured highlights

• LED daytime running lamps and rear combination lights

• Cruise control

• Rear-view camera with rear parking sensors

• Cloth upholstery with leather-wrapped steering wheel

• Climate control

• 8.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto

• Wireless smartphone charging

• Six-speaker sound system

• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror

• Five-year Bluelink subscription

Is the Hyundai Venue Comfortable to Drive?

Most of the compact SUV segment is designed to stay well within the city perimeter, and the Venue is no different.

Power comes supplied by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol that kicks up a meagre 90kW of power and 151Nm of torque, which is thrown to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic.

The automatic transmission works well around town, though the process of picking up speed is a very leisurely process that involves you stretching out the little engine to within an inch of its life.

While we’re well aware that acceleration isn’t a hugely important selling point of a compact SUV, it’s hard to escape the feeling of being significantly under gunned, while some rivals offer a much more zippy driving dynamic around town.

“For the money, you’ll want an engine with far more bite than what’s on offer in the pint-sized Venue Elite, which is screaming for a turbocharged unit.” Dan - OnlineAuto Car Buying Specialist

On the open road, the Venue feels a little out of its depth when put to the test on the highway, and is overwhelmed when the road surface gets rough.

This means that it is far more suited to the urban grind where, admittedly, it performs admirably - which is true to the design brief.

It’s an incredibly easy car to drive around town, remains nice and agile through traffic, and is a super simple package to park thanks to its compact proportions, effectively ticking all the important compact SUV boxes.

Having said that, though, considering the money you’re throwing down on the Elite variant, it struggles to keep pace with some of the turbocharged engines powering its rivals, and doesn’t come close when it comes to driving enjoyment.

Is it Fuel Efficient?

Official fuel economy figures for the Venue Elite stand at 7.2L/100km, while the Venue with a manual transmission drops these down to 7.0L/100km.

While they’re not exactly game-changing, the Venue Elite is effectively on par with its rivals that don’t receive any hybrid assistance, and in reality, it’s not difficult to improve on Hyundai’s official figures around town.

Is it Practical and Spacious?

Sitting at the top of the Venue lineup, the Elite offers the most premium take on the platform, though you’ll have to curb your expectations if you put it directly against some key rivals.

Getting behind the wheel offers a surprising amount of visibility through the windshield, while headroom is excellent, even for particularly tall drivers.

The cabin layout is very straightforward and familiar, with a predominantly black affair broken up with some silver highlights across the dash, transmission tunnel and door surrounds.

While it might be the range-topper, the Elite could do with some softer materials on the important touchpoints that would help to justify the price premium.

Having said that, the front of the cabin looks fairly sleek and is headlined by a new 8.0-inch infotainment system sitting atop physical buttons for easy climate control inputs, a digital speedometer and a 4.2-inch cluster that add to its technical appeal.

“A more refined take on the standard Venue interior with a super large boot for the segment, though the limited rear legroom detracts from the package.” Craig - OnlineAuto Car Buying Specialist

In terms of storage, there’s a sizable tray at the base of the centre console that houses a wireless phone charger, joined by a pair of cup holders, storage inside the armrest and some decent-sized water bottle holders either side of the cabin.

The Venue does its best to accommodate passengers in the rear, though it is ultimately limited by the proportions of the platform.

There is enough legroom on offer for kids and smaller adults who benefit from more headroom than you’ll find in a typical small SUV package, but things are pretty cramped back there.

For the parents out there, the Venue has been fitted with two ISOFIX anchors on each of the outboard seats, with three top tether mounts to accommodate forward and rear-facing child seats.

Finally, the Venue offers a generous amount of boot space for the small SUV segment, with 355L of cargo able to squeeze into the boot.

Is it Safe?

The Venue Elite has received a four-star ANCAP safety rating, scoring 91% for adult protection, 81% for child protection, 62% for pedestrian protection and 62% for safety assist.

As the range-topper, the Venue Elite picks up some added safety gear, including blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerts, atop features like autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assistance, driver attention warnings, rear occupant alerts, a rear-view camera with parking sensors and curtain airbags.

Our Verdict: Is The Hyundai Venue Elite Worth it?

Coming in at a $4000 premium over the entry-level Venue and a $2500 premium over the Venue Active, we’re not sure there’s enough equipment on offer in the Venue Elite to justify the price hike.

While the addition of a sunroof, climate control and a set of LED lights at the rear is a nice bonus, we can’t help but recommend opting for a better value option within the range, like the Active or entry-level Venue, instead.

If you’re tossing up your best options within Australia’s ever-growing compact SUV market, let one of our car-buying specialists take the stress out of the process and help find you the best possible price.

Five Specs You Need to Know

1. Five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty

2. 7.2L/100km fuel economy figures

3. Four-star ANCAP safety rating

4. 355L boot

5. 12-month/15,000km service intervals