New Hyundai Venue diesel vs rivals: Mileage, prices compared

Hyundai has launched the new Venue with a thoroughly updated design and a plethora of modern features. The Korean automaker’s compact SUV is available with petrol and diesel engine options, though our focus here will be exclusively on the latter. In a segment comprising offerings like the Tata Nexon and Kia Syros, the new Hyundai Venue isn’t lacking capable rivals.

While there is scepticism regarding the future of diesel cars in India, this list is proof that consumers still have enough options to choose from. Let us look at how the second-gen Hyundai Venue diesel compares to its rivals (on paper) on aspects such as powertrain specifications, mileage and price.

New Hyundai Venue diesel engine specifications vs rivals

The new model shares its powertrain with the Sonet and Syros

While the second-gen Venue is based on Hyundai’s newer and reportedly safer Global K1 platform, the diesel engine under its bonnet hasn’t been tinkered with much. Its horsepower and torque figures are identical to those of the previous-gen Venue. This 4-cylinder diesel mill, while torquey and responsive, is not known for being the most refined unit around.

What is new here is the 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission that has made its way to the Venue for the first time. That said, the Kia Sonet and Syros have featured this gearbox for a while. Given that the Kia siblings have the same turbo-diesel engine as the new Venue, there is no difference in their power output.

The Tata Nexon diesel produces 10Nm more torque than the new Venue while being comparable in horsepower. While similar on this front, the Mahindra XUV 3XO’s oil burner makes 300Nm of torque – that is 50Nm more than the new Venue. Despite offering more torque than the Hyundai, the Nexon and XUV 3XO still do not get a proper automatic gearbox.

New Hyundai Venue diesel mileage vs rivals

The Venue is more efficient than the Syros, but the Nexon is even better

The new Hyundai Venue’s ARAI-claimed mileage is slightly better than that of the Kia Syros, both in MT and AT versions. However, the Venue AT trails the Kia Sonet AT by 0.7kpl. Kia hasn’t revealed the outgoing Sonet MT’s ARAI mileage, though the pre-facelift model with the iMT gearbox was rated at 22.3kpl. Given that the basic mechanicals of an iMT are similar to a regular MT, the differences in fuel consumption would be minimal.

When comparing the mileage of the Mahindra XUV 3XO (MT) with the new Venue, the latter edges ahead ever so slightly. But the Hyundai loses this margin when its AT variant is pitted against the 3XO’s frugal AMT version, which is more efficient. What is clearly evident here is that the Tata Nexon is the most fuel-efficient diesel-powered compact SUV.

New Hyundai Venue diesel prices vs rivals

XUV 3XO’s AMT options are cheaper than the new Venue diesel’s automatic variants

All prices are ex-showroom, India.

The new Venue might be in the same segment as the Sonet, but its all-new underpinning and updated feature set make it up to Rs 1.51 lakh more expensive. Meanwhile, the price gap between the Syros and Venue can be as much as Rs 3.64 lakh.

The Venue undercuts the Nexon quite significantly when comparing their MT versions. And while there is a price difference between their automatic versions, it isn’t as stark. The new Venue diesel’s pricing places it right in between its Kia rivals and between the Exter and Creta in Hyundai’s own line-up.