When Hyundai first introduced the 2020 Hyundai Venue, its boxy shape, as well as its impressive suite of standard equipment immediately caught our eye, but with 2019 rapidly coming to a close, we still did not hear from Hyundai on the final pricing for this tiny CUV. The Korean car giant has thankfully delivered on this lone omission, and revealed that the Venue has a starting MSRP of $17,250. That does not include the $1,095 destination fee which helps push the price to $18,345.
This pricing is somewhat of a game changer in the CUV segment, with Hyundai claiming that the Venue is targeted towards buyers that want a new car, but would otherwise be forced into an older pre-owned vehicle that would not have the same warranty and coverage that the Venue provides. The pricing also highlights the immense levels of value that are baked into the car. The base SE does come with a six speed manual gaearbox, but from there, the standard equipment steals the show with the 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system leading the charge. It comes with built in Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capability as well as many of Hyundai’s app based services. Steering wheel controls and even automatic headlights are welcome pieces of equipment to have on such a relatively basic vehicle. But the Venue really draws a crowd with the amount of safety features that it brings to the table. Hyundai SmartSense is standard, and it includes common features such as traction control and stability control, as well as more advance fare including forward collision alert with automatic emergency braking and even pedestrian detection. This particular item is very rare at this price point, and seeing the Venue arrive with this particular piece of equipment is a very encouraging sign of Hyundai’s commitment to safety.
If the idea of shifting your own gears is not very appealing to you, Hyundai also offers an optional CVT that makes its first appearance in the $18,450. This particular trim is the only automatic Venue that still manages to slot in under the $20,000 barrier. Stepping up to the SEL trim requires you to pay the $19,150 admission fee, but this trim allows you to tack on options such as a power sunroof, leather trim, heated front seats, and added safety technology including rear cross traffic alert and blind spot monitoring. With both the Convivence and Premium packages added into the mix, an SEL variant starts at $22,050 which again does not include the destination fee.
With the CUV segment exploding in growth and popularity, Hyundai has managed to put itself into a very compelling position with an offering that is smartly priced to not only steal sales from competitors in a very vibrant segment, but even draw in used car buyers that would otherwise stay away from new vehicle ownership. The Venue will begin making its way to dealerships later this fall, and it will be interesting to see how the Venue fares in the quest for sales, especially if it can successfully nab younger buyers that are more budget focused in regards to their new vehicle purchases. Like the 2020 Sonata, we recently had the opportunity to spend some quality time behind the wheel of the Venue, and stay tuned for our thoughts on this little CUV in a future site review.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.