Hyundai Venue SUVs set out on the third Great India Drive

Team OD Updated: December 23, 2019, 09:23 AM IST

The third edition of the Hyundai Great India Drive began yesterday, October 16, from the Statue of Unity near Vadodara, Gujarat. In this event, 17 Hyundai Venue will travel to as many historic locations across India. These include the highest motorable pass, Khardungla, Himachal Pradesh, Sakya Tangyud monastery, Kaza and Vivekanand Rock, Kanyakumari via Chennai and Pondicherry.

The aim of this drive is to highlight the Hyundai venue's capability across difficult terrain. Commenting on the drive, SS Kim, managing director and CEO of Hyundai Motor India said, "The 2019 Great India Drive with India's first fully connected SUV Venue from the world's iconic landmark-'The Statue of Unity', underlines India's unique quality to stay connected and united. The 2019 Great India Drive will chart out a unique journey for 17 Urban Adventurers across 17 historic venues in India proving the strength and capabilities of VENUE on some of the most difficult and picturesque terrains of the country."

The 2019 Hyundai Venue has been a massive hit for Hyundai India. The sub-four-metre SUV has garnered over 75,000 bookings, with 42,681 units being sold between May-September 2019. This also makes it the highest-selling utility vehicle in the country in this period.

The Venue SUV gets two petrol and one diesel engine which are be mated to two manual and one dual-clutch automatic transmission in various permutations. One of the petrols, is the new Kappa T-GDI 1.0-litre turbo. This three-cylinder motor makes 120PS and 172Nm. This will be paired with two gearboxes, a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and a six-speed manual. The other petrol motor, for lower-spec cars, is the 1.2-litre petrol with 83PS and 116Nm, as seen on various Hyundai cars in India. The single diesel option is the 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel motor which puts out 90PS and 220Nm, paired with a six-speed manual. Dimensionally, the Hyundai venue is 3,995mm long, 1,770mm wide and 1,590mm tall. The wheelbase is 2,500mm. Top-spec cars get a 215/60 R16.

The Venue is also available with the Hyundai Blue Link suite of connected car features. Also, the Venue is equipped with a number of features previously unseen in this segment. These are the DCT gearbox, wireless charger, air purifier, projector fog lamps, an HD Display Screen, chrome outside door handles, wheel air curtains, an Arkamys sound system and eco-coating.