Hyundai Venue 1.0 GDI petrol DCT Engine and Performance
The Hyundai Venue comes with 3 engine options, 2 petrol and 1 diesel. We drove the all new 1.0 three cylinder motor which has been the talking point of the Venue since the reveal. This 1.0 Turbo GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) motor puts out 120 horsepower and 172 Nm of torque. What’s more special is that this engine comes with a 7 speed DCT dual clutch automatic gearbox. With Ford getting rid of their DCT, the Venue is the only one in the segment to have this tranny. So how does it drive? A major concern with small turbo motors has been the initial lag and well, the motor does have noticeable lag till 1800 rpm after which there is a surge of power. The engine has a great mid range as well but does tend to get vocal after 3,000 rpm thanks to the three cylinders. Shifts from the 7 speed are smooth and right up there with the VW DSG boxes. During kick down, there is a slight lag before a downshift though. Still the gearbox has a good feel and it will be interesting to see how long term reliability pans out. In city driving, the auto box is a boon and the light steering also makes negotiating the traffic easy.
Ride quality over our short drive felt compliant though it did feel a bit bumpy at low speeds on a couple of bad patches that we came across. However, the 190 mm of ground clearance is a boon. As far as handling is concerned, there is noticeable body roll going around corners and steering feedback can definitely be better, especially as the speedo needle climbs. It just feels too light, but a longer drive should give a better picture of things. Brakes are powerful and have enough bite.
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