Hyundai Venue S+ ownership experience (3 years)
3 years Update: 37000 kms
2.8 years now, will be completing 3 years by end of Feb 2024. Got new tyres at 35500 kms- 3 Ceat tyres for 17000 INR with earlier spare tyre being used as fourth.
The car cover Hyundai folks have for 1500 INR during purchase is torn, so got new car cover from Amazon for 1100 INR.
No issues with the car.
1.5 years Update: 3rd service, 24000 kms
Got wheel alignment, swap and balancing done outside for about 900 INR in Udupi. They say do this every 5000 kms but I didn't feel the need. Got it done at 17000 kms, will do next one at 25000 kms or 30000 kms.
Completed 20000 kms by end of June, about 1 year and 3 months, service was done in 3-4 hours, but Hyundai had no solution for Android Auto getting disconnected every now and then. They had no updates for the infotainment system firmware. Regular service & oil change cost me around 1800 INR.
24000 kms completed by end of August. Drove to Goa, MH and within Karnataka in monsoon. No major complaints. Once in a while wiper makes some sound- service center had no fix for this. As it is intermittent couldn't prove that it is any manufacturing defect.
9th Month Update: 2nd Service Done
Completed 12250 kms by end of November, when the car completes 9 months of usage in a pandemic year.
Completed 10100 kms by end of October and that calls for second service. Got it done at Hyundai Service center. Costed me about 2000 Rs for service and another 2000 for a floor mat lamination I availed. Didn't go for wheel balance, wheel alignment, AC foam cleaning etc. Will take up wheel balancing, alignment and rotation outside after few more thousand kms.
External mirror auto fold button was not working and replaced under warranty. Wiper sound no permanent solution given, except regular cleaning and checks. I was told even if wiper blades are replaced it will get hard by next rainy season.
Managing 15 kmpl practical fuel economy. At 115 Rs per liter of petrol, 15 kmpl is costing me almost 8 Rs per km from 6 -6.5 in March
7th Month Update:
Completed 8000 kms. Wipers making some sound which I need to get checked during second service. Getting 15 kmpl overall. Unable to start the car in neutral. Only way to start is after pressing the clutch pedal. Need to check if this is an issue or designed like that. Traveled to Karwar, Mysuru and many other places. No other issues found.
My S+ only has wired android auto. June 2021 onwards models have wireless Android Auto.
------------ 3 month Update --------------------
Here's my Hyundai Venue S+ ownership experience after using it for 3 months. You might need some background before reading this post- Venue vs Tiago
I've logged 3000kms in March on the new car, including a trip to Chennai, one trip to Sakaleshpura and another to Kuduremukh and 1000 kms in April, few short local trips- Banavasi, Nagooru etc. Just a few kms in May because of lockdown. Overall I am happy with the vehicle. After 3 months, 4250 kms, below is my ownership experience
The positive things I liked about Hyundai Venue S+
Being my first car ownership experience, I feel overall satisfied with Venue S+. It serves the purpose, didn't give any trouble, wasn't too beyond my budget and has decent space, driving experience and features in this price range. It has its limitations but then that is true for any car. Even 20 crore Rolls Royce will have some limitations- we can't get one car that has every feature.
1. First service cost me about 250 Rs + 5000 Rs for seat cover. So far service center experience has been good. Thanks Kanchana Hyundai Udupi. Second service still 5500 kms/9 months away. Showroom tried to sell me Hyundai Shield of Trust, I didn't opt for it.
2. Got one minor scratch in 3 months. No other issues faced during first 4250 kms.
3. 190 mm ground clearance helps: I have some bad roads near my home. A lower ground clearance vehicle could have scrapped underbody on these roads. I can drive without big concern in Venue.
4. Feedback from family members positive.
5. Windows have power few seconds after taking away ignition key. This is good feature.
6. Didn't feel the need to spend a lot on accessories.
7. A friend who owns a Renault Triber could immediately feel the difference in build quality between Triber and Venue. Thicker doors, more comfortable ride make you feel it was worth spending a few lakh more compared to more budget alternatives.
Venue accessories added so far:
- Seat Cover - INR 5000 (image below)
- iPOP door guard- INR 400
- Venue body cover - INR 1300
- Accessories included during delivery- INR 4000 (mud flaps, door mats, some cleaning liquid and cloths etc
- Total: 10700 INR so far
I resisted ceramic coating (12000 per year). Rear view camera is standard in S+, will manage with steel wheels for now. I am thinking of alloy wheels after 30000 kms when it is time to change tyres. Headlights are not very good, but will manage for a while. Dashcam I am thinking to add asap. Not interested in other fancy accessories.
Accessories I am planning:
- Dashcam (3000-5000 Rs)
- Alloy wheels (25-30k, after 30000 kms)
- Some chrome inserts, if I feel like, after 1 or 2 years.
Things I didn't like in Venue S+:
1. Black plastic gets dirty too often: The plastic cladding on the door is good to avoid scratches but it retains lots of dust. Needs very aggressive brushed cleaning or usage of car cleaning shampoos to keep in clear. After few attempts I have stopped worry too much about it- makes car look a bit dirty but no big deal. Main purpose of this cladding is to prevent damage to the body, which it does perfectly. So I have learnt to ignore it not looking super clean.
2. Underpowered? Venue S+ 's 1.2 L naturally aspirating engine feels underpowered on highways. It is sluggish to accelerate- takes long time to cross 100 or 120 kmph. Needs lots of straight road to cross 140 kmph. Swift has much faster acceleration. But I am fine with this limitation because it is not everyday scenario- may be once or twice a month I get to go that fast and I am getting a bit extra mileage all the time so the trade off is worth. I am ok to spend a few minutes more reaching my destination as I am saving lakhs on purchase cost and also on fuel. But those who want to drive superfast, better spend a few lakh more and get a turbo. I have a separate post explaining the "underpowered" experience of Venue S+. Driving dynamics are decent.
3. Android Auto needs wired cable: There is a hardware limitation in the infotainment system, so we can connect our smartphone to car using android auto only with a cable. Bit inconvenient and there is no fix.
4. No rear wiper. Have to wash off the dust on rear windshield periodically. No big deal. I have an option to use rear view camera on display as well, so handy if windshield is dirty.
5. 15 kmpl practical mileage. Fuel economy was tested multiple times tank to tank. I got 12-13 kmpl while driving uphill with 4 people and luggage, 18-19kmpl while driving solo on highway without AC. Overall got about 15.5 kmpl average fuel economy with occasional use of AC, 4 passengers, uphill drive etc. Not too bad, but seeing diesel cars giving 20-22, sometime it feels less. If I had bought Tiago I would have got another 3-4 kms per liter. Have to live with this for rest of my life, but 15-16 is much better than some other models giving 12 kmpl (turbo variants)
6. Rear seat folding not helping much. A 60:40 split seat might have been more helpful. No rear armrest as well- would have loved this for the convenience of my passengers, but almost all models in market offer second row armrest only in top end variants.
7. Overhead lamp is at the center: Many vehicles give overhead lamp above first row, so easy to access. In Venue this is at the middle of the cabin- bit hard to access from driver seat. This positioning is probably because there is sunroof in some models above first row. Also the auto switch off duration seems too long for door opening. I close the door, wait several seconds and still light doesn't turn off.
8. Old fashioned instrument cluster: Works but bit old fashioned, given that all other cars come with digital cluster these days.
9. Loading heavy items into boot takes effort. Once had to carry 50 kg cement bag. It was hard to unload the bag from the boot given the height between boot floor and door opening. But this problem will be there with most cars these days.
10. Had to spend lots of time and effort cleaning the car- hadn't factored this much complexity while buying! Right now managing with water wash, wiping. Spending more on ceramic coating, shampoos etc add to cost, so haven't done yet.
11. Headlights are OK-OK, not powerful enough. Even Honda Activa seem to have more powerful headlight. Managing with stock so far, haven't thought of replacing yet.
12. Driver armrest is useless. There is an armrest for driver, but it doesn't slide. I prefer to pull driver seat a bit forward so for my position I don't get any armrest. My left arm mostly hangs in the air.
Most of these drawbacks were known before purchase and bought the car despite them because overall it felt like a good trade off for a 10 lakh car. At times I feel it should have had sunroof or more power or some more features. But then, human greed has no limits- we should learn to live within our aukaat. Even if I had bought a 20 lakh car with more features, I would have some other regrets- like 2x insurance premium, lower fuel economy, some features available in 30 lakh car not available in my 20 lakh car and so on. So another 5-7 years I will contend with what I have.
Should I buy Venue S+?
Below is my assessment. Make an informed decision, depending on your budget, preferences for power, speed and features.
|
Buy Venue S+ if |
Don’t buy Venue S+ if |
|
You want a decent compact SUV in 10 lakh budget You are ok with decent engine power, not looking to race You can live without some features like sunroof, alloy wheels, cruise control You like the looks of Venue and trust Hyundai as a brand |
-You want a very powerful car (100-120 PS) -You want 20 kmpl+ mileage -You’d rather have a premium hatchback or compact sedan instead of compact SUV - You prefer a GNCAP 4 or 5* rated vehicle |
Hoping for some monsoon travel once corona condition improves. Let us see.
Related: Venue PDI checklist *
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