Hyundai Venue vs Creta: 10 BIG changes you need to know about!

Hyundai unveiled its upcoming sub-4 meter SUV, the Venue, in India last week. To be launched on the 21st of May, it will directly rival the likes of the Mahindra XUV300, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and the Ford Ecosport among others in its segment. Hyundai has loaded the Venue to its brim with features and is expected to annex the market share of its biggest rival, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara. Slated below the Hyundai Creta, the Venue shares a bit of similarity with its bigger brother in design but that’s where the similarities end. Read along with the find out the 10 biggest changes or what you may also call as differences between these two SUVs, which are segments apart.

Design and looks

One of the biggest USPs of the Creta is its design and this has helped it in becoming the best selling 4-meter plus SUV in the Indian market. Hyundai has followed the same for the Venue to and has given it an attractive body design which is totally different from what the sub-4 meter segment has accustomed to seeing up till now. Though the side profile of both the SUVs match, the front and rear end of the Venue and the Creta are a completely different story. The Venue gets a cascading grille up front with low mounted projector headlamps that are surrounded by DRLs. The indicators are placed where the usual headlight position is. It gets stylish 16-inch rims and squared out headlights at the back. Overall, it is quite a smart looking car and quite different from the Creta.

Dimensions

No brownie points in knowing that the Venue is smaller than the Creta which is pretty obvious as it is positioned in a lower segment. The question, however, is how much is the difference between their dimensions. The Venue is 275 mm shorter than the Creta and 75 mm shorter too. The wideness of both the SUVs is nearly the same with the Creta being just 10 mm wider than the Venue. The boot space on the Venue will also be much less than the Creta (405 litres). Though the boot capacity has not been revealed yet, it will be around 350 litres or less as on the other vehicles of its segment. The wheelbase of both the SUVs has a difference of 90 mm with the Creta having a wheelbase of 2590 mm while the Venue having a wheelbase of 2500 mm. The exact dimensions of the Venue are – 3995 x 1770 x 1590 (LxWxH).

Engines

Both the Creta and the Venue get 3 engine options to choose from. However, the Venue gets two petrol engines and one diesel engine while the Creta gets one petrol engine and two diesel units. The engine options on the Venue are – 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol (120 Bhp-171 Nm), 1.2-litre petrol (83 Bhp-114 Nm) and the 1.4-litre diesel (90-220). Out of these, the diesel engine is shared with the Creta but the other two are different units. Also, the 1.0 turbocharged unit offers more torque than Creta’s petrol engine (122 Bhp-151 Nm) and almost the same amount of power too.

Transmission

Both the Venue and the Creta get a six-speed manual gearbox unit as standards. However, the difference lies in the choice of automatics. Hyundai offers the Venue with a 7-speed DCT (dual clutch transmission) but there’s a catch, it’s only available with the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine. The other two engines get a 5-speed (1.2 petrol) and 6 speed (1.4 diesel) manual transmission. The 1.0-litre turbo petrol also gets a choice of a 6-speed manual. Though the DCT may very well be better than the torque converter unit on the Creta, the Creta comes with an automatic on a diesel motor too which the Venue lacks.

Connectivity

Now, this is where the Venue beats the Creta by miles. The Hyundai Venue will be the first connected vehicle to be launched in India and Hyundai is projecting this in a big way. The Venue comes with a bigger than Creta 8 inch infotainment system that is equipped with Hyundai’s BlueLink software. It gets an embedded e-SIM and offers 33 connectivity features, of which 10 are specifically designed for the Indian market according to Hyundai. The owners will be able to perform various tasks with the help of the Bluelink technology including vehicle tracking, remotely switch the engine and air-conditioning on/off, location-based services and much more.

Interiors and features

The interiors of the Venue have an all-black theme with white pillars and roof and are designed differently than the Creta. The steering wheel, centre console design, knobs, switches etc look different than the Creta and not in a bad way. For its segment, the Venue seems to have pretty nicely designed interiors and feature-rich too. Talking of features, the Venue comes with wireless smartphone charging, cruise control, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, electric sunroof, rear AC vents, six airbags and Arkamys tuned audio system among others. It also gets projector headlights with LED DRLs and 16-inch alloy wheels. All of the features listed above also come in the Creta and it further comes with six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and ventilated front seats.

Cabin space

Cabin space is obviously less in the Venue when compared to the Creta keeping in mind its smaller dimensions. There is a difference of 90 mm in the wheelbase of both the SUVs which is apparent once you step inside the Venue. The rear seat of the Venue is decent for its segment but not great in terms of space. The front seats offer good support and decent space but can’t be compared to the Creta, which is because the Creta belongs to a segment above.

Mileage

The mileage figures of the Venue are not out yet but we can tell you a somewhat approximate figure. The 1.0-litre turbo petrol would deliver somewhere around 18 km/l of fuel efficiency while the 1.2-litre petrol unit would also have a similar fuel efficiency figure. The 1.4-litre diesel, on the other hand, could have a fuel efficiency figure of 23-24 km/l. The diesel unit on the Venue, which is the same as on the Creta (1.4-litre diesel) will have a better fuel efficiency on the Venue due to the car’s smaller size and lighter weight.

Pricing

The Hyundai Creta is positioned in the market as a compact SUV while the Venue will be offered in the sub-compact segment (sub-4 meter segment). The Hyundai Creta has a price range of Rs. 9.6 lakhs to Rs. 15.65 lakhs. The official pricing of the Venue is not out yet, but we expect it to start from around Rs. 7.8 lakhs and go all the way up to around Rs. 12 lakhs.

What should you buy

The important question of which of these SUVs among these to buy comes down to your choices, needs and preferences. If space is your priority, the Creta is the SUV for you. The Creta is also the choice amongst the two if you are in the market for a diesel SUV with an automatic transmission. However, if you want a feature-rich SUV for city usage and don’t usually have much to worry about space, the Venue fits the bill perfectly. Also, if you are graduating from a hatchback to the SUV segment or are a bit tight on the budget, the Venue makes more sense for you. Note that the final judgement upon buying should always be taken after driving a car and for that, you will have to wait until 21st of May.