Hyundai Venue vs Tata Nexon vs Ford Ecosport: Which SUV offers what

The Hyundai Venue is the latest in the sub-4 meter SUV game and the car has made the competition sit up and take notice. Launched with a price tag starting from Rs. 6.5 lakhs, the Venue comes loaded to the brim with features and gets three engine options to choose from. Its chief rivals in the segment are the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon, and the Ford Ecosport. While we have already brought you a full-on spec comparison of the Maruti and Mahindra challengers with the Venue before, let’s now see how the new Hyundai lad compares with the two other heavyweights of the segment, the Tata Nexon and the Ford Ecosport.

Exteriors and Dimensions

The Venue is the newest of the lot here and hence comes with a few new design trends on it. This includes the lower mounted projector headlamps with a waterfall grille in between and top mounted indicators. When viewed from the side, it resembles the Creta to some extent but the gorgeous alloys it comes with are new for Hyundai in India. The bumper so has projector fog lamps and DRL LED surrounds. At the rear, the tail lamps of the are relatively smaller squared units. The SUV measures 3,995 mm in length while the width and height of the Venue stand at 1,770 mm and 1,590 mm. The wheelbase of the Venue, on the other hand, is 2,500 mm.

Talking about the Tata Nexon, it features a rather unconventional design when it comes to SUVs. However, it looks quite good which is reflected in its sales too. The curvy design of the car makes it the most distinctive looking vehicle in the segment and it also has the highest ground clearance in its segment, standing at 209 mm. It measures 3,994 mm in length, 1,811 mm in width and 1,607 mm in height along with having a wheelbase of 2,498 mm.

Coming to the Ford Ecosport, this one is one of the most brute looking vehicle in the segment and has a well-propotioned design. The big bold headlamps at the front and the large chrome lined grille look quite good while the rear end gits horizontally mounted tail lamps and a wheel mount. As for the dimensions, it measures 3,998 mm in length, 1,765 mm in width and 1,647 mm in length. It has a ground clearance of 200 mm and a wheelbase of 2519 mm.

Interiors and Features

The interiors of the Hyundai Venue are a decent affair with either fully black colour theme or a black and beige theme, depending on the variant. There are subtle satin inserts across the cabin which give it an upmarket look. The dashboard is topped by a floating touchscreen infotainment unit with AC controls down below. The steering gets audio and phone controls while there is a fast charging outlet in the centre console. The rear seats are a bit of short on sapce so make sure to sit there before signing the deal. Talking of safety, the top-spec Venue will offer 6 airbags, ABS+EBD, traction control, vehicle stability management (ESP), hill hold assist, cruise control, reverse parking sensors and a reverse parking camera.

Other creature comfort features on the Venue include a twin zone, automatic climate control unit, wireless charging, e-SIM for Telematics (remote starting, car locator, remote sunroof and window operation, remote AC operation), automatic headlamps, smart key, push button start, rain sensing wipers, air purifier, cooled glovebox, electric sunroof and a touchscreen infotainment unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The infotainment also features Bluelink connectivity which comes with a 33 feature set.

The Tata Nexon offers all black interiors and has one of the most spacious rear seats in the segment. The dashboard is quite stylish and gets a floating touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, an 8-speaker music system from Harman, multi-drive modes, automatic climate control, electric adjustable and retractable ORVMs, rear wiper with defogger, and reverse camera among others. Safety features on the car include ABS, EBD, airbags, voice warnings, reminders for seat belts and low fuel, child safety locks, along with many others.

Talking about the Ford Ecosport, it gets a large 8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity which is mounted at the centre of the dashboard. It also gets telescopic adjustable steering. The interiors carry an all-black theme and the quality of plastics and the fit and finish levels are excellent. The rear seats have a decent amount of space and are comfortable too but nothing to write home about. As for safety features, the car comes with ABS and EBD, ESP, 6 airbags, tire pressure monitoring systems, seat belt warning and parking sensors among others. The feature list includes reverse parking camera, auto climate control, sunroof, cruise control, rain sensing wipers and rain-sensing wipers with defogger.

 

Engines and Gearbox

The Hyundai Venue comes with two petrol engines along with one diesel unit. The 1.2-litre petrol engine on the Venue churns out 82 Bhp and 115 Nm while the 1.0 litre 3 cylinder turbocharged unit puts out 118 Bhp-172 Nm. The diesel engine, on the other hand, is a 1.4 litre 4 cylinder, turbocharged unit that puts out a decent 89 Bhp of power and 220 Nm of torque. Speaking of gearbox options, the 1.4-litre petrol motor will get a 5-speed manual gearbox while the diesel will get a 6-speed manual unit. The 1.0-litre unit, however, gets a choice between either a 7-speed DCT unit or the 6-speed manual unit.

Talking about the Tata Nexon, it gets both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol engine is a 1.2-litre turbocharged unit which produces 108 Bhp of power and 170 Nm of peak torque. The diesel engine is a turbocharged 1.5-litre oil burner producing 108 Bhp of power and 260 Nm of peak torque. Both the engines come with either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6 speed AMT unit.

Coming to the Ford Ecosport, it comes with three engine options to choose from. The diesel engine is a 1.5-litre unit that develops 99 Bhp of power and 205 Nm of peak torque. The petrol motor is a 1.5-litre unit with 120 Bhp of power and 150 Nm of torque on offer. The third and most powerful engine is the 1.0-litre EcoBoost motor which churns out 123 Bhp of power and 170 Nm of peak torque. The petrol variants of the SUV get a dual-clutch automatic transmission as an option. The diesel variants, on the other hand, are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission while the EcoBoost version comes with a 6-speed manual.

Mileage

Fuel efficiency is a crucial bit in the car buying decision process. Talking about the Venue, the 1.0-litre petrol engine delivers 18.27 km/l with the manual gearbox and 18.15 km/l with the 7-speed DCT unit. The 1.2 petrol engine has a fuel efficiency figure of 17.52 km/l while the 1.4 diesel unit has a fuel efficiency of 23.7 km/l.

The Tata Nexon, on the other hand, has a fuel efficiency figure of 21.5 km/l for the diesel variant while the petrol variant stands at 17 km/l. Talking about the fuel efficiency figure of the Ford Ecosport, it has a fuel efficiency figure of 17 km/l for the 1.5-litre manual petrol version and 14.8 km/l for the petrol automatic. The diesel Ecosport has a fuel efficiency figure of 23 km/l. The Hyundai Venue, therefore, has the most fuel efficient petrol and diesel engine options here.

Price

The Hyundai Venue is priced at Rs. 6.5 lakh for the base E variant while the top of the line SX(O) variant with diesel engine is priced at Rs. 11.10 lakh. Next in line is the Tata Nexon, the base XE petrol variant of the SUV is priced at Rs. 6.48 lakhs while the top end XZA Plus diesel dual tone variant costs Rs. 10.90 lakhs.

Lastly, the Ford Ecosport starts from Rs. 7.83 lakhs for the base Ambiente petrol variant while the top of the line S diesel variant is priced at Rs. 11.90 lakhs. This means that the Tata Nexon is the most affordable sub-4 meter SUV here while the Ecosport is the most expensive one.

All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi