Sub-4 metre SUVs are one of the most selling segments in India. Year after year there has been an increase in its share with car companies constantly refreshing their existing offerings as well as adding new to the mix. As Hyundai updates the Venue with a more powerful diesel engine, let’s see how it matches up with the competition.
Updated Venue diesel vs XUV300 vs Nexon vs Sonet: Price
| Ex-showroom price in lakh | Updated Venue | Tata Nexon | Kia Sonet | Mahindra XUV300 |
| Rs. 7.68- Rs. 12.92 | Rs. 7.79 – Rs. 14.29 | Rs 7.69 – Rs.12.84 | Rs. 8.41- 13.92 | |
| Diesel variants | Rs. 10.39-Rs. 12.92 | Rs. 10.04 – 14.29 | Rs. 9.45 – 14.39 | Rs. 9.60 – Rs 13.92 |
Despite a hike of Rs. 6,000 to its base price, the Hyundai Venue undercuts its competition by a couple thousand bucks with a starting price of Rs. 7.68 lakh, ex-showroom. For diesel, it has the highest base price of the lot with a starting price of Rs. 10.39 lakh and its sibling, the Kia Sonet has the most expensive top model of all.
Updated Venue diesel vs XUV300 vs Nexon vs Sonet: Engine
All four sub-four metre SUVs are offered with both petrol and diesel engines and a choice of manual as well as automatic transmission.
The Hyundai Venue now gets the same 115 bhp diesel engine that does duty on its bigger siblings, the Creta and Alcazar SUV. The same is used on the Kia Sonet, Seltos and even the Carens.
For petrol, the Venue continues with the same 1.2-litre and the 1.0-litre turbo engine.
The Tata Nexon gets a choice of 118bhp, 170Nm 1.2-litre petrol turbocharged engine 168bhp/260Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, both BS6-compliant.
The Mahindra XUV300 gets a choice between 2 petrol and one diesel engine – 115bhp/300Nm 1.5-litre diesel engine, 109bhp/200Nm 1.2-litre engine and a 129bhp/230 Nm 1.2-litre mStallion TGDi engine.
Updated Venue diesel vs XUV300 vs Nexon vs Sonet: Features
| Boot Space | Updated Hyundai Venue | Tata Nexon | Kia Sonet | Mahindra XUV300 |
| Boot | 350 litres | 368 litres | 392 litres | 257 litres |
XUV300 has seven airbags and one of the two offerings on this list with a 5-star Global NCAP rating, the other being Nexon with dual airbags as standard. The Venue now gets 4 airbags as standard and 6 airbags only in the top-spec model. Sonet gets 4 airbags as standard and an option to get 6 in the top variant.
Common features among the four include a sunroof, smartphone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, auto AC, cruise control.
Sonet gets wireless charging, paddle shifters, mood lighting, cooled seats, voice command to operate the sunroof, integrated air purifier etc.
Verdict
The segment has many versatile offerings to meet the requirements of almost every buyer. While XUV300 ranks well in safety and powertrain options, the interior and features are quite dated. Similarly, Venue and Sonet are packed to the brim with features and look great as well but are yet to receive a safety rating. The Nexon seems to have the best of both worlds, no wonder it sold over 12,000 units in December 2022 followed by Venue at 8,000 units in the same time.
