To self-detox myself from the complicated, I borrowed one of the most straightforward cars we can buy nowadays, and oh boy, is it impressive. The Venue is the most affordable car in Hyundai Motor Philippines’s lineup, but the variant I was lent came in the top-of-the-line GLS specification.

To tell you the truth, I was super excited to drive the Venue, since its re-entry into the Philippine market last year, I always felt that it could be a serious contender in the budget compact-crossover space. Though there was some trepidation, because the Venue isn’t an all-new model, in fact, it was already sold here in 2020 under the previous HARI distributor. It remains essentially the same model as the 2020.

Looks-wise, I think the Venue nails it; the design still holds up as fresh and new 6 years later. Despite being a small crossover, it manages to have presence with the aggressive front fascia, while the side and the rear are largely featureless apart from some character lines, adding a sculpted look.

Inside the Venue in GLS trim has just the right amount of accoutrements. Highlighting the features is a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster, and an 8-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with a wireless option. That’s about it, really. The seats are cloth, and there isn’t anything for the rear passengers to play with. However, space is plentiful even if it's small, 355 liters with the rear seats up is impressive, but if you fold the 2nd row flat, it increases to 905 liters. The 60/40 split folding seats also give it versatility, depending on the cargo. For my test, my wife and I were headed up to Baguio for a weekend of chill and Golf with friends.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to load 3 full-sized golf bags, 2 small suitcases, and an assortment of other duffel bags in the trunk without hassle. As for human space, the Venue has just enough. In my driving position, the space right behind me isn’t huge, but comfortable enough for a long journey. What’s truly impressive is the headroom it has so much of it, removing a closed-in feel most compact cars have.

In terms of power, the 1.6-liter naturally aspirated gasoline engine is class-leading, producing 121 horsepower and 151 Nm of torque; the transmission is a 6-speed automatic sending power to the front wheels. Since this is a budget model it doesn’t come with Hyundai Smartsense with the ADAS features, but the GLS comes with stability control and hill-start assist. These are complimented by dual-airbags and ABS of course. It also comes with a toggle for drive modes, Eco, Normal, and Sport.

Driving the Venue is as easy as 1,2,3, no frills, just start it and go. The steering is very light and the A-pillars aren’t too thick so your view while driving is perfect, the proportions are just right, it feels more like a hatchback than it does a crossover. That maybe due to the lower ground clearance, only coming it a 170 mm which is high enough if you ask me, the 200 mm that come with the Sonet and Raize make them feel like they’re on stilts.

In the city, the Venue feels at home, I particularly like how well tuned the suspension is. It leans towards stiff and bouncy but given how bad our roads are nowadays it adds a semblance of solidness. Even if this is a budget car, it didn’t feel like it was going to fall apart driving over potholes and bumps, Hyundai does a very good job of making the Venue feel well made, the hard plastics don’t squeak and creak.

Fuel economy in city driving registers a very decent 10 km/L even in somewhat stop-and-go traffic. Impressive though is the highway efficiency, 2 passengers, 3 golf bags, suitcases and backpacks and yet the Venue from Balintawak all the way to Rosario exit in TPLEX averaged 17.8 km/L. Take note, apart from the load, the Venue doesn’t come with a CVT for better fuel economy, nor is it a turbo or hybrid.

Dynamically, the Venue was a hoot driving up Marcos Highway, I relished in the virtually empty zigzags just how eager the Venue feels, the 6-speed is tuned so well, even if it comes with a manual mode, just leaving it in drive is enough. It responds so well, it kicks down easy and holds the shifts long enough for me to complete uphill overtakes on 10-wheeler trucks and busses. Steering is also very light but responsive, and the stiffer suspension and lower ride height made it feel like an old-school hot hatch.

Call me exaggerated but I genuinely enjoyed driving the Venue briskly, it didn’t feel so out of place, and I could sense if I had less cargo, it might’ve been even better to drive. Even if my ascent up Baguio was ‘spirited’, the final readout on the dashboard displayed 15km/L, and a total of less than half the tank was used to complete the whole journey. Oh, before I forget, the Venue is the most powerful in its segment even against the Raize Turbo, even more surprisingly, the Venue despite being smaller, has more power and torque than the bigger and more expensive Creta.

To really sum it all up, the Venue flies under the radar, I’ve seen very few on the road, but with the world now looking at more frugal and simpler forms of transportation, the Venue is hard to beat. Prices start at just P 798,000 and top-off at P 998,000, you honestly get so much car for the price, the Venue really makes you think you don’t need anything else when it comes to mobility.