MUMBAI-BANGALORE, BANGALORE-AHMEDABAD, AHMEDABAD- Vadodara, Vadodara-Rajkot and the list goes on. I have been on the road for the past 1 month, and the Hyundai Venue N Line was exactly what I needed for all these long road trips. The 1.0 Turbo GDi engine, producing 120hp and 172Nm of torque, with a raspy exhaust note and a very sporty look, has proved to be quite easy for me to drive on the highways and on the city roads. One of my favourite elements of the car is surely the heavy steering wheel; it is decently responsive and precise while driving through the ghats. The handling of the car, be it on the highway or city roads, stays planted to the ground and weighs up accordingly, giving me more confidence and the feeling of wanting to push it more.
Although the car’s powertrain lacks the initial punch, the acceleration is not very disappointing once you reach the midrange. The gearbox could be more responsive, and it does take its sweet time to shift gears, the gear transition is smooth, just as I expected from a car that aims to give you the sporty and fast experience. Personally, I loved using the sports mode as it gave me a slightly more aggressive punch with the paddle shifters. But the economy mode while driving through the heavy traffic in Bangalore did impress me with a fuel mileage of 10 kmpl at least.
The comfort level of the seats is surely approved by my whole family and myself. We have always been on the road for my races, and I can surely say, we were quite happy with how comfortable we felt sitting in the car for so many hours in a day. But the Bose sound system did leave me with some disappointment. If you are driving, it plays in your favour, but if you are a passenger in the back seat, you won’t be enjoying the music as it is muffled and low.
Lastly, the car is a perfect combination of a day-to-day car with a sporty and fast feel to it. I, for one, can’t wait to take it out on my go-kart track and see how the N line handles itself.
